Rats and mice are some commonly found house pests. Pests are undesirable parasites that contaminate food and infest a living environment. Rats have helped transmit bubonic plague to typhus and Hantavirus in the past. Rat infestations can prove hazardous to human health. Rats also are a potential source of deadly allergens. Their droppings, dander, and shed hair can cause people to experience other allergens.
Rats can cause massive damage to life and property and are not ideal to have around because of hygiene issues. Rat bites are pretty dangerous, and scratches are just as hazardous as rats tend to lick their paws a lot. The diseases that spread through their saliva are also on their feet.
How Do Rats Infest?
There are several rat entry points into houses. If you have a hole or crack more significant than a half-inch in your home, a rat can crawl through. They are also able to climb on any textured surface. They’re good at climbing brick, concrete, plastic, wood, sheet metal, dry walls, and even trees. Rats are good climbers. They also excel at jumping. Adult rats can jump from branch to branch. This ability gives rat entry points as it gives them access to your attic. Roof soffits and vents are other entry points for rats entering the house.
Rats also use chimneys, gaps in doors and windows, opening in the attic, gutter, and drainage systems. One of the favoured methods mice use to gain entry to your home is through the sewer and drainage system. They are exceptional swimmers, and mice can exploit any damage in pipes to gain access to them and have also been known to swim up to the toilet bowl.
How To Stop Rats From Climbing Drain Pipes?
We know how rats wreak havoc in our homes. That begs the question, how to stop rats climbing drain pipes? Some simple methods include removing vines from your walls. Remove anything that rats can use to jump from. Use smooth materials so that rats cannot climb on surfaces. Install a 12-inch-square piece of aluminium flashing. One can also use a galvanized metal around a conduit pipe to deny rat entry points. Without proper intervention, they can live in sewers for the rest of their lives.
Drainage systems offer rats the right conditions to breed and live in. Modern urban sewers provide a favourable environment for rodents. Water is another essential factor for rats. Rats love the dampness of water, and rats love the warmth of household water in some parts of Europe. They can swim for up to half a mile and hold their breath underwater for as long as three minutes.
Although sewers can be pitching black due to their senses of smell and touch, they are adaptable. Rats love small spaces and pipes, and rats feel comfortable crawling up and downpipes. Except for snakes, rats don’t need to be concerned about predators in the sewers. The waste we dump into the drains provides all the nutrition that rats need to grow and reproduce.
