How Do Rats Get in the Attic?

Attic in lower Michigan

As a homeowner (or renter) in Michigan, it can be pretty alarming to realize you have a rat occupancy issue. They are dangerous, prone to aggressive attack when disturbed, and carry with them disease. Not only that, but they are infamous for their chewing ability and will not discriminate against expensive appliance wiring, or precious family photos.

How Can I Tell if I Have Rats?

Rats are secretive and try to stay out of your line of sight. They sneak in through holes in your roof or ceiling and can easily get in through chimneys or along vents. Some solid indicators you have a rat infestation are:

  • Scratching and squeaking. Especially at night, as these home invaders are nocturnal, preferring to do their scavenging and destruction while everyone else is asleep.
  • Strong urine scent. Rat urine is particularly strong and will usually be accompanied by the visual of their droppings in various areas.
  • Chew marks. Rats, like all rodents, have teeth that never stop growing. Because of this, rats will chew up anything to keep their teeth short. From boxes to clothing, to hard plastics like pipes, and even metals of all kinds, rats will chew through whatever they want to. Whether that’s to get at a potential food source, or for nesting material.
  • Rat Nests. Shy by nature (but aggressive when confronted), you’ll most likely find rat nests in the corners of your attic, and in spaces usually left undisturbed like crawl spaces (or even in the walls).

The Most Common Types of Attic Rats

  • Black Rat. They are dark gray or blackish in color, and typically slender, growing to be 13-15” long including their tail. Other names for this rat are “roof rat” or “ship rat”, named appropriately for their prolific climbing ability and preference for high spaces – like your attic.
  • Norway Rat. Bigger than their cousins, these rats are more robust and will grow to be 16” long including tails. Typically grayish-brown or reddish-brown, these patient zeros like to nest in your crawl spaces.

Why Call Griffin Pest Solutions

No matter the species, rats are a big problem. They carry with them disease and will attack and bite if they are disturbed or feel threatened. Even what may seem to be a minor scratch could warrant a hospital trip for you or a vet trip for your animals. The team of rodent exterminators at Griffin Pest Solutions has been dedicated to serving our community since our founding in 1929.

Sustainably minded, we have been pioneers in eco-friendly pest control and as such have earned our GreenPro certification from the National Pest Management Association. Utilizing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in tandem with being a part of the Rentokil family, we aim to be as globally responsible as we are across the state of Michigan. Trust Griffin Pest Solutions and let us help you protect your home.

Avoiding a Rodent Road Trip

rat damage on a car's internal wiring

In the spring or summer, rodents may not pay your vehicle any mind. But when the weather dips close to freezing here in Michigan, your car suddenly turns into a very appealing source of shelter and other valuable resources. The last thing you want is for a rat, mouse or squirrel to call shotgun on your ride to work or errands. You need to know what to look for, and that includes the signs of damage that rodents can leave once they’re inside your vehicle. At Griffin Pest Solutions, we specialize in rodent control for homes and businesses in Michigan, and if you have pests in your car, it won’t be long until that’s exactly what you’ll need. So stay one step ahead of these critters if you watch for the three signs of rodents in your car, and what you can do to keep them out.

Rodent Damage in Your Car

If rats, mice, or other rodents get into your car, they tend to damage the inside of your vehicle in three key areas. It may look like the following:

Chewing

Rodents have constantly growing incisors, and because of that, they chew to sharpen and grind down their teeth. When they’re inside your vehicle, they’ll chew on anything they have access to. This may look like plastic paneling, or it could be something as important as the wires and power steering lines that make up your car’s inner structure. It’s very possible that they can bite clean through something important without you realizing it. That’s why this is easily the most dangerous form of damage a rat or mouse can do to your vehicle.

Nesting

If a rat or mouse wants to hide inside your car, it’s usually to build a nest out of the way of bad weather. Once they establish that they’ve found a supposedly safe place, they’ll set about gathering material to make into a nest. This could be harvested from your carpet insulation, the interior upholstery of your seats, or any other soft materials that may be left in your car. They can nest in any location in your car’s chassis, but the most common places are usually the warmest. This means the heater blower motors, engine compartments, trunks, and under the center console.

Leaving Waste

It’s no surprise that rats and mice are fond of defecating wherever they go, and if they get in your vehicle, it won’t be long before they defecate there too. Not only will that make being in your car far more unpleasant – it can also be dangerous for yourself and those you drive around. Because rodents spread diseases through their droppings, like hantavirus and salmonellosis, and being in contact with their leavings can easily make someone ill. That’s why it’s so important not to provide them with access to your car.

Keeping Rodents Out

When it comes to keeping rats, mice and other rodents out of your car, the standard isn’t too different from keeping them out of your home. You close off access by keeping the windows and sunroof rolled up, and you remove potential food sources by keeping your car’s interior clear of clutter. Storing your car in the garage reduces the risk, but we understand that’s not an option for everybody. If you have to keep your car in the driveway or on the street, there are other precautions you can take. A solution of peppermint oil, clove, or cayenne can be sprayed in and around your car a few times a week to deter mice and rats. You can also sprinkle cedar shavings or sawdust to create a barrier around your car that rodents won’t want to cross.

These are all measures you can take on your own when dealing with a rodent presence in your vehicle. But if you find evidence of rodents in your home, we do not suggest trying to clear out an infestation on your own. Instead, trust the team of rodent exterminators at Griffin Pest Solutions to treat your home and get rid of the rodents or any other pests you may have. To get started, contact us today!

What to do With Rodent Poo

mouse sticking out of hole in baseboard

Everyone poops, including pests and nuisance wildlife, and all of their individual droppings are unique to their species. You don’t need to know what every kind of animal poop looks like, but if you can distinguish rat and mouse poop in particular you can get an advantage in extermination and control within your home. But react carefully, as rodent droppings may be toxic if handled improperly. So, if you’ve found some mystery droppings piled in the attic or scattered in the backs of your cabinets, react carefully. Clean them properly, and be sure to call a professional pest exterminator like the team at Griffin Pest Solutions.

Mouse and Rat Droppings: An Overview

It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that, since rats are generally larger than mice, rat poop is larger as well. Rat droppings are typically shaped like a grape or coffee bean and sized about 1/2″-3/4″ long. They’re commonly mistaken for squirrel poop, although squirrel poop is rounded at the ends and will lighten over time. Compare this to mouse droppings, which are small and smooth and pointed like a grain of rice. These too are mistaken for another pest’s droppings – specifically the household cockroach. And, like the rat and squirrel, cockroach droppings can be distinguished from mice by their rounded ends.

Mice tend to pick a specific area of the home, separate from their nest, to use as their toilet. This may be in the back of your silverware drawer, under your sink, or behind areas where food is stored. Rats, on the other hand, will leave urine and droppings everywhere they go. You may find them scattered in the garage, crawl space or the basement. Regardless of where you find rodent droppings, your instinct may be to sweep them up as soon as you spot them. But is that the best strategy to take?

What to do With Rodent Poo

Let’s talk about Hantavirus. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is a severe respiratory disease that can start with fatigue and fever and end with the lungs filling with fluid. It has a mortality rate of 38%, but there have been no cases of HPS being transferred in the United States from one person to another. The real risk of Hantavirus comes from rodents – specifically, exposure to their infected droppings. That’s why we advise against sweeping or vacuuming any rat or mice poop that you might find, because if the rodent it came from was infected it will spread HPS into the air around you. If you’re looking to clean, there’s a better way to do it.

First, get your protective gear, specifically rubber gloves, goggles and a dust mask. Spray the waste with bleach or disinfectant until soaked and let it sit for five minutes. Then you can wipe the droppings with a paper towel and dispose of them, as well as your mask and gloves. From that point on you can wash your hands and focus on calling a pest exterminator – because, even though the droppings may be gone, the rodents who made them are still wandering around somewhere.

The Importance of Rodent Control

Rats and mice should not, under any circumstances, be left to live in your home unencumbered. The longer they live in your home, the more damage they can cause. They may burrow into the insulation in your walls and chew on electrical cables, creating a potential fire risk. They may gnaw and tear at personal belongings, as well as spread waste and smaller, parasitic pests like fleas wherever they go. Rodents like to inhabit vulnerable spaces, like the cabinets where you keep your food and the attics and basements where you store personal belongings. They can damage your home and anything inside of it – to put it simply, rodents make a mess. With the right exterminating team, you can remove pests like these and keep them from coming back. And if you’re a homeowner in Michigan, the best pest control team is Griffin Pest Solutions.

Griffin Pest Solutions for Rats and Mice

Since 1929, Griffin Pest Solutions has provided consistent and comprehensive pest control solutions for homes and businesses in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. We focus on extermination as well as exclusion, so when we eliminate pests, we keep them out for good. So, while it’s true that everyone poops, not everyone should poop – especially not in your home. If you’re ready to stop playing janitor and get back to being comfortable in your own home, contact Griffin Pest Solutions today!

How Long Do Rats Live?

Pet rats can live for four years, but a rat in the wild generally only survives between 1 to 3, and many won’t make it past their first. Overall rat longevity varies by species and is highly affected by the availability of food and water and the prevalence of predators.

Rats are social creatures and prodigious breeders. Even if they live out a fast and hard life, they can leave behind a legacy of several litters. Understanding and interrupting the life cycle of invasive rats can help keep them from becoming a larger problem in your home or business. Here’s what you should know:

Rat Life Cycle

Rats come into the world blind, hairless and helpless, but they don’t stay that way for long. Litters average from 6 to 10 pups who adapt and mature quickly. The pup’s eyes open after 12 days and within three weeks they will be fully grown and weaned. This means a whole batch of young, eager and hungry rats set loose on the world in a very short time.

Rats reach sexual maturity after three months and will breed for about a year. The gestation period for a pregnant female is 21 days, then the cycle begins all over.

On average, a female rat will be able to produce five litters during her lifetime. Multiply that by ten pups/litter and you quickly realize that a single rat can be responsible for 50 new rats within the span of a year. This doesn’t take into account the offspring those new rats will produce once they reach their sexual maturity in three months, either. Any way you slice it, that’s a whole lot of rats.

Life of an Adult Rat

Adult rats spend most of their life foraging and mating. This makes them formidable pests. They are nocturnal animals who seek new food sources by night. Their heightened sense of smell and ability to squeeze into small areas has allowed them to integrate all too comfortably in urban areas where they eat nearly anything.

Rats are social animals who live and travel in packs. This means if you see signs of one rat, you’re probably seeing signs of many rats. Packs are formed when a male and female pair branch off into an uninhabited space. It doesn’t take long for more rats to appear on the scene after they nest. Male rats move on to new partners quickly after they’ve mated and don’t contribute to the upbringing of newborns (bunch of deadbeats).

Though rats can live up to three years in the wild, the University of Michigan estimates that 91% to 97% of wild rats die after one year. The most common causes of death are predators, disease and harsh conditions. Adult males are especially susceptible to cancer and kidney disease.

How Can I Tell If I Have Rats?

The two most common types of rats in Michigan are the Norway rat or brown rat and the Roof rat or black rat. They are noisy and messy invaders. Signs that there may be rats living near you include:

  • Feces. Rats can produce up to 40 dark rice shaped droppings in a night. Look for them in basements and crawl spaces, especially along walls and corners.
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  • Oily rub marks and smudges. Rats have very poor eyesight and establish regular travel routes via touch to move around spaces safely. As they utilize these routes, the dirt and grease from their bodies eventually leave marks along surfaces as they rub up against. Check for these marks along walls in your basement.
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  • Bite marks. Rats need to constantly chew to keep their teeth from overgrowing. They’ll constantly gnaw on walls, floorboards, mesh, wiring… and pretty much anything else that’s soft enough to get a purchase on. This behavior is actually what makes rats dangerous, as they can start electrical fires if they chew through wiring until it sparks.
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  • Scratching and squeaking sounds. Rats climb and chew within walls. Their teeth make a grinding sound, and they squeak to communicate among themselves. Rats tend to hide in the day and resume activity at night, so you’ll probably hear them late.
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  • Nests. Rats build nests in lofts, attics or basements using foraged materials like insulation or cardboard. Check for these nests in secluded, cramped, and hidden places like beneath workbenches or shelving, corners, or even in ventilation systems

If you observe any of these signs, it’s time for a plan to remove the infestation before your rat population grows. Rats and mice in your home pose many risks.

How Do I Keep Rats from Living in My Home?

Rats are dirty animals that carry worms, ticks and diseases. They contaminate any food source they get into. Keeping rats out of your home or business means sealing your perimeter against invasion and preventing access to food sources. Here are a few preventive steps you can take:

  • Seal cracks and holes in your home’s exterior.
  • Cover chimneys, vents, and fans with mesh.
  • Seal windows and door frames.
  • Repair broken screens.
  • Secure trash and compost.
  • Clear leaf and brush piles in your yard.

Rats have an amplified olfactory system that can detect food smells through walls. They are very agile and can climb onto roofs and slip under doors and into cracks ¼” wide. Don’t underestimate a determined rat’s ability to breach your perimeter.

 

Hopefully with the right combination of rat control and prevention, you can reduce the average lifespan of rats in your home or business to zero. If you have rats inside already, it may be time to call in the professionals.

Call or contact us for a trained pest control technician to handle the dirty job of removing rats from your property and keeping them from coming back.

The Late Summer Rat Problem

Outside rats move inside when temperatures fall

We don’t like it any more than you do, but it’s time to face facts: summer is ending. Fall will be here before we know it, whether we’re ready or not. If you pay attention, you’ll notice the whole world preparing. Squirrels are busy gathering food, ants are reproducing, and bees are swarming.

Unfortunately, some of these fall preparations might be a problem for you. Rodents like mice and rats are gearing up for fall and winter like everything else. The first item on any rat’s fall preparation list is finding a warm place to stay. If you’re not careful, that place could be your home. The only way to keep rats out this late summer is to beat them at their own preparation game. Here’s what those rascally rodents are up to and how to counter them at every turn:

Looking for Food

Rodents have an incredibly keen sense of smell. Rats can interpret all kinds of information from different scents. This sense of smell helps guide rodents toward accessible food supplies. Rats can smell food through walls, even if it’s dry and stored. They can even smell how easily they’ll be able to access it. Rats literally follow their noses to sources of food, letting scents guide them to vulnerable access points.

Rats are looking for consistent sources of food they can access easily. They want to be able to sneak into boxes of food to chow down without anyone noticing. Make that as hard as possible. Store all your dry goods in airtight plastic containers. Clean up your dining and kitchen areas after every meal. Take your garbage out every night. If you can make your food hard for rats to get at, they’ll be much less interested in trying.

Rats start building nests in late summer and fall

Building Nests

Rodents aren’t picky about nesting material. They build small, tightly-packed clumps of various debris, which they rest and eat in. Rats build their nests of paper, insulation, stray fabric, and other trash. They gather these materials by dragging them into dark corners. Often, rats will rip paper or other objects to shreds to use as nesting material. Rodents also rear their young inside these nests, where they can stay safe and hidden.

Rats build their nests in dark, secluded, and warm areas. They want to be able to rest and forage for food without fear of being spotted. Consequently, if there’s a rat nest in your home, it’s probably in your basement, attic, or crawl space. Look for nests in corners or beneath furniture. Rats often build nests into damaged insulation, walls, or other nooks and crannies. Prevent rats from building nests by taking care to keep your basement clean and tidy.

Teething

Rat and mouse teeth never stop growing, so the rodents never stop teething. Rats and mice have to gnaw on something constantly to keep their teeth sharp and healthy. They’re not particularly picky about what they chew on. As long as it’s soft enough to bite down on safely, rats are all over it. Teething is a big reason why rats can be dangerous inside homes. When rats bite down on wiring, they could start dangerous electrical fires.

Rats gnaw on soft materials that they can access while they’re sneaking around. Usually, they’re chewing on boxes, storage materials, fabrics, or wiring. The best way to keep rats from damaging your stuff by chewing on it is to elevate it. Keep vulnerable stored materials in an elevated place where rats can’t reach it. Replace your cardboard boxes with hard plastic ones. Conceal and protect electrical wiring whenever possible, and consider affixing it to the wall.

Rats sneak into homes to find shelter in late summer and fall

Looking for Shelter

Rats have extremely keen perceptive senses developed over centuries of hard-won survival. One of the main reasons why they have these developed senses is so they can prepare for environmental changes early. When they start sensing a season’s change, they start looking for warm shelter right away. Rats use several senses to start searching for shelter. Their whiskers help them locate drafts and warm breezes, which they can follow into structures.

Rats use their heightened senses to find all kinds of access points. Once they find these access points, they can twist and squeeze their way in through surprisingly tiny openings. Rodents frequently squeeze through openings in door and window frames, utility lines, and small foundation cracks. Many rodents can climb surprisingly well to access openings, but most get in via access points close to the ground. Finding and blocking off these access points is the most important thing you can do to prevent rodent infestations.

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Rodents are very, very good at preparing for cold weather. One of their most dastardly techniques is sneaking their way inside before we know to look for them. If they’re safely ensconced in your home before the temperatures even drop, they won’t have to worry about your fall defenses!

If rodents start this early, we have to start preventing them this year, too. Follow these tips starting now to keep rodents from infesting your home this fall. It’s not too early to start thinking about winter! If you do end up with rodents now or later, however, remember that you can always give Griffin a call. No matter how prepared your rodents are, we’ll prove we’re even more prepared.

How to Have a Rodent-free New Year

If you’ve ever had a rodent in your home, you know how persistent they can be. You lay out traps, seal off cracks, and even call in pros, but year after year, there they are. It’s easy to get discouraged or even apathetic about the whole process. But not this year. This year things are going to go differently. This year you stop the rodents. We’re here to help.

Sound ambitious? It’s easier than you think! Just follow these four steps, and you’ll be well on your way to creating a rodent-proof environment. Don’t give up! Getting a jump start on this will give you the momentum you need to complete your other resolutions. It all starts here!  

Replace Weatherstripping

replace weatherstripping to keep pests outWeatherstripping is the long, rubber material that makes up the threshold between doors and windows and their frames. This stripping makes an airtight seal between the door or window and the outside air. Without it, outdoor air would slip through the cracks and enter your home. Over time, weatherstripping can wear down. Damaged weatherstripping may not keep outdoor air out, or it may peel away from the threshold all together. Either way, it provides a perfect opportunity for rats and mice.

When outdoor air seeps in, the pressure difference between that air and indoor air creates a vacuum that sucks heat out. Rodents outside feel this heat escaping and follow it to its source: the damaged weatherstripping. Rats and mice can easily bite through or sneak under weatherstripping that’s already been damaged. Examine all the weatherstripping in your house and replace any that looks worn. You can buy inexpensive weatherstripping materials at most hardware stores.

Seal Utility Lines

Seal utility lines to keep pests outMice only need an opening the size of a dime to wriggle their way into your home. Some of the most common openings they find are around your utility lines. Gas, water, and electrical appliances have pipes, vents, and cords that need to enter your home from the outside. Rodents often follow the smell of gas or water along a pipe. Eventually, they’ll reach the opening where that pipe enters the home.

Cutting off this avenue of infiltration is simple. First, walk the perimeter of your home looking for any utility line access points. When you find them, check to see if there’s an opening rodents could use to enter your home. Remember: it can be a small opening. Use caulk or steel wool to seal this opening as snuggly as you can from the outside. To be doubly sure, go inside and repeat the same process. Utility lines are the #2 way rodents get into homes after windows, so don’t neglect this simple chore.

Clean Yard

Keep the lawn clean to keep pests outBefore rodents are attracted to your home, they’re attracted to your yard. All kinds of things bring them there: food, moisture, shelter, even random debris. Food can mean various things in this context. It could be pet treats, vegetables, fruits, or even bird seed. Moisture could come from bird baths and water features, or from sinkholes and puddles. Shelter is anything they can hide in or under to get away from predators. Random debris can be used for nesting or cover.

Keep your lawn mowed short, and prevent weeds from growing in it. If you have a garden, fence it off and protect it from pests. Be careful not to overwater your plants or grass, and don’t let water sit for hours. Keep your yard uncluttered and clear by picking up fallen seeds, branches, leaves, or fruits. Trim hedges and brush to a short, uniform length. It’s less obvious than the other tips, but yard care is an important way to keep rodents out.

Take Out the Trash

Take out the trash frequently to keep pests outRats and mice have truly incredible noses. Not only can they smell much better than we can, they can discern specific information based on smells. Information like where food is, how much there is, and how easy it would be to take. While rodents may come around looking for shelter, they’re probably interested in your home specifically because of food. Nothing attracts pests, including rats and mice, quite like the pungent aroma of garbage. It’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

This is another anti-pest tip that’s surprisingly easy to implement. First: line all your garbage and recycling cans with plastic bags. Make sure all the garbage you put in your cans actually ends up in these bags. Next, take the bags out of the cans and to the outdoor dumpster every night before bed. Seal the bags tightly before you throw them out. Keeping your garbage outdoors and away from your home will remove the main thing attracting pests to your home.

 

If these tips sound simple, it’s because they are. If they sound too good to be true, just give them a try! Even if you don’t solve your rodent problem overnight, you’ll be on the right track to a rodent-free new year.

If you need some help making that final push and driving the last of the rodents out of your home, just give Griffin a call. Our rodent experts have been fighting the furry menace since 1929, and they haven’t beat us yet. Have a great, pest-free* new year!