Rats do not hibernate. In fact, they are quite active during winter. Hibernation is a method for many animals, from bears to bats, to survive the cold weather of winter. Without needing to migrate to warmer temperatures or trying to find food in difficult cold conditions, hibernating animals have evolved to be able to dial down their metabolism in order to survive winter.
How Do Rats Survive Through the Winter
Rats need a warm environment with easy access to food and water to survive through the winter months. By the time snow starts to fall in the northern part of the country, if rats haven’t found a place to winter over, they will begin to die.
Because rats are ill-equipped for winter, they head for the warmth of manmade spaces. In residential areas, they build nests in your attic, chimney, walls, and basements. In more rural areas, barns and sheds are popular places for rat nests. They like dark places that are safe from predators and humans.
All About Rats
Rats are agile animals that can climb and jump easily. They can fit through a space as tiny as the diameter of a pen, so any small gaps in your foundation, windows, and doors become an invitation for them to make your home their home.
Rats are nocturnal and live together in family groups. Once within your home, they dig and gnaw extensive tunnel systems, within which they build chambers for storing food and their nests. Their tunnels lead to and from the food sources in your home. In the process of gnawing and digging, they cause serious damage to your house by tearing insulation to build their nests, gnawing on wood and electrical wires, and contaminating food and animal feed.
Rats are active year-round, especially when living indoors. Just one pair of rats can produce between 800 to 1000 offspring each year. And, since their young become sexually active at two to four months old, you can imagine how quickly a serious infestation can grow.
What to Do When Rats Are in Your Home
Rats leave behind telltale signs that are quite clear:
- Feces on countertops, in drawers, underneath the sink, and inside pantries that are larger than those of their mice counterparts
- Scampering noises within your walls at night
- Gnaw marks on walls, cabinet doors, around electrical sockets, and on cardboard boxes of food such as pasta or rice
- Black oily smudge marks made up of oil and filth that rats leave behind as they run alongside walls and baseboards.
- Strange dog behavior, such as staring at a wall, barking or whimpering at a wall or the underside of the refrigerator
- The distinct musky smell of rat urine
A homeowner can take steps to make a house less attractive to rodents, such as sealing all gaps in your home, including where pipes and wires are and covering vents with mesh, keeping all crumbs off counters and out of pantries, fixing any water leaks, and maintaining a yard clear of debris. However, when temperatures begin to drop in the fall, rats will often find their way in, especially in northern states where the climate can be lethal to them. Once inside, and because they are prolific breeders, it is imperative to call Critter Control so we can eradicate the rats before they inflict costly damage or put your house at risk of an electrical fire.
Critter Control’s expertly trained wildlife specialists will assess your situation, create and implement an eradication plan, institute exclusionary techniques to help prevent a future infestation, and restore your home to its original state.
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Best Bat Removal
Brandon was out to please and make out lives easier with out bat situation. Above and beyond of the call of duty and got the job done. Thank you!
BAT POOP CLEAN-UP AND PREVENTION! Bat guano removed from gables. No bats found in attic, so put new screens on all gable vents, as one screen was close to breaking and then bats may have gotten in! Great work in
Tulsa!
Squirrels and chipmunks were in our attic. So we called Critter Control to do an inspection. Their representative climbed all over our very steep roof and found several places where squirrels had entered our attic.
Upon inspection of the attic, evidence of bats was also found. The Critter Control team came on time to completely caulk the entire perimeter of the house and create an exit strategy for the squirrels and bats.
Because
bat droppings can cause histoplasmosis, this also required total removal and replacement of our attic insulation and sanitizing the space. Not a small job in a 1,300 sq. ft. attic! While Critter Control’s cost was high, our homeowners insurance covered most of it. Everyone representing Critter Control was professional, courteous and timely. I would highly recommend them to anyone who thinks they might have unwelcome guests living in their attic
On recommendations from a nearby pest control company, I called Critter Control for suspicious
bat droppings.
Madison came out the same day to do an inspection. She was knowledgeable, thorough, and highly professional. She examined the ‘matter’ that had been scattered on my threshold and thought it was foliage. But she then asked to go up to my attic space where the bats could be roosting. She had to walk up 3 flights of stairs with a heavy ladder. She again spent some time searching all the nooks and crannies and found nothing.
She seemed so interested in her craft, it was truly inspiring to see! She reassured me and is writing up a prevention strategy for my appraisal. She charged me NOTHING!! I am so impressed. We need more Madisons in this world!
Service:
Bat Removal
We noticed droppings on our brand new deck - we were given their number from our contractor. They came the next day. Brian looked at it and said - yeah, bats!! He then checked every area in our attic and he explained exactly what needed to be done.
He found evidence of a mice infestation, provided a referral and they are helping us as well. Great service, very informative, very professional! We are very satisfied and would recommend them to anyone who has any issues with any critters!
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