The Menace of Rats Effectively Removed - About Rats

Rats

• The common brown rat can range from 20 to 26cms in length excluding the tail which is thick and scaly and is shorter than the comibined length of its head and body.
• Reddish brown or dark grey in colour with small ears and a blunt nose, their weight varies between 150 and 300grams but can be up to 500grams.
• Rats have upper and lower incisor teeth that continue to grow throughout their life.
• Females breed throughout the year and can have up to 5 litters producing on average 5 to 8 young, although up to 14 is not uncommon.
• A rat can pass up to 40 droppings a day which are concentrated in one area (12mm in size and tapered at both ends).
• Mainly active at night, rats live where they can find food, water and shelter.
• A healthy rat can live up to 2 years - the average life span is 1 year.
• The rat is a carrier of many serious diseases.

An Adult Rat Can Live up to 2 Years	Damage Caused by Gnawing	Rats Scavenging Around Bin Areas

• Droppings, smell, hairs, smear marks, swing marks, tail marks, footprints, rat runs, noises in the roof space and wall cavities at night time.
• Chewed and damaged food and stored stock. Gnawing damage to electric cables, plastic pipes, roof timbers and to door bases (to wear down their front teeth).
• Burrows - entrance holes 7-10cm in diameter evident at the side of sheds, log piles and the edges of paving stones.

• Rodenticide baits would be installed into lofts, basements, riser cupboards, plant rooms, under-stair cupboards, sheds and any other areas that are necessary or safe to do so.
• Weekly follow up visits are included until the rat infestation has been cleared.
• Any dead bodies found will be removed and disposed of through our controlled waste management system.

• We use heavy duty metal locked bait boxes. These are installed into rat runs and areas where rats are foraging for food.
• Rats are very cautious of new objects and it can take several days for the rats to become used to the bait boxes and to start feeding inside the boxes.
• If rat burrows are found, bait would be applied directly into the burrows and we would ensure the burrows are covered. Our risk assessment will always choose the safest method of control, even if it is not the quickest.
• Weekly follow-up visits are included until the infestation has been cleared.
• We recommend good management of waste food and rubbish in bin areas as rats seen by the public will cause an instant bad reputation due to humans having a general fear because of their size, speed of movement and the diseases they spread. Heavy duty bait boxes will prevent rats becoming established in these areas.