Rat Removal Long Beach
Rodents are a common occurrence, and rat removal Long Beach specialists understand the dangers they pose.
Rats commonly carry potentially dangerous diseases, such as hantavirus, leptospirosis, salmonella, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, and more.
If there is evidence of a rat infestation in your home or place of business, contact the rat removal Long Beach experts at All City Animal Trapping & Removal today.
Rat Removal Long Beach SpecialistsÂ
Rodents such as mice and rats are common in most major cities and coastal towns.
Why are rats in my home?
Rats enter into homes, cabins, and other human dwellings in search of shelter and easy food. Rats will also come into apartment buildings, warehouses, and other structures.
During hot summer months, they will seek shelter from the heat in cool, dry areas. In the winter, they will burrow into homes to stay warm.
Once a rat gains entry into your home, they will create a lot of noise, making scratching or scurrying noises.
You may find wires with chewing marks, signs of fresh or dried urine behind hard-to-access areas, and feces.
Rats are primarily nocturnal, which means the majority of their activity happens at night. They are incredibly agile, and catching one is tricky.
Not only can rats cause severe damage to your home, but they also carry various diseases. If you require rat removal Long Beach specialists, contact the pros at All City Animal Trapping.
Dangers of rats in your home or building
Rats can chew through wires, such as electrical wiring or internet cables. If left exposed, these wires can create sparks. Sparks can be especially dangerous in areas with significant amounts of fuel, such as insulation and drywall.
Rats can also chew through your venting, leading to gas leaks or air leaks. Not only does this create a safety concern, but it could also cost you thousands.
The CDC states that diseases commonly transmitted by rats include:
- The Plague
- Arenavirus, also known as hemorrhagic fever
- Tularemia
- Leptospirosis
How to spot a rat
The most common types of rats in Long Beach, CA, are the Norway Rat and the Roof Rat.
Norway Rat characteristics
Norway Rats are the most common type and are what most people think of when they picture rats.
These rats are also called sewer or brown rats. They are bulkier and larger than the average rodent, growing to about 8 inches.
Norway rats are primarily reddish, black, or grayish-brown on top and gray underneath. Norway rats have hairless tails and ears. Their tails are shorter than the rest of their body and have more blunt snouts.
A Norway Rat will weight about 8 ounces. However, you may find a Norway rat over 12 inches in length and 16 oz in weight.
The Norway rat has a lifespan of two years in the wild. This lifespan can go longer in abandoned structures with little natural predators.
Norway rats have a gestation period of approximately 21 days. This means they can produce multiple litters of babies in a year. Female brown rats typically have around 6 to 12 litters per year. Each litter can have up to 22 babies.
Roof Rat characteristics
The second most common type of rat in the Long Beach area is the Roof Rat. Also known as the gray rat or the black rat, these rats are smaller than their Norway counterparts.
These rodents are uniformly colored, have longer tails than body, and a pointed muzzle.
Roof rats are usually about 2.6 ounces in weight as an adult. However, they can reach up to 8 ounces if they have easy access to food and shelter.
The roof rat will live 12 months in the wild and measure approximately 13 inches from tail tip to nose.
Roof rats have a 23 day gestation period, and each litter usually produces around six pups (or rat babies.) Roof rats typically have 6 to 8 litters each year.
Rat versus Mice
Rats and mice can appear very similar.
Mice have larger ears and longer tails in comparison with their body length. Rats have large feet and a large head.
Mice are usually smaller than rats and are lighter shades of grey or brown.
Rat’s preferred habitat
Many rats are great climbers and will pick high, hard-to-reach places to build their nests.
However, rats are also great at burrowing and may burrow beneath your home or in a cellar or basement.
Roof rats are not good at swimming. However, Norway rats can be found near water and in sewers as they prefer underground burrows.
Roof rats live in shrubs, dense vegetation, and trees outside. In your home, you’ll find them in walls, attics, cabinets, and drop ceilings.
Norway rats prefer sewers and fields outside. Around your home or business, you’ll find them near garbage cans, compost, or refuse. Norway rats like loose soil, soil near foundation, woodpiles, and debris piles, but can also appear in cellars and basements.
Rat diet
Roof and Norway rats are omnivores. In the wild, roof rats will feed on vegetation, fruit, seeds, and grains. Some will consume insects.
Norway rats will eat just about anything, such as fish, mice, poultry, small reptiles, birds, and even amphibians. Norway rats prefer to eat meat and meat waste, but will occasionally eat vegetation.
Rodents will contaminate your foodstuffs by leaving feces and urine, which can lead to disease. If you find evidence of rats or mice, do not consume the food. Contact a rat removal specialist immediately.
Most effective rat removal techniques
Once rats have gotten into your home, it can be challenging to remove them from the premises.
Rats pose a serious risk to your home’s structure and safety. Rats also carry many potentially deadly diseases, which represent a health risk to humans.
Most effective: Mice and Rat Exterminators
The most effective way to have rats removed from your home – and stay gone – is to contact a professional. Rat removal Long Beach experts will come to your home and evaluate your infestation.
All City Animal Trapping exterminators are experts at ridding your residence of mice and rats.
Our professionals will bring in traps to eliminate your current rat problem. Using many years of experience, they will target the best places to trap the rats.
After removing current rats from the premises, our professionals will identify where the rats gained entry.
Call 877-724-5314 to speak with our rat removal Long Beach specialists today!
Somewhat effective: Take preventative measures
Some steps you can take to prevent a rat infestation include:
- Never store surplus garbage inside your home
- Always put trash in a sealed container
- Search for small holes around the exterior of your home. Mark them for a rat removal Long Beach specialist, and then stuff them with steel wool.
- Wash garbage and recycling cans periodically
- Always store food in rodent-proof containers, such as metal, ceramic, or glass
- Never store food on the ground or in the attic
Least effective: DIY
Do-it-yourself options for rats include:
- Sanitation of interior cabinets
- Laying traps, such as glue or snap traps
- Putting out live catch traps
- Throwing bait poison into your attic
- Setting up patio blocks
DIY methods may work to rid your structure immediately of pests, but often do not address the underlying issues.
Contact the rat removal Long Beach experts at All City Animal Trapping & Removal to speak to a professional today.
Damage Repair after Rats
Once rats have gained access to your home or place of business, it can be tough to get rid of them.
Rats are nocturnal and are most active while we are asleep. They are also swift and can outrun many human hands. Additionally, rats can squeeze themselves through even the tiniest of access points.
Repairing rat damage
All City Animal Trapping specialists will evaluate your structure.
We will find any entry point that rats could find or make to seal up the access point.
Once your structure has is secure, we will work to clean up the mess that the rats left behind safely. Typical clean-up includes rat droppings, dead rats, drywall, and contaminated insulation.
Once an infestation occurs
Once a rat infestation occurs, it can be complicated to remove them from your home or business.
Contact a rat removal Long Beach specialist today. Our trained experts at All City Animal Trapping & Removal can help with all your trapping and removal needs.