Rats are disgusting creatures. You really don’t want these rodents in or around your home. But some people simply don’t want to deal with rats — even if they are thriving inside their homes. They hope that the rats will just leave on their own… But can you really get rid of a rat infestation without actively doing anything? Will rats leave on their own? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Why rats will not leave on their own
- Resources are easily available inside your home. Rats will not magically disappear if you let them be. You will have to actively get rid of them. One of the reasons why they like to stay in human homes is the availability of food and water. If these resources are easily accessible inside your home, you are not giving yourself any chances. Put food and water in cabinets, containers, and refrigerators. Clean up immediately after eating and drinking. And keep your home free of food crumbs and drink spills. Rats are also not picky eaters. They will take what they can get, even if they are just small crumbs of food.
- Rats are territorial. Rats like to build their nests in secluded areas they deem safe. Inside your home, these areas may be your attic, basement, and other spots that you don’t always visit and clean. These rodents are also territorial. They “mark” their territory with their droppings and urine. This is not just disgusting. This is also a serious health hazard since exposure to rat droppings and urine can make you sick. Because of their territorial nature, rats will not just leave on their own, especially if they feel that the area is safe.
- They have strong survival instincts. Rats are survivors. They can adapt to different environments, whether the environment is agricultural land, urban area, or even sewers. If they can survive in harsh conditions, you bet they can survive inside your home too where it’s warm and resources are easier to come by. They are very resourceful, not just in the way they look for food, but also in the way they build their nest. They can use materials inside your home to build their nests. In short, rats have strong survival instincts. They won’t leave easily even if you try, let alone if you don’t try at all.
Challenges of rat removal
- Rats are nocturnal creatures. Rats are more active at night. During this time, they look for food and materials for their nests, exercise and play with other rats, and communicate with each other. This nocturnal nature can make it difficult to get rid of rat infestations. Of course, it’s dark during this time, so you may have a harder time finding, trapping, and killing them. It doesn’t help that rats are naturally sneaky and smart. If you think you would rather deal with them during the day, that can actually be worse. Seeing rats during the day can be a sign that you have a serious infestation and the rats are already acclimatized to your home.
- They reproduce quickly. A few rats can quickly become a severe rat infestation because of how fast these rodents reproduce. They have huge litters, ranging from six to twelve for every pregnancy. Their gestation period is also just about twenty days. They can reproduce again shortly after giving birth, continuously growing the rat population inside your home. Rats also reach sexual maturity relatively quickly. They can mate starting at six weeks old. All these factors combined can make the rat population inside your home explode, turning the rats into a big problem.
- They are smarter than you think. Rats are very suspicious of their surroundings. They don’t trust objects around them easily. This is one of the reasons why they are so difficult to trap. You can place an effective rat trap, but the rats can ignore it because it’s a new object. It isn’t there before and they know it could be dangerous. Rats also learn from their experiences. If they know a spot where they can easily find food, they will always go back to that spot. The intelligence of rats is not just annoying. It can be fascinating, especially if you want to keep them as pets.
Importance of pest control
- Rats are health risks. No, rats will not leave on their own. And even if they will, you should still treat rat infestations with urgency. This is because rats are health risks. Because of their habits, they are often in environments where they can get dirty. They can carry disease-causing microorganisms and transfer them to you. The most common ways to get diseases from rats are through their droppings and urine. If you have rats at home, you will definitely see rat droppings and urine, and they put you at risk of many diseases, such as leptospirosis and salmonellosis.
- Get rid of rats with pest control professionals. Rats can be difficult to get rid of because of their nocturnal nature, fast reproduction rate, and intelligence. This is why many people hire pest control professionals instead of trying to get rid of the rats themselves. You may think it’s easy to get rid of these pests on your own, but they can smell you in the traps you set up if you don’t handle the traps properly. They can also die in the most inaccessible areas if you choose to use rodenticides. This can stink up your home. It’s a good idea to just let professionals handle them.
- Know the different kinds of rat traps. If you really want to get rid of rats yourself, go with rat traps. There are many options available. You have snapping traps that have snapping mechanisms to catch and kill rats. You have containment traps that have cages that trap rats. And you have glue traps, electronic traps, and many other kinds of traps you can try. They are all effective. But make sure to wear gloves when handling them, so you don’t leave your scent on them and make the rats more suspicious.
Rats will not leave on their own
No, rats will not leave on their own. If you have rats at home, they are likely to stay if you don’t do anything about them. They can be a huge problem very quickly because of their fast reproduction rate and intelligence.
Treat rat infestations with urgency. Call pest control professionals to get rid of them as soon as possible. If you want to deal with them yourself, you can try rat traps.