Rats have many traits that allow them to survive outdoors. From their acrobatic skill, to their intelligence and general hardiness, rats are built to survive an environment teeming with predators and conditions that could kill them. But one of their often overlooked talents is their powerful sense of smell.
How good is the rat sense of smell?
Rats rely heavily on their sense of smell. They will often inhabit and travel through areas that have very low lighting conditions. On top of that, baby rats are born blind, and they are blind for about a week, time in which they rely solely on smell. This is why they’re able to sense whether there is food inside of a building or not, and they can sense from outside of the building.
How do you counteract their sense of smell?
To prevent rats from using their sense of smell to detect food in the home, you will have to make sure that you keep all of your food in sealed containers and that you do not leave leftovers out for too long. It’s also a good idea to wash the dishes as soon as possible, because rats can detect their smell as well. You then want to use lidded trash containers both outside and inside the home. Finally, you will need to treat pet food as any other type of food, because rats love it. It needs to be kept in sealed containers, the pet food bowls should be cleaned regularly, and you should not leave any pet food out in the bowls for too long.
Other prevention methods
Keeping all your food sealed so that rats can’t smell it is a great way to remove one of the reasons why rats infest the home. However, rats have several other reasons to be indoors. They may be looking for warmth, or water, or they may simply wander inside and decide to stay. As such, to further lower the odds of an infestation, you will have to find all the openings in your exterior wall that could be used by rats to enter the home, and then seal them. If all else fails, and an infestation starts anyway, then you will have to hire a pro to help you with the control process.
For more information on how rat infestations are controlled and prevented, or if you are currently dealing with an infestation, contact us today.