What might give you a clue that you’ve got a rat problem brewing? Scratching noises where nothing should be scratching and small, dark brown pellets turning up around the house – rat droppings - are early signs that there’s a potential rat incursion.

Because rats are mainly nocturnal it’s usually the signs that are spotted rather than the actual rat. Here’s what you need to be on the lookout for:

Evidence for a Potential Rat Problem

• Rat Droppings: Rat droppings are usually dark brown tapered pellets that are spindle shaped with pointed ends noticeably larger than grains of long-grain rice.
• Dirty Marks & Footprints: The places we leave open to rats tend to be grim, so grease on their bodies will smudge walls and work surfaces and there are often clear footprints and tail trails where it’s dusty!
• Urine smell: As it dries off rat’s urine gives off a really unpleasant stink! Not only that it’s the medium for transmission of the Weil’s Disease bacteria. Avoid touching this with your bare skin!
• Scratching & Squeaking Noises: Black rats in particular, are pretty capable climbers. They will often find their way into lofts whereupon you will be treated to a whole range of unsettling noises through the night.
• Holes: Brown rats like to go low so will often dig out burrows where they will shelter, stash their stolen food and construct their nests for breeding.
• Nests: Rats will gnaw and rip apart any softish material that’s available. You will find anything from dismembered soft toys to loft insulation, cardboard and your long lost odd socks: shredded and gathered to make a warm comfortable nest for the next litter of young rats.
• Damaged Insulation: PVC insulation seems to appeal to rats and you may start seeing slivers of coloured plastic where there are exposed wires.

So if you have heard scratching noises, smelled the unexpected smell of urine or spotted any of the visible evidence above, it’s time to call Carlisle City Control!