Can Rats Climb Into My Home?

Rodent Awareness Week is upon us here in Tennessee. For anyone not familiar, Rodent Awareness Week is an annual event established by the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) to help educate the public about the dangers of rat and mouse infestations. Here at Leo’s Pest Control, we aim to contribute by helping our communities learn more about the threats rodents can cause to homes and businesses.

Today, we’re focusing on rodent behavior, namely how they manage to get into our homes in the first place—do they climb up walls? Squeeze through tiny openings in the roof? Keep reading to learn all you need to know with the experts at Leo’s Pest Control!

How Do Rats Climb?

Rats and mice alike are very adept at getting into your home much easier than you may want to believe. In addition to squeezing in through tiny openings (small mice can fit into holes that are just 5 mm wide), one of the most common means by which rodents get indoors is by climbing.

Rats are apt climbers and scale vertical walls with disturbing ease. In fact, they can climb up a number of types of walls: concrete, wood, brick, stucco, drywall, and more. Roof rats in particular are known for their climbing skills, and rats in general have a vertical leap of about 36 inches. Needless to say, this makes rodents very capable of climbing your home or trees around your home.

Where Do Rodents Live in My Home?

If and when rodents get into your home, where do they stow away? Here’s where you may find rats and mice hiding around your property:

1. Attics or lofts: In your attic, rodents will shred insulation and hide in cardboard boxes.
2. Kitchens: Especially in restaurants, rodents are known to harbor around appliances to stay warm.
3. Laundry rooms: Similarly to kitchens, laundry rooms provide rodents with the warmth and moisture they seek.
4. In the walls: When you have a bad infestation, rodents could be found in crawl spaces or wall cavities.
5. Garages: Rats and mice are frequently found in residential garages amidst your stored items.

Rodent Awareness in Bristol TN

No matter whether it’s Rodent Awareness Week or not, the experts at Leo’s Pest Control are committed to educating our Bristol TN communities about the potential dangers of rodent infestations. Avoiding rodents means learning about how they get indoors in the first place. To learn more about keeping rats and mice out this fall and winter, contact us today to learn more!