The city of Davenport, Florida has seen expansive growth over the last few years. However, the abundance of newcomers flocking to the Polk County city doesn’t just include people. Wild animals such as rats are becoming a growing issue for residential homes and commercial businesses in the Orlando-area suburb. An invasion of such wildlife can cause an unwelcome disruption to your peaceful routine and bring about new stress and damage. To help restore your peace and remove rats from your life, rely on the experienced and humane methods of the wildlife removal experts at Critter Control® of Polk County.
Home to multiple rat species, the city of Davenport gives property owners more than one reason to be on the lookout for these rodents in their home or business. But rather than trying to handle a rat infestation with store-bought traps, treatments, and tools, call on the professionals at Critter Control® of Davenport, so you can count on complete rat removal and guaranteed prevention.
5 Ways How You Can Uncover a Rat Infestation
Rats aren’t confrontational, which means they’ll hide from humans for as long as possible. Because of their anti-predator adaptations, rats can often infest buildings without ever being seen. When trying to rule out a rat infestation, here are the signs to look closely for.
- Droppings
- Urine or an ammonia-like smell
- Nests made of paper, cardboard, and other miscellaneous materials
- Chewed wires, boxes, and other items in your attic, kitchen, or crawl spaces
- Scratched or torn insulation
4 Reasons Why Rats Are So Damaging
The longer you put off professional rat removal, the more repair and restoration fees you’ll be faced with. In fact, some of the costliest consequences of an untreated rat infestation include:
- Carpet replacement
- HVAC repair or replacement
- Roof shingle, vent cap, and fascia repairs
- Restoration from fire damage
5 Dangerous Risks of Rat Infestations
Unless handled by professionally trained technicians, your rat infestation can threaten both your property and your health. If you’re thinking of DIY rat removal for your commercial or residential property, take a look at the health risks associated with rat trapping.
1. Weil’s disease
Also known as leptospirosis, this bacterial infection can affect organ function if left untreated.
2. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS)
Only certain types of rats carry HPS, but it’s often impossible to tell if a rat is carrying the virus just by looking at it.
3. Rat-Bite Fever
This infectious disease can become incredibly serious without quick and careful treatment.
4. Tularemia
Highly contagious and often dangerous, this infectious disease can spread through bite or substance contamination.
5. Salmonellosis
Rats can contaminate food and water in your property, leaving behind bacteria that leads to this dangerous condition.
How to Determine if You Have a Rat Infestation
Rats have the ability to cause destruction to your home or commercial business. Recognizing the signs of a rat infestation early on can reduce the risk of property damage and lower your risk of an infestation. Some clear signs you may have a rat problem include:
- Rat pawprints along dusty attic floorboards
- Dark, greasy stains along entryways and near openings
- Chewed drywall, cardboard, crossbeams, molding, and other property structures
- Soiled attic insulation
- Bite marks on wiring or cables throughout your property
- Squeaking or scratching noises that keep you awake at night
- Unpleasant smells due to rat droppings
Problems Rats Can Bring to Your Property
The chewing of electrical wires to slow the growth of their teeth is just the start of the troubles these creatures can bring. Not only can rats bring about property damage but they also pose health risks. In addition to being a host for fleas, rats carry diseases that can be harmful to you and your family. Some common diseases that rats bring include:
- Rat-bite fever that leads to headache and muscle pain
- Leptospirosis that can cause eye irritation, vomiting, and chills
Need Rat Removal Right Now?
Whether you’ve got rats up in the attic or down beneath the foundation, they can cause extreme chaos in your home or business. Instead of waiting until the damage gets out of hand or the health risks become reality, contact the wildlife technicians at Critter Control® of Polk County right away. Using a combination of local expertise and CritterSafe® strategies, we can humanely exclude rats, secure your home from reentry, and restore the areas rats most commonly infested.
Our Safe Rat Removal Methods
To control the spread of a rat infestation, it is important to address the problem as soon as you notice any warning signs. With our CritterSafe® Davenport rat removal methods, we can quickly and effectively remove your unwelcomed guests and restore your property to a rat-free space in four simple steps:
- Inspection – Our licensed technicians identify all rat entry points and areas of contamination.
- Removal – All rats are humanely isolated and removed from your property.
- Exclusion – To prevent future infestations, all entry points are permanently sealed.
- Restoration – Any area impacted or damaged by rats is cleaned, sanitized, and repaired.
Coming in contact with rats on your property can be a terrifying experience as they can cause destruction and introduce health risks to you and those around you. Fortunately, our highly trained professionals at Critter Control® of Polk County are just a phone call away from identifying and removing nuisance rats and restoring your property to its former glory. To schedule your free consultation today give us a call at 863-204-2815.
