Pest Off
Professional Pest Control for Rats
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Rat Prevention and Treatments
Free call out and advice. Call now for a quote - 07884325857
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Rat Problem or Infestation?
Introduction to Rats
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Rats live in any situation that provides food, water and shelter. In homes, they will live in roof spaces, wall cavities or under floorboards. In gardens, they will burrow into grassy banks or under sheds. Rats are often found living in sewer systems.
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Rats have well-developed senses of smell taste, hearing and touch. They breed rapidly with females producing from 3 to 12 litters of between six and eight young in a year. Rats need to gnaw to keep their constantly growing incisor teeth worn down. They damage woodwork, plastic, bricks and lead pipes, and will strip insulation from electrical cables.
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Why Control Rats?
Diseases - Rats carry many nasty diseases which they can spread to humans, normally through their urine, including; Leptospirosis or Weil's disease, Salmonella, Listeria, Toxoplasma gondii and Hantavirus.
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Damage - Rats can inflict an enormous amount of structural damage. They can cause severe fires by gnawing away the insulation around electrical cables, floods by puncturing pipes and even death by chewing through gas pipes. The insurance sector has estimated that rodent damage to wiring is responsible for 25% of all electrical fires in buildings.
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Reputation - Rats can ruin an organisation's reputation. If clients and customers spot evidence of rodent infestation in the premises you manage, they are unlikely to want to do business with you and share this negative experience.
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Regulation - Property owners have a legal obligation under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 to keep premises rodent free, or, if rodents pose a threat to health or property, to report infestations to the local authority.
How to prevent Rats?
You can put steps in place to try and avoid a rat infestation:
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Eliminate any harbourage points such as sealing gaps around pipes and under sheds; rats only need a gap of 15mm to gain entry.
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Remove potential nesting sites by keeping yards and gardens clean and tidy, by cutting back overgrown areas and clearing any piles of wood/debris.
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Ensure that drain inspection covers are in a good state of repair.
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Cover any household waste where rats can get access to it, close dustbin lids and cover compost heaps.
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If you feed garden birds, do not do this to excess and use a bird table or feeder basket if possible.
How to get rid of Rats?
Rats are adaptable, highly mobile and breed rapidly; this combination can make rat control a difficult task for the untrained individual. For any rat infestation, we would always recommend contacting a professional pest control company, preferably a member of the NPTA, like Pest Off. They are trained in rat control and will have access to a range of professional use rodenticides which are not available to the public.
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However, if you decide to carry out the work yourself, then make sure:
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Traps and rodenticides are in a safe and secure place out of reach of children and pets.
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When using rodenticides always follow the instructions on the label,
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Search for and dispose of any dead rodents in a safe manner.
Why Choose Pest Off?
We provide free call outs and advice. Open 7 days a week, with no extra charges for weekend services
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A discreet service and rapid response to Pest emergencies. Local to
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Qualified RSPH Level 2 technicians ensuring high quality pest control
Members of NPTA highlighting our commitment to strict standards and continuous development
Customer satisfaction is our priority, as demonstrated by our recent awards, Norfolk Trusted Trader accreditation, and 5 star reviews