Rat Pest Control in Phoenix, Tucson, & the East Valley

• Rats dwell in cities, suburbs, and rural areas.
• They are considered commensal rodents and can easily thrive in your home.
• Rats are known to travel great distances and are wary of unknown objects in their established foraging paths.
• Trapping a rat can be difficult for homeowners.
• Rats are fairly opportunistic feeders. They will feed on an array of items from carcasses to fallen fruit.
• Norway rats often prefer foods high in protein, such as meat scraps or pet food.
• Roof rats usually prefer fruit, which is why people often refer to them as fruit rats.
• Fruit rats may be attracted to areas with fruit trees.

Prevention methods should be implemented early in order to maintain a rodent-free home. Rats reproduce rapidly, and small populations become full-blown infestations in very little time.

Here are some good-to-know rat prevention tips:

• Keep any possible food sources away from rats.
• Small crumbs, grains, cereals, and garbage can attract more rats and lead to a larger infestation.
• Be sure to keep food, particularly your grains and cereal, in sealed metal or glass containers to prevent rats from getting in and contaminating it.
• Fruits and vegetables should also be stored properly, and resulting waste should never be left in sinks or on counters.
• Cardboard objects prove attractive to rodents, as they tend to chew them up for use in their nests.

When living near humans, the availability of food will drive a rodent’s habits. They often will travel outdoors and indoors in search of food. They can take advantage of many food sources such as garbage cans, open containers of food, and pet food bowls, and they will even cannibalize their own dead. Eliminate or minimize the abundance of rodent food sources and call our Bucksworth Services professionals to get rid of the rats and come up with a long-term solution to keep them out of your home.

When rat populations are large, a hierarchy develops within a burrow. Stronger individuals become dominant, while weaker ones become subordinate. Males no longer protect female burrows. When a female is estrous, several males mate with her sequentially, in the order of their social dominance.

Rats exhibit aggressive behavior when threatened. They may fight, chase, bite, and box. Rats may engage in other behaviors, such as sidling and belly-up defensive postures.