Wear heavy latex gloves (never touch or handle rodent feces with your bare hands).

Open doors to ventilate and air out the space for at least 30 minutes before you begin.

When you are confident that your visitors are gone, follow these steps for safe clean up: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) suggests that you continue trapping for a week after sealing off your home once the amount of snared rodents decreases to zero then the infestation has been eliminated and the area is no longer infectious. Set traps and seal up any entryways where rats can enter (which include any openings the size of a quarter and larger). After that, thoroughly clean and disinfect floors and counters.īefore cleanup can begin, make sure you take care of any active infestations. Start by collecting and putting away all food, including pet food, in secure containers. If you find droppings in or around your home, it’s an indicator that you may have an infestation, or at the very least, some frequent and unwanted visitors. Individual rats produce an average of 40 droppings per night, so they accumulate fast! Rats live in packs, and their droppings are left in large, scattered groups. They are oval-shaped and may taper to a point at one or both ends. Rat droppings are brown and solid in texture, measuring about half an inch in length.

They typically nest at or below ground level, though some species prefer more aerial nesting sites such as attics, wall cavities, trees, and roofs.

In North America, they are most populous in the coastal regions.Īlthough it varies based on the species, common nesting sites for rats include areas in and around your home, warehouses, barns, cellars, garbage dumps, etc. There are many species of rats, but all are opportunistic and adaptable, thriving almost anywhere that food and shelter are abundant. Rats can be found anywhere on Earth where humans live.

Coyote scat