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Using rat poison is an incredibly effective way to get rid of rats, but it’s also one of the most dangerous. Rat poison has incredibly toxic ingredients in it that can not only be very fatal to rats, but can also be very dangerous to people and to other animals. This is of particular concern if you have pets or small children in your home that don’t know better than to stay away from the poison, and to leave it for the rats. So, how do you rat poison and make sure that you’re doing so safely?

There are two different types of rat poison bait traps that you can buy. One is shaped like a large box and is quite wide, while the other is very narrow, meant for fitting into tight spaces. Both will have rat poison inside so that the rats will enter in and find it when they are on the hunt for food. Both types will also have a lock on them so that they cannot be opened by the rats, pets, or small children. However, it’s important to note that some of the rat poison may be carried out by the rat or cling onto their fur, also coming out of the trap with the rat. Because of this, it’s very important that you still keep pets and small children away from the bait traps so that they do not come into contact with the poison.

Rat poison bait traps will also require that you place the rat poison inside the trap. Some pellets will be fine on their own to be placed inside, while you may have to mix peanut butter or other food in with others before putting them in the trap. Whichever type of pellets you use, always make sure that you wear gloves while handling the rat poison so that you also do not come into contact with any of the toxic ingredients.

Each style and model of rat poison traps will have their own instructions and specifications as to how to install them. It’s very important that you follow these instructions very carefully so that you’re not only effective at getting rid of the rats, but also stay safe while doing so. After the rats eat the poison, they will then begin to slowly die off and will end up wherever they happen to be last. Because of this, it’s also equally important that while the traps are out, and for some time afterward, that you constantly check around the house for deceased rats. Having those around is just as much of a health hazard as the live ones that are creeping around.

Accuracy Plus can handle all of your pest control needs, both inside and outside. Visit our site for more valuable information or give us a call at 888-675-0258.

When you discover rats are sharing your home with you, there’s no doubt that you want to get rid of them, and as quickly as possible! The good news is that there are several ways that you can get rid of rats on your own; but you will have to have a little bit of patience and tap into your detective skills.

The first thing you need to do when getting rid of rats yourself is to find how they are entering and exiting your home. Although rats may eat, sleep, and live in your home, the chances are good that they also come and go quite regularly. This is especially true when the weather is warm. If you start your mission to get rid of rats without checking and blocking these areas, it will be fruitless because more rats will just keep entering your home through the same holes.

Once you’ve located the holes the rats are using as their own personal doorways into your home, you need to block them with materials that rats will not be able to chew through, gnaw through, eat through, or bat away with their claws. Some rat exterminators may suggest that you try to discover at what times the rats are coming and going. This way, you can block the holes while the rats are gone and take care of much of the battle before you continue.

After blocking the holes, it’s time to take care of the rats that are still within your home. You can do this in a number of ways either by laying snap traps or by laying out rat poison. With either method you’ll want to make sure that any items used to trap or kill rats are kept well out of the way of small children and pets. Both snap traps and rat poison carry their own risks should they fall into the wrong hands, which could be disastrous. Also with either of these methods, you’ll want to make sure you lay the traps close to where the rats are congregating in your home. If they’re in the attic, place them inside the attic or just outside the door so that you can be sure that the rats will be sure to happen upon it as they’re wandering around.

If you have the patience, and the perseverance, to take on the project of getting rid of rats yourself, it is something that can be done. Keep in mind that it will be an on-going battle for some time, and that you’ll have to consistently clean up the mess, lay out new traps, and make sure that your home is kept clean of garbage and open food in order for your efforts to be effective.

Accuracy Plus can handle all of your pest control needs, both inside and outside. Visit our site for more valuable information or give us a call at 888-675-0258.

Rat bite fever is an infection that’s passed by not only rats but also rodents as well including mice, squirrels, gerbils, and guinea pigs. A human becomes infected with rat bite fever when they have been bitten or scratched by a rat or other rodent that is carrying the infection. Because many people don’t even know about rat bite fever, let alone that so many other rodents can carry it, the incidence of the infection among humans is more common that one might think. People most at risk for contracting rat bite fever are homeless people, individuals involved in pest control, tourists who visit rat-infested attractions or hotels, and rat, mice, gerbil, or guinea pig owners.

After being bitten or scratched by a rat or other rodent, one should thoroughly wash the area and look for rat bite fever symptoms. These include: fever; headache; chills; rash on the hands and/or feet; and vomiting. In severe cases, the infection may spread to certain organs and in these cases, other signs of organ malfunction or interference should also be watched for. If rat owners think that they have contracted rat bite fever from their rat, they can have it tested to see if it tests positive for the infectious disease.

Treatment for rat bite fever can be completed fairly quickly and easily with a dosage of penicillin. However, there are some strains of rat bite fever that have been found to be resistant to penicillin. Of course, the best treatment for rat bite fever is preventative treatment by making sure that when handling rats or other rodents, you always wear gloves and take extra care not to get bitten or scratched by the animal. When dealing with wild rats, know that they are most likely to bite or scratch when they are scared or feel threatened. Don’t make quick movements, and try to stay as far away from the rat as possible.

Accuracy Plus can handle all of your pest control needs, both inside and outside. Visit our site for more valuable information or give us a call at 888-675-0258.

Some homeowners may be vigilant in their fight against mice and rats, making sure that there are no holes, cracks, or entryways from the outdoors to inside the house, and taking other preventative measures. These same homeowners are then often greatly discouraged when they find that their efforts seem somewhat fruitless because their roof has been destroyed by roof rats. Roof rats are a different type of rat than the more common Norway rat, and many homeowners don’t even know roof rats exist until it is too late. Roof rats have been given their name because they are a very different type of rat, and they have very different characteristics than the rats often found in homes.

Roof rats are about the same length as Norway rats, being anywhere from 10 – 16 inches in length. However, they are much narrower and slimmer than Norway rats and their physical features are much more mouse-like than other rats. Roof rats have fairly large eyes and their ears are also much bigger and more proportionate to their body. They are also much more flexible than other rats and that’s what gives them the ability to so easily walk and jump along tight spaces such as phone cables and rooftops. Roof rats don’t only look different than other rats, they also act much differently too.

The biggest difference in the behaviour of roof rats versus other rats is that they don’t burrow in nests. Whereas other rats will either burrow into the ground of find house scraps to make a nest with in a home, roof rats prefer to hide in attics, rafters, insulation within ceilings, and of course, roofs. Other rats aren’t really known for being social creatures, and because they’re nocturnal they often become frightened or startled by a human presence. The roof rat is not only cautious of humans and larger organisms, but they are extremely secretive. It’s this secretive behavior that allows them to go undetected for so long. Often, the homeowner finds out that they have roof rats because their roof starts leaking, or because there is other visible roof or ceiling damage.

What does remain the same between other rats and roof rats are preventative measures. To keep roof rats from doing damage to your home, it’s important that you keep the roof area clean and clear of debris. Also, inspect the roof regularly to ensure that there are no holes, cracks, or other apparent damage. Going up onto the roof and looking around regularly is the greatest preventative measure you can take because roof rats are so difficult to detect otherwise.

Accuracy Plus can handle all of your pest control needs, both inside and outside. Visit our site for more valuable information or give us a call at 888-675-0258.

If you’ve seen a rat in your home, then you probably already know that you have a rat infestation. And in fact, rats are mostly active at night and don’t like to be around humans so if you see one out especially, during the day, it’s most likely because there are so many rats that it had nowhere less to go. Experts say that for every rat you see, you can count on at least ten more being in the general area. There’s no doubt that rat infestations can become pretty severe and so, you’ll want to make sure you can tell if you have a rat problem, before it gets to the point of total infestation.

Rats can be somewhat noisy creatures, especially when they’re walking around at night looking for food, and bumping into things. Listen for scratching or pawing sounds in the walls or in the near area. If you hear any, there’s a chance that you have a rat problem.

If you find that there’s a noticeable, pungent smell lurking around your home, then it could be a sign that you have a rat problem. Rats and their lairs often have a very potent smell because there is often much decay and damage lying around. Plus, rats aren’t known to be very clean animals so they often carry an odor around with them.

Rat droppings are another source of the smell of rat, and they’re also another indication that you have a rat problem. Rats defecate just about anywhere that they walk or live so if you are dealing with a rat problem, you’ll most likely notice a lot of rat droppings around. The most common places that rat droppings are found are in cupboards, pantries, and anywhere else that’s close to a food source. Many exterminators will not only look for how many rat droppings there are to see how large the infestation is, but they’ll also check the size. Rat droppings of different sizes indicate that there are a large number of both younger and older rats occupying the home.

If you see any gnawed wood or drywall in your home, this could also be a sign of a rat infestation. When rats feel trapped, or just simply are having a hard time finding their way out of tight space such as a wall, they’ll simply gnaw their way out to get free. If you find any areas around your home that look chewed or gnawed, this is another sign that you have a rat problem.

Lastly, if you have pets, look closely at their behavior. Animals like cats and dogs really hate having rats in their territory and so they’re likely to become very excited and agitated during a rat infestation.

Having a rat infestation is no joke and it can not only do a great deal of damage to your home, but can greatly disturb everyone in the home, and contaminate it. When you first start seeing signs of a rat infestation, it’s important to call a professional to fully deal with the problem.

Many people think that rats and mice are members of the same family and some may think that they are even the same species, because they look so similar to each other. In fact, rats and mice are members of the same family, but they are definitely not the same species; rats and mice have both very visible noticeable differences, and different characteristics that you can’t see just by looking at them. It can be difficult to compare rats and mice because there are so many different species of each. However when the two are compared, it’s usually the house mouse (Mus Musculus) with the Norway rat, or the black rat.

There are many visual characteristics of rats and mice that are very different. Rats are much larger and grow to be an average of 6 – 9 inches in length and usually weigh anywhere from 12 – 22 ounces. Mice are much smaller, and usually only grow to be 3 – 4 inches in length, and weigh only a couple of ounces at their maturity. You can also spot the difference between rats and mice by looking at their tails. Rats have very large tails that are thick and heavy, and usually about 8 inches in length on their own. Mice on the other hand, have very tiny and delicate tails that are usually about 2 – 3 inches in length.

The head and facial characteristics of mice and rats are also quite different. Rats tend to have blunter facial features that seem to be a bit squished. Rats also have shorter, pointy ears that are very small when compared with the size of their head. Mice however, have pointier faces than rats, with their features sticking out from their face quite a bit more than those of rats do. Mice also have larger ears than rats, and they are not as pointed.

The number of chromosomes each has may account for some of their differences. Rats have 22 chromosomes while mice only have 20. Rats can also be more intelligent than mice and can be much more sociable creatures. However, rats and mice themselves do not get along and if kept together, the rats might kill the mice. Many people who have both a rat infestation and a mouse problem might be pleased to find that the rats have taken care of their mice problem.

Even though there are many differences between rats and mice, they have some similarities as well. The biggest similarity between the two is in their life span. Rats and mice in the wild usually don’t live any longer than a year. When held in captivity as pets, neither has a much longer lifespan, living only about three or four years.

Accuracy Plus can help you with your rat or mice problems, contact us or give us a call at 888-675-0258 for a free pest inspection.

Rats in attics are one of the most common problems in both homes and commercial buildings. Of course, people want to get rid of the rats and take proper measures to make sure that every rat is taken out of the attic. But, a proper rat clean-out requires much more than simply just getting rid of the existing rats. If you don’t seal up the open areas where the rats are coming in and properly clean and decontaminate the attic, you’ll most likely just find yourself having another rat problem in a few months. To perform a full and thorough rat clean-out in your attic, you’ll need to follow these steps.

The first thing you need to do of course, is get rid of the rats. There are many ways that you can do this, but the best are probably snap traps. Snap traps are easy to set up and are the most effective. Rat poison is not recommended as it causes rats to die and disintegrate within the walls of the building, causing a horrible stench for some time to come. Glue traps can be used, but many find them inhumane and they are not nearly as effective as snap traps.

Once you’re certain that you’ve gotten rid of all the rats, you then need to seal the entry points shut. This is because if you only get rid of just the rats that are there, more rats will find their way into your attic and you’ll only be dealing with a whole new rat problem in just a little while. If you can find the locations where the rats are coming in from, block them off and seal them permanently. If you can’t find the points where the rats are getting in, hire a professional. They’ll be able to tell you exactly where the rats are coming in from and they’ll also be able to seal them shut for you.

Your next steps will be to fully clean and decontaminate your attic, and doing this serves a few purposes. First, you need to clean away up all the garbage that is in and around the attic. It’s true that rats don’t only infest dirty areas but, it’s also true that excess garbage can attract rats. Clean it up, and you’re less likely to tell nearby rats that your attic is a good place to take shelter.

Cleaning is also very important because rats leave behind feces and urine. Not only do these carry awful diseases, but they also release pheromones, which can attract other rats. Make sure that you clean every area that the rats have been with warm, soapy water. This should be the last step you should have to make before you can enjoy your attic again that’s been perfectly cleaned out of rats, and all signs of them!

For a free Los Angles pest control inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258.

Rats and Mice are cute when they are in the pet store, but if you’re sitting on your couch watching television the last thing in the world you want to see out of the corner of your eye is a rodent crawling across the floor.  Even worse, rats and mice can stay hidden in your walls or other nooks and crannies of your house until they cause noticeable damage.

Rodents can cause destruction to your home by chewing walls, floorboards, and even furniture and carpeting.  They are prolific gnawers and might even chew through wires, causing electrical problems or even creating a fire hazard in your home. 

Rodents are notoriously filthy.  They can soil flooring with their urine and droppings which they use to mark their trails.  They may also build nests inside your walls for breeding and can carry diseases as they crawl around your floors, counters, and cupboards seeking food sources.   Because of this, if you have pets or children crawling around on the floor, you’ll want to pay special care to rodent prevention.

Rats and mice both reproduce at exponential rates.  That means that as long as they have access to food and water, they can easily overwhelm your property in a very short time.  Keeping your eyes open for the earliest signs of a rodent infestation will help you nip the problem in the bud and save you time and money in the long run. 

A professional pest control service can help you determine where rodents may be hiding out on your property and assist you in designing a custom pest control program that will not only rid of these pests, but help prevent them from returning in the future.  For a free Los Angles pest control inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.

You may have started to see traces of a rodent infestation on your property and you are considering the best way to manage it.  There is a lot of information out there on rodent pest control, but take care that you are getting your information from a trusted, professional source.  There are many myths about rodent infestations which you should know about before you decide on a course of action.

For one thing, many people believe that rodents will go outside to die after they eat rat poison.  In fact, there is no guarantee this will happen.  Rat poison usually causes death in these creatures within two weeks of them consuming it, so you have no way of knowing where they will be when it finally hits them.  It is entirely possible that they will end up dying in their nests or in the passageways of your walls an attic.

Another common myth perpetuated by Saturday morning cartoons is that cheese is the best rodent bait.  Mice will actually prefer seeds, peanut butter, fruit and even meat.  You can even use nesting materials like cotton balls or tiny fabric scraps which will attract females who are preparing a nest.

Some people also believe that if they have pets like cats and dogs, these will take care of any rodent problems.  But mice and rats are far too intelligent for your pets—and they’ll simply travel inside the walls or in places that your pet can’t get at them.

Finally, many people think that having rodents is a sign of poor sanitation.  This is just not true.  Rodents will move in and make a home anywhere they find an opportunity. The only thing they need to make themselves at home is shelter with access to food and water.  That could be almost anywhere—even in your home.  Remember to keep your trash containers sealed closed and keep your food sealed up as well.

For a free Los Angles pest control inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to www.accuracypluscalifornia.com.

Despite all the cartoons and kids’ shows featuring cute and cuddly mice and rats, these critters are actually one of the least welcome pests in any home.  Because they tend to live in unsanitary places, they can carry diseases into your house or place of business putting your health at risk.

Rats can live and breed anywhere in your home including inside drains; inside your flooring, walls and attic; in your garage; or even under furniture or in closets that don’t get used frequently. They thrive in areas where they have easy access to food and water, so keeping your home clean and any possible food sources sealed up is key to controlling and preventing an infestation. 

If you suspect you may have rats or mice on your property, look for these signs:

• Droppings
  Rats and mice both leave droppings everywhere they go.  These appear to be small dark pellets that usually range between 1/8-1/4 inch. 
• Gnawing or Rub Marks
  Rats and mice are constantly gnawing on things to keep their teeth sharp.  You may notice areas in your drywall or furniture that look like they’ve been chewed on.  Rats leave rub marks—greasy dark trails—along the passages that they travel regularly.
• Tracks
  Tracks can appear in the dirt outside or in the dust in your garage.  You’ll be able to see clearly the little feet and/or tails outlined along floors and walls.
• Odors
  Rats use urine to mark their passageways and they also have their own distinct odors which most pest control experts are experienced enough to determine.
• Sounds
  You may hear the sounds of scratching, chewing, or running through your walls, ceiling or doorways. 

During cold months, rats and mice may infest a home that doesn’t usually have pest issues.  They are seeking shelter, warmth and nourishment.  Before the cold weather hits, you may want to have a pest control expert come out to your property and look for problem areas to help you prevent any uninvited guests. 

Once you find rodents on your property, there are other ways to rid yourself of them including state of the art baits and traps.  However, it is best to consult with a professional before employing any of these methods to ensure the safety of any children or pets in your family.

For a free Los Angles pest control inspection, give us a call at 888-675-0258 or go to http://www.accuracypluscalifornia.com/.