Rat Extermination Services in Houston

Houston Rat Pest Control Services. Rats are the most found mammal in the world. Rats & Mice can be found in many sizes and colors and live in various types of habitats. However, the one commonality all rodents share is chewing! Hartz employs trained rat exterminators well trained in rat removal.

Rats love to chew on things to keep their front incisors from getting too long and hindering their eating ability. Some of the most common things rodents will chew on to maintain teeth size include electrical wires, water pipes, insulation, plumbing stacks, wood, etc. When they set up a home in a house or commercial property, they burrow into the attic insulation and begin having babies. When this happens, it increases the chance for leaks and fires of an infested property.

The feces and urine they leave behind also pose a severe health problem for anyone in the building.

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How Do You Know If You Have a Rat Problem?

You may not have seen a mouse or rat inside your home, but you suspect you could have an infestation. What are some tell-tale signs that these rodents have invaded your home or business?

Scurrying or Scratching Noises – If you hear a subtle or faint noise that sounds like scratching or scurrying in the walls or ceilings, a mouse or rat may have found its way inside. The sound you hear depends on the kind of insulation that your attic or walls have.
Squeaking or Chirping Noises – Rats and mice will chirp and squeal loudly, similar to a baby animal. If you hear these noises in the walls or attics, chances are you have an active infestation that’s existed for some time. You’ll need to remedy the problem right away.
Marble Rolling-like Sounds – If oak trees surround your home and you hear what sounds like marbles rolling around, it’s usually from rats trying to store acorns under insulation and in attics to ensure they have plenty of food during the winter.
Electric Systems Stop Working – Remember, rats love to chew on electrical cords. So, if you notice that your home security system, doorbell or other electrical outlet isn’t working, it could be that they chewed on the wires leading to these items.

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What Attracts Rats to A Home Or Business?

When rodents find a place that offers them water, food and shelter, they’ll set up a nest and make a home. They first look at places like clogged gutters, open trash cans, compost bins, dense vegetation, etc. Eventually, they’ll make their way inside the home to find new sources of food or shelter, especially in the winter and hot summer months.

Rodents thrive in buildings that are temperature-controlled and have lots of food sources for them to get into ice

Where Can Rats & Mice Be Found?

Rats and Mice can be found in urban, suburban and rural areas of the world, making nests in dark, quiet spots near their food sources but away from people.

Outside spots - trees, tall grass, gardens, dense vegetation, under woodpiles, under sheds, decks or foundations and riverbanks
Inside spots - under the floor, above the ceiling, attics, crawlspaces, behind large appliances and wall voids

How to Prevent Rodent Infestations?

There are many ways to combat a rodent infestation before it takes hold on a home or business. They include:

Never leaving food on countertops and storing food in air-tight lid containers or inside the refrigerator
Constantly wipe your counters, clean your dishes and take trash out of the home.
Remove uneaten bowls of pet food to store away and pick up pet food debris and throw away.
Store pet food into a giant bin or container
Cut overgrown shrubs and tree branches away from the building exterior to eliminate a possible nesting area
Cut overgrown vegetation and remove yard clutter
Use tight-fitting lids on outdoor trash cans and compost bins to reduce the attraction in your yard
Take out bird feeders since rodents will forage them for food
Pick up vegetables and fruits that have fallen in your yard
Reduce clutter in storage areas that can work as a hiding spot for rodents
Pick up any food outside
Seal openings in exterior walls, foundations, or roofline
Install tight mesh covers and caps on chimneys and vents

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How Dangerous Are Rats to Your Home or Business?

Remember, the rodent’s teeth are constantly growing, which means they look for anything and everything to chew on to size down their incisors. When they get inside a home or business, they will look for anything they can chew on, such as wires, pipes, flooring, beams, etc. This can lead to water or fire damage.

Rodents can also damage personal property such as clothing, bedding, furniture, stored items and more.

It’s not just the damage they can cause to a building and its belongings that make them so dangerous. Rodents carry diseases, bacteria and other parasites like mites, ticks and fleas. Their bacteria, along with the feces and urine, will contaminate food and food prep areas.

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Call The Experts at Hartz Pest Control To Eliminate Rodent Infestation

The primary way to eliminate a rodent infestation is to work with an experienced pest control company from your area. In Houston, family-owned and operated Hartz Pest Control is the one to call. With over 30 years of experience, we have kept Houston, Sugar Land, Cypress Katy and Woodlands, Texas residences and businesses pest-free.

We have highly-trained licensed professionals that can offer the best possible pest control services to get rid of a rodent infestation and reduce the chances of a re-infestation. Give us a call to learn about our fully guaranteed residential and commercial pest control solutions for your home or business.

For the Greater Houston area residents, the most common rodents to invade homes and businesses are the roof rat, Norway rat, and mice. What are the differences between these three?

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Roof (Black) Rat

The roof rat has a long, thin body with black or dark brown fur mixed with gray hairs. They have large ears, a pointy nose and big dark-colored eyes. It also has a light-colored underbelly with a hairless tail that’s longer than its body and head.

These rats like to live up high in rafters and attics and tall buildings. This rat type has no problems climbing but isn’t very good at swimming.

Norway Rat

This type of rat has a dense body with gray or shaggy brown fur and a light underbelly. Their noses are blunt, with small ears and tiny black eyes. They also have a hairless tail that’s scaly and shorter than their body and head.

This rat type would rather stay in low-to-the-ground places like burrows under buildings, ground floors and sewers. This rat can swim easily around to get from place to place but climbing is something they are not adept at.

Mice

The house mouse is the most common rodent to invade and infest residences. They are notable by their gray to light-colored fur, with a light cream color underbelly. They have large ears, pointy noses and a tight layer of fur that’s roughly the same length as their body, if not a little longer than it. They spend their time searching for food which is a sanitation problem for those living in the home

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The Rat & Mice Population Explosion

Rats can become problematic in a home or business quickly because their population can proliferate. The mating habits of mice and rats are nearly identical, with some tiny differences.

Rats mate with many partners, with females switching partners in a session. Plus, the male rat can ejaculate multiple times successively to ensure he passes on his genes. They can mate all year long if conditions are just right, but the summer and fall seasons are prime mating seasons for the Norway rat.

Rats live in large colonies, which means there is more than one dominant male and at least two dominant females. This creates a natural male hierarchy. The male that’s the most dominant will breed more, mating with numerous female rats. Female rats are regarded as the aggressors in the colony, and rats will use that aggressive behavior to defend their mates and territories.

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The Rat & Mice Population Explosion

The female Norway rat is different from other rat species as they prefer partners who have never mated or had no stress in their developmental years. A female rat can mate at least 500 times in a six-hour span with multiple partners, producing up to 2,000 babies in 12 months.

Norway rats can become pregnant two times a month, with a gestation of three weeks. There is a four-week gestation with the Black rat.

A litter of rats can be as little as six and as many as 12 babies – all of whom are hairless, deaf and blind at birth. It takes a month for them to stop nursing and start the process all over again with a new generation of rats. The survival rate of rats & mice ranges from two to three years. When there isn’t enough food, too much noise, overcrowding, or insufficient nesting materials, a female rat may miscarry her pregnancy.