Roof Rat Control in West Palm Beach, FL

FAQ

How can I prevent roof rats?

• Work on rodent-proofing the outside of your home, sealing any gaps you find. Rats can fit through spaces the diameter of a quarter.
• Trim back tree branches from your home’s roof and overgrown shrubbery from your exterior walls.
• Place metal sheeting around the base of fruit trees to stop roof rats from climbing them to nest and feed on their fruit.
• Limit hiding spots in your home by removing excess clutter and keeping storage areas organized.
• Protect your home from becoming a place where rats forage for food. Regularly remove the trash, wash dishes, vacuum, and limit eating to the kitchen and dining room.
• Store your pet’s food in metal or plastic containers with tight-fitting lids.
• Outside, store your trash in sealed containers with locking lids. Place trash cans away from the outside of your home. Make sure to empty outdoor trash cans weekly.

What time of year are roof rats most common in West Palm Beach?

Rat season peaks in West Palm Beach between September and March, but you can find roof rats in your home throughout the year.

What’s the difference between a roof rat and a Norway rat?

Though equally frightening, Norway rats and roof rats are easy to differentiate. 

• Norway rats: Norway rats are typically brown with an off-white underbelly. Norway rats have a dense body, a blunt nose, small ears, and protruding black eyes. Including the tail, adult Norway rats measure between 15 and 17 inches long.
• Roof rat: roof rats have smaller, slimmer builds than Norway rats and have exceptional climbing abilities. Their bodies are covered in dark, smooth fur, and their scaly, hairless tail is longer than their body and head combined. Including their tail, these rats grow to between 12 and 14 inches.

Do I need to prepare my home for roof rat control services?

Ensure Native has:

• Access to the attic
• An unobstructed route to reach crawl spaces (without any obstacles like toys or furniture)
• Unobstructed, level ground for reaching the roof

Are roof rats dangerous?

Roof rats harbor fleas, ticks, and other parasites that spread diseases to people and their pets. As they enter yards and homes, they introduce parasites that create their own set of problems and worries. When living outside and foraging for food, roof rats can’t help but pick up a variety of bacteria, pathogens, and viruses on their bodies and legs.

After finding their way inside your building, they will contaminate food and surfaces with not only bacteria and pathogens, but also saliva and excrement. Roof rats spread things like hantavirus, leptospirosis, and salmonella.

As if those reasons aren’t bad enough, roof rats can also use their strong jaws and sharp front incisors to cause damage to structural elements (wire, pipes, cables) and personal property (furniture, cabinets, boxes, food containers). 

This means roof rats can cause electrical fires and also damage and contaminate attic insulation. We have had to replace attic insulation in West Palm Beach and surrounding areas many times as a result of insulation contaminated by roof rats.

Do roof rats go outside to find water if I put poison bait in the attic?

No, this is a myth. Roof rats often die in inaccessible areas of the attic or walls when bait is used inside. This will cause the house to smell for weeks while the rats decay, so we never recommend using bait inside.