Marion County, Ocala Rat Control Situation:
Hi, I have a question regarding rodent poo. Here's the story... We have a vacation rental house in Ocala Florida. There can be people staying for weeks or empty for weeks. We are staying at the house now. The other evening, we came in. I turned the bedroom light on and noticed a very black dropping on the night stand. Only a single dropping. It was bigger than a mouse dropping and more round than oval. It did have the one end that looked pinched. I got a piece of tissue to clean it up and it was very soft and somewhat powdery. I also had my phone charger plugged in the wall. I can't remember if the other end was on the nightstand or the floor, but the cord was stretched out...still plugged in the wall, but going under the bed. I haven't looked under the bed, but I guess I should. Since this did not look like any mouse dropping I have seen and only a single dropping, I tried to tell myself it was from a gecko. However, I started searching the web and I keep seeing where gecko poo has a white tip like bird droppings. What I found did not have white, so maybe not a gecko. Do you think it sounds like a rat? Again, I have only found the one single dropping. Thanks for any info!
Ocala Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Rats Able to Enter a Property Through the Plumbing?
Rats are able to swim:
Rats are surprisingly flexible and they have some excellent swimming abilities. Even if they have to make their way in through your pipes, it won't take long for them to make their way into your home if they are located under it in the groundwater. A rat is a perfect size to get through most water pipes or sewage pipes and this can mean easy access into your home.
There are dry spots throughout your plumbing:
Depending on the way your plumbing bends, it is likely that there could be some dry spots within your plumbing or within the inner workings of your home. Rats may enter into your plumbing and may even build nests throughout these dryer areas.
Rats can damage your plumbing:
As well as being able to scurry through your plumbing, rats could potentially damage your plumbing or even clog up your pipes. If there is a major rat problem or a nest nearby, you could be risking the chance that you could damage your neighbor's pipes or have an ongoing rat problem in your own home.
Rats easily enter in through broken lines:
If there are areas of your plumbing that have fallen into disrepair, make sure that they can be properly fixed up. Broken sewer lines or tree roots in your plumbing can often be the perfect place for many rats to make their way into your property.
Check grates and drain covers:
Installing mesh or making sure that you have a proper cover for your drain covers can be important to keeping rats from invading your space. Regularly looking at all of your drains and making sure that a rat can't make their way inside can be very important.
Close your toilet lid:
Closing a toilet lid could be a simple practice you could use that can stop rats from entering your home.
