What To Do If A Rat Is In Your Room

Rats can be extremely hard to deal with when they make their way into the rooms or other living spaces. And as you know, rats are more dangerous than house mice. So, you have to be careful when entering a room with a rat.

When entering the room with a rat avoid all contacts with it. Lay down a trap close to the wall and add a bait. Cheese or peanut butter should do the trick. Be patient since it takes some time to catch the rat.

When you have a rat in your bedroom, don’t panic. Although it’s easier said than done, try not to. Yes, they are dangerous, considering the number of diseases they carry.

But, the chances of the rat harming you are rare. That being said, their squeaky and scratchy sounds may seem annoying, and the rats coming out only at dusk will make it worse.

The rats can be a menace as they multiply and give birth to litter in your room if you don’t act fast. Firstly, you need to consider some basic things that need to be done to keep rats at bay.

What Should You do to Keep the Rats Away

Cover up all the cracks, holes, and gaps

Most of the rats look fluffy, but they can fit into holes as small as a quarter. This means small rats have it easier and can vanish in a blink of an eye.

So, first things first; check your entire home for any opening, be it big or small, and fill them up by using the right materials.

Some of these include plaster, cement, and steel wool. It’s best to use weather strips on windows and doors to seal shut if there are any holes in there.

Do not feed the rats

Rats are scavengers and quite resourceful. They know where the food and water are stored within and around your property. So, you need to be a step ahead to know how to deal with these creatures.

Cover up trash cans/garbage bins all the time, pluck out and pick any produce from your garden or the trees the moment it ripens or falls on the ground, don’t leave any leftover food for the rats to eat, and store the pet food in rodent-proof containers.

Wipe off their habitat

These vermin have plenty of places to call home. Remove them from that immediately. Remove the old cars, furniture, and other appliances from your premises.

If you have wooden logs or lumbers, keep them above the ground, at least 18-20 inches above, and a foot away from the walls and your home.

The best nesting spot for the rats is the heavy vegetation area. So consider removing them too.

Trim all the shrubs, limbs, and trees

When you trim these, at least a feet away from your home, rats will not have a way to enter your home. After all, they’re still rats; not Olympians.

Set-up traps all around the house

There are plenty of traps available online and in hardware stores. You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to traps.

But keep in mind, you must get a trap that doesn’t harm your children and pets. So the best trap you could go for is the cage traps.

Keep baits placed outside the house

If you’re using poisonous baits, such as the rat poison, it’s best kept outside the house; because if it’s kept inside, rats can spread the consumed poison within the house, making it a risky business for all.

Before using a toxic bait, make sure to read the directions on the label thoroughly and keep the bait in a trapped bait station, where it’s out of reach from pets and children.

Check with the neighbors

If you’ve got a rat problem, chances are, you’re not the only one dealing with the issue. This could be an issue with the neighborhood. Get together with the community and figure out the hot-spot for rat activity, and take steps to get rid of them.

Bring in the professionals

You might have followed all the steps to chase away the rats, but if you still see a rat infestation after all that, it’s time to call in the professionals.

This is the most effective way to eliminate rats for good. Rats are small, but they’re mighty with the diseases they carry, which makes them dangerous. And involving an expert is the best way to proceed.

How to Avoid Future Rat Infestation

Every problem in this world has precautionary measures. And just like that, your rat problems also come with a set of precautions.

You might be well aware of how rats enter your home in the first place: cracked door, windows, and drain pipes.

But, the main reason why they even enter your home is for food. And there are quite a few things you can do to keep rats at a bay for good, other than the obvious method of calling in professionals.

• Fill up the gaps, cracks, and holes: As previously mentioned, rats just need a crack or gap to enter your home. So make sure to check the windows, door, walls, and roofs for any gaps that can be wide enough for the rat to get in.
• Managing wet waste: The main source of food for rats is through garbage. The leftover food thrown into the garbage attracts rats to feast upon. So keep the garbage stored in a metal bin that’s closed, and a few feet away from your home.
• Maintain tidiness: Even when the room is clean, it doesn’t mean it’s rat-free. But, it just minimizes the problem of rat entering. Rats like dirty, dingy, and dark areas. So, try being thorough with cleaning every nook and corner of your bedroom and other living areas, and keep an eye out for mouse droppings. You’ll know you have a rat problem based on their feces.
• Check your ceiling: House rats love to live and produce litter on the ceiling. You may not clean or check the ceiling as often as you’d like. If you find it difficult to reach the ceiling, you can always ask for help from others around you.

Is It Safe to Sleep With a Rat in the Room?

Despite your best efforts to keeping your home rat-free, having rats enter your living space is sometimes not in your control.

The living situation of both suburban and urban areas are at a high risk of rat infestation, considering several factors such as unclean homes, pets, and hiding spots.

It doesn’t matter how the rats have welcomed themselves into your premises; knowing that they are living right under your nose can be unsettling for a lot of them.

And a lot of questions may arise because of similar situations. You may be thinking is it safe to sleep in your room while rats run around freely?

In the short term, it’s safe to get a good night’s sleep, even with a rat or rats running around. But for the long term, it’s not ideal. You’ve to remove the pests or get it removed from experts from your living space for good.

Now, let’s look into some of the other essential questions that you may need it to be addressed, and the threats these rats may carry into your home.

Will rats go near humans?

Rats are secretive. They like to stay as far away from humans as possible. Humans are disgusted and scared of rats, and rats are equally scared of humans.

So unless there is an infestation of rats, where there’s a large population living under the roof, a single rat will go unnoticed.

But when there are rat feces, grease marks, and dirt along the floor and the walls, then there is a rat or a rat population sharing the same living space.

Can rats get into bed?

Rats can get into the same bed that you are in. Rats are very agile. They can jump, climb, and even squeeze into smaller places. But the rats in the bedrooms aren’t looking for food in the bed. If the rat accidentally ever gets into bed, it is because it is exploring and searching for the next place of shelter or food.

There are multiple ways where this interaction can be avoided. A rat will only come home in search of food, and if it finds any, it considers staying or returning as and when it needs to.

The best way to avoid rats in the room for good is by keeping the food products away from the room. This means one must not eat by the work desk or even in bed.

Tiny food crumbs will go out of notice, but a rat will notice it and return or stay at home just for the same reason. There are various other home remedies that one can use, such as using peppermint oil in and around the room and the bed as the smell acts as a barrier.

Do rats attack or eat people’s faces?

Rats are not vicious to attack humans or eat people’s faces. Wild rats only attack when they feel threatened. Rats attack if the situation of rat handling is addressed with aggression.

But, if the rat walks around humans when they’re asleep, and they wake up, the panic that erupts from both the human and the rat may make the rat act out by scratching and biting.

Rats don’t harm anyone without reason, and especially when humans are sleeping.

The best way to avoid a rat attack is by ensuring the bedroom is food-free. If there is a situation where a rat is in the bed or the room, avoid using bare hands. A broom and a box are more helpful in this situation.

What kind of diseases do rats carry?

Rats are known to carry various diseases. So sleeping in a house with a rat infestation or problem is not ideal.

As rats scurry around the house, they scavenge and eat your food crumbs and leftovers, and also leave a trail of fecal matters. These droppings left by them can invite a lot of bacterial illnesses, including:

• E.Coli
• Salmonella
• Weil’s disease
• Typhus fever

Human health may not be at risk, but the number of diseases a single rat carries around should be worrisome.

And while the pets and their humans are getting a good night’s sleep, rats may forage through the pet’s food or the leftover wood. This may cause rats to leave all bacteria and illnesses behind in its tracks.

Bottomline

Fear of rats foraging or scurrying around in your house is common, and sleeping in the house with rats present can be unavoidable for at least a day or two.

But, for the safety, health, and your sleep patterns, it’s best to take action against the rats right away before they make your home, their humble abode. Do so by following the aforementioned tips, and if all else fails, call in the professionals for help.

Sources:

• Homeselfe
• Triangle Pest

Photo credit: ©canva.com/kseniaglazkova