What Do I Do If I See a Rat on My Roof?



So, you are outside one evening when you notice that a rat or two is moving across your roof. It’s a rather odd site to say the least. You start to wonder why this rat would even be on your roof and what you can do about it. Those are good questions to start asking yourself, and is why you need to take some kind of action quickly.

Why Is A Rat On Your Roof?
Let’s start with the biggest concern that you should have. Why is the rat on your roof in the first place?

If you think about it, you have to realize that it didn’t just go up there for no reason. If a rat is out in any area is looking for food to take back to its home. If it’s on your roof, that likely means its home is inside your home.

The rat may have found a broken shingle, loose siding board, or displaced salt in your vent that is allowing it to get into the walls of your home or into your attic. It then comes out in the evening time as it is getting dark to go look for food before returning to its nest by morning time. That’s a very troubling thought to say the least.

What to Do about It?
Because these animals are nocturnal creatures, you may not be able to do very much about it right now. It will be difficult to perform a thorough inspection when it is dark, so your plan will be to wait until the morning time.

Begin by taking a look in your attic area to see if you can find any signs that a rat is living in there. Before doing so, make sure that you cover all exposed skin, wear gloves and boots, a surgical mask and goggles. You want to protect yourself from any potential illness the rat may be carrying.

Look for some kind of nest, an area where there is shredded newspaper, insulation, or clothing the rat is using for a bed.

If you find this, then you will need to use some kind of trap to get the rat out of your home for good.

Next, search around your house to find any place near the roof where there is a gap, hole, or other damage that enables the rat to get in and out of your home. Look around your chimney, at siding boards, and ventilation systems. Any spot where there is a problem you need to repair and do so quickly.

Be Thorough
One thing you need to take to heart is that you need to be quite thorough in your inspection. Consider that a rat does not take very much room to squeak its way into your home. Even less than one quarter of an inch is enough space for this animal to get inside. So, feel around, and do an incredibly thorough job of looking so that you remove your rat problem for good.

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