14 SUREFIRE WAYS TO ATTRACT RATS TO YOUR PROPERTY

14 SUREFIRE WAYS TO ATTRACT RATS TO YOUR PROPERTY

HINT: Do the opposite and rats won’t make your home, their home
birdfeeder

Rats and mice consider bird seed to be gourmet food making it the  #1 reason they are attracted to properties

  1.   Put bird seed and pet food outside on your property because rats love to eat them. Bird seed is considered gourmet food to rats and mice and the #1 attractant to an area.
  2.  Plant climbing vines that grow up the side of your home to provide rats a “highway” to the roof.
  3.  Store grass seed outside so that rats have easy access to a food source.
  4.   Place wood piles up against your home or fence to give rats a great place to build a nest.
  5.   Leave trash and grass clippings in bags along a fence line to give rats protection from the elements.
  6.   Allow non-operable vehicles to be stored on your property because they are good housing for generations of rats.
  7.   Place water bowls outside for your pets because rats need water, too.
  8.   Don’t pick up fallen fruit and nuts from trees.
  9.   Don’t harvest everything in a vegetable garden so rats can eat what’s left.
  10.  Plant ivy, palm trees, juniper bushes, and cypress trees to attract rats. These plants and trees make wonderful homes for them.
  11.  Leave ripped or ill-fitted vent screens alone so rats can have easy access into crawl spaces. Once they are under your house, they can easily find routes into your house.
  12.  Open garage and side doors for long periods of time so that rats have time to enter the garage and set up their new home.
  13.  Leave bits of food on or around your BBQ and outdoor kitchen areas to provide rats with more choices for food.
  14.  Open crawl space doors so that rats can seek shelter under or inside your home.

Follow these 14 surefire steps and you are sure to have rats. Do the exact opposite of these tips and you will greatly reduce the risk of rats and their associated diseases.

Information provided by our local Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control

We offer free presentations for groups of 12 or more in Contra Costa County about how to exclude rats and mice (and more subjects). Please contact Andrew Pierce, Community Affairs Representative at 925-771-6117.