Complete guide for rats control in Singapore

Rats are one of the most annoyed and feared pests, because of its intelligence, filth and harm it caused to humans. Rentokil Pest Control shares the complete guide on how do you stop a rat infestation and discuss more about rat control in Singapore.

Complete guide agenda covers the following:

What are the different rat species type
A comparison between rats and mice
What diseases can you get from rats?
What causes rat infestation?
Steps to take when encountering rat problem
Learn the signs of rat infestation
How smart are rats and mice?
Debugged rats pest myth
How do you control a rat infestation?
How much does it cost for rat control?
Rats preventive tips

What are the different types of rats?

Rats are perhaps one of the smartest and capable pests in survival. Here is a list of three different common species of rats

Roof Rat

Also known as black rat
Brown in colour with a mix of white, black and grey shades
Have a diet preference of moist and fruits
Very agile and good climbers
Comes with a pointed nose and large ears

Brown Rat

This pest is also known as sewer rat
Brown and grey in colour and live in loose colonies
They usually have blunt nose, small ears but with a thicker body size
They seek cereals meals for food source
May be found in sewers, root tops and underneath flood boards

House Mouse

They are light brown to greyish black in colour
House mouse possess small feet and head with large ears and eyes
Similarly like cereal for meal
Good climbers, swimmers and jumpers
Often seek shelter and warm in homes

Here are some common questions around rat facts

Q. What does a rat eat?

A. Rats eat almost anything and everything; however, they have certain preference such as cereals, fruits, vegetables, grains, nus and perhaps decaying leftovers in waste bins.

Q. What is the lifespan of a rat?

A. Rat’s lifespan may be impact by a few factors such as the living condition, availability of food source, presence of rat elimination. The type of rat species also determines how long do rats live. For example, a brown rat may survive up to 2 years, and a black rat around a year.

Interesting facts about rats

What is the difference between rats and mice

Rats

Mice

Size

Larger, usually range from up to 9 inches

Smaller, and size range up to 4 inches

Tail

They have long tails, but are hairless compared to mouse

They have long, thin and hairy tails

Snout

More blunt in shape

Sharper snout, in a triangular shape

What are some and diseases caused by rats?

Because of the places rats hide and hang around, they picked up bacteria and germs, rats are dangerous. Can rat faeces make you sick? Yes, these droppings can cause allergies and capable of spread diseases.

Some of the common diseases we may be familiar of, in making us sick includes

Hantavirus with symptoms including fever, fatigue, muscle pain, food poisoning signs including vomiting and diarrhoea
Salmonella that is a common food contamination causes. They cause symptoms such as fever and chills, abdominal pain, nauseating or vomiting and diarrhoea
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis that is an infectious disease because of exposure and interaction to rats’ droppings, urine and saliva. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, muscle ache and in severe cases, confusion, motoring problem.
Do rats bite? Yes, they do and cause rat bite fever. It causes infection due to its bacteria and you may suffer from fever, rash or allergy, headaches and muscle pain

Besides diseases, rats are capable of gnawing and chewing electrical wires and cable, causing potential short circuit and even fire.

Damages caused by rats

Learn the possible causes of rat infestation?

Poor housekeeping, sanitation and hygiene standards, lifestyle, habits and environment condition causes rat infestation. This includes

Presence of food waste and debris lying around and waste that are left-over and not cleared
Grease, dirt and grime not thoroughly removed on food preparation spaces such as sinks, utensils, stoves and drains
Clutters and piles that provide perfect hiding and nesting corners for rats in seek of shelter. This can clarify question around where do rats hide.
Giving rats the opportunity to climb and slip into a home or restaurant through windows, ceiling, pipes, sewer, grease traps, man holes and roof top gaps
Water and moisture, which not only rats but all pests require to survive
Open concept design homes and cafes that allow rats entry in an easier manner

What should you do if you have rats problem?

Firstly, do not panic with the thought of rat invasion in your home. Take note of the time of the day you spot them, where is the location they are seen and if you manage to take a picture of the rats, this will help to identify the right rat species. Do not attempt to catch them on your own, as they carry diseases and may cause a bacterial infection. Call a professional pest control company to trap these rats for you.

Learn the signs of rats’ infestation

Ever wonder why some people might have spotted scurrying rats but not you? When do rats come out then? Just like cockroaches, rats are nocturnal pests that comes out at night to search for food, and rest most of their time in the day. Hint: If you do see a rat running around in the daytime, it might mean a sign of heavy rat infestation.Ever wonder why some people might have spotted scurrying rats but not you? When do rats come out then? Just like cockroaches, rats are nocturnal pests that comes out at night to search for food, and rest most of their time in the day. Hint: If you do see a rat running around in the daytime, it might mean a sign of heavy rat infestation.

Presence of droppings along surfaces
Unpleasant urine stench or stains
Noticeable gnaw marks, holes and foot steps
Scratching sounds
Burrows, which are holes dug by rats to nest and hide

We have compiled a list of interesting insights on rat infestation

How smart are rodents in Singapore

Getting rid of rats are challenging because rodents are smart by nature. Coupled with their capabilities and urbanisation problem in Singapore, rats is a tricky pest to eliminate. You may ask how do rats get into homes and do rats learn to avoid traps. Why is it possible that the traps are unable to lure and trap them? We have summarised a list of rats’ talents

They are very agile and flexible. Imagine they are capable to slip through a 1cm hole.
They can bend and act as a contortionist to squeeze through those holes and gaps in your home
Rats can produce faster and in large amounts that you can control. They produce offspring up to 8 times a year and 4 to 10 litter at every one time.
Due to its suspicious and wary nature, they are not easily fooled and lure to traps and gimmicks
An expert in hide-and-seek, they tend to hide at spaces and corners that are beyond sight and reach.
Rats seek food meals easily in the homes, garbage area, outdoors. In fact, it is practically anywhere!

Debugged Pest Myth

Some said using natural home ingredients are effective DIY rat control methods. To name a few, mothballs, spices such as pepper and baking soda, ammonia, essential oils and constructing your own DIY rat baiting and traps.

Read here home remedy to get rid of rats with peppermint oil

Pest Myth using Peppermint Oil to deter rats

Rat control Programme in Singapore

Rentokil discuss what are the most effective rat traps and rodent control solution to consider.

An initial inspection and site assessment is necessary to determine the key risk areas, type of rat infestation, safety risk examination and environment condition
Line of defence can range from 1 to 3 – 3 being the most comprehensive protection, providing up to 3 barriers of entry
Tamper resistant baiting stations with lure within are placed are strategic locations to trap the rats
Scheduled inspection and service visits are arranged to check for infestation condition, replace baits and removed rats
Specialist will conduct reporting and monitoring to discuss how to improve situations
Additional recommendation and tips are also suggested to ensure a good pest control synergy partnership

As we moved into urbanisation and modernisation, and with the rising challenge in eliminating these intelligent pests, Rentokil Initial designs connected technology to control rats in a digital and smart manner.

Units are designed with sensor technology for higher accuracy and detection level
Signals of these rat activities are sent to a command centre where red alerts are notified
Specialists are more proactive and productive in responding to a rat situation vs the need for users to notify
Pest trend analysis by locations/ zones and by months are monitored
Digital reporting is accessible 24/7 in a secure manner by a login

Find out more on Rentokil’s Pest Connect and Digital Rat Control innovation here.

How much does it costs to remove rats

The cost of rat control varies and may range depending on a few factors. The cost of rat control varies and may range depending on a few factors

The area of coverage

Warehouse or food manufacturing plant may comprise a bigger coverage
Does it cover outdoor and indoor
Is 3 lines of defence coverage required

Level of infestation

The volume of baiting units may be dependent on the seriousness of infestation.
For a maintenance problem with low infestation, a couple of units are hot spots are sufficient.
In severe cases, an intensive rat control stations that can trap a range of 20 to 30 rats may be used.

Zero-Tolerant Pest Policy

In some business nature, the demand and expectations of zero-pest policy is high. Especially for high dependency sectors, food establishments and service-centric environment in a hotel, the utilisation of digital rat control may be deployed for optimal protection

Resource and Labour

Particularly for large scale and complex environment and business settings, additional resources may be deployed onsite for intensive monitoring and servicing.

Value added Services

Where businesses are dependent on their end-users partnership, such as a factory or production plant, pest awareness training and workshops are catered to ensure users are well equipped of the do’s and don’ts in rat management
Option to engage field biologist and entomologist for professional and technical advice.

Rats’ preventive tips

There is no best way to get rid of rats or best rat repellent available in the industry. Because of the rats’ intelligence, modernisation and end users habits and lifestyle, a good partnership is required. Here are some useful rat preventive tips you can adopt

Always remember to maintain quality housekeeping and facility maintenance
Never leave garbage bin open and dispose trash regularly
Store unused food suppliers in well-sealed containers
Clear up grease, dirt and grime around surfaces
Apply proofing to prevent rat entry, seal any cracks and crevices
For production and warehouse, always keep door closed at all times
Reduce clutter and piles of boxes and mess to prevent rats hiding around

Rats preventive tips

Call Rentokil Singapore at 6347 8138 for an integrated digital rodent control today.

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