How do You Know if Rats Are Gone?

Sprinkle Flour

While we realise this is a bit messy, a surefire way to know if rats are gone is to sprinkle some sort of powder (e.g. flour) in areas you know they’re likely to frequent.

Leave the powder overnight to give the rats a chance to appear from their hiding places, and in the morning if there are no tiny rodent footprints, you can assume you’re all good.

Although this can be a little more difficult in hard-to-reach areas such as the attic, it’s definitely worth a try for peace of mind.

Listen Carefully

If you’ve previously encountered a rat infestation, you’ll know they’re not the quietest of animals. You’ll likely have heard them gnawing on wooden beams or scurrying between walls.

It’s, therefore, a good indication that any rats in your home are gone for good if what was once irritating noise from the infestation has now turned into silence.

Leave A Snack For Them

We appreciate this one sounds counter-intuitive, however even leaving something as simple as a biscuit out where you suspect rats are likely to visit inside your home can be a good test to see if they’re truly gone.

A little like the flour trick, if you come back in the morning to find the food has been nibbled on (or is entirely gone!) as long as you rule out other factors such as kids and pets, this is also a good indication the rats are still around.

No More Droppings

One of the first signs you may notice that suggests you’re dealing with a rat infestation is the dreaded droppings.

Whether in your kitchen cupboards or in the garage, rat droppings almost certainly mean you have an infestation on your hands.

If these droppings have gone you can be pretty certain the rats are gone for good.

So the rats have (finally) gone, but the paranoia remains about whether or not they’ll return to your home. However, there are a few ways to decrease this risk as much as possible:

• Keep your home clean: rats thrive in unhygienic environments so keeping your home consistently clean will deter them.

• Regular maintenance is key: rats enter your home through a whole range of gaps and crevices. Ensuring any cracks or holes are dealt with as soon as possible will prevent rats from reentering your home.
• Keep your garden tidy: rats love to hide, so by keeping your garden tidy you’re encouraging them to find somewhere else to nest away from your home.
• Be careful when feeding birds: while it is possible to feed birds without attracting rats, there are ways and means to do this – take care by rat-proofing your garden and avoid leaving bird feed out in the open.