Are rats in your pipes in Germantown TN? Every homeowner knows a house makes noises as time goes by. Older homes often creak or groan. Newer homes begin to settle with temperature fluctuations. There are numerous reasons for all sorts of creaking sounds, but how do you know they are normal sounds? If you suspect there may be rats in your pipes in Germantown TN, there are a few signs you can look and listen for.
When Do You Hear Noises? What Do They Sound Like?
Pipes often creak from time to time, but if it happens consistently you may need to listen closer. Does it sound like something is running around or scratching? Make note of the times that you hear these sounds as well. If you hear them early in the morning or late at night, this is a sign there are rodents. Rats are nocturnal so you will most often hear them during the night. For more information about rodents in your walls, click here.
If there is a lot of activity in the home, rats will hide out to avoid being noticed. Try to locate where the sounds are coming from and see if you notice any chew marks or cracked pipes.
Diseases And Bacteria Associated With Rats
Having rats in your pipes in Germantown TN is a terrible scenario to deal with for various reasons; most importantly, your health and safety. Rats carry a number of diseases and bacteria. As we drink water, wash our bodies, clean our clothes, and rinse food and dishes on a regular basis, we may possibly come into contact with rat feces and bacteria.
Remember the plagues that wiped out millions of people before we had the vaccines? Those plagues were caused by rats. Fortunately, now we have very good doctors and vaccines that help us when we become sick. This, however, does not mean we cannot get sick from harmful bacteria.
Are Rats Chewing Through Your Pipes?
Pipes are known to burst for various reasons, although it is usually from a leak or rotten piping. However, rats will chew through almost any material, including PVC pipes. Damaged pipes can create a slow or a fast leak depending on the severity of the damage.
While a slow leak may seem better, in reality a slow leak can do even more damage than a burst pipe. Slow leaks may go unnoticed for quite some time if it is in the right place. This means you have constant moisture in an area providing the perfect climate for mold to thrive!
Once a leak becomes visible, it has most likely already spread through a large area. This can create rotten wood among other things. Having a fast leak or a pipe burst is terrible, but in that case you will notice it pretty quickly. You may need new flooring or sheet rock, but at least you will see the damage immediately. Either way, both are very costly and can impact a family in many ways.
Rats Are Excellent Swimmers!
People often ask how rats gain access through water-filled pipes. Certain types of rats are made for water! These rats are called Norway Rats and their bodies are made for treading water over long periods. These rats can hold their breath for up to three minutes. They can paddle their feet and tread water with ease using their long tails as a rudder. Norway Rats thrive in water and mostly travel through the sewer systems into our homes and water pipes. It can be difficult at times to identify where the rats are coming from. It’s always best to call a professional at the first signs of rats or mice in your pipes or under your home.
Rat Reproduction Rates
You may often hear people who have rat or mice problems calling it an infestation. The reason is because a successful rat pairing can produce up to 1,500 babies in a single year! Rats can have litters of babies every month and then those babies mature in a month to start mating and produce their litters.
This is a bad scenario which can get quickly get worse. Do not wait for the rats to overrun your home before you seek help. Cracked or clogged pipes, health concerns, fecal droppings and urine contamination, mold, rotten wood, and structural damage are just the beginning of what can happen.
How Apex Wildlife Control Can Help With Rats In Your Pipes In Germantown TN
Apex Wildlife Control has professional technicians who can inspect your home. We not only locate all your problems, but give you solutions that you desperately need. Our technicians will inspect your home, take pictures of all the damages, find all the possible and actual entry points, and provide a quote for trapping and sealing your home, all in just under an hour. Our company believes that knowledge is power. We want you to feel that you have the power back in your hands when it comes to your home.
We believe in both our exclusion process and our technicians so much that we offer a one-year warranty on all our full exclusion services as well as issuing a DOUBLE MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE! Have a great day and thank you for considering Apex Wildlife Control for your wildlife needs!
