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Rat and rodent prevention
Rodents – house or deer mice, Norway or roof rats, moles, etc. – are problems that can crop up from time to time in any area of any community. The important thing that any resident must understand is that, upon discovering them, they need to be swiftly eliminated before they spread. Many rodents can do lasting damage to your property.
The graphic published with this article focuses on preventing rats from becoming a problem on your property. It has been published elsewhere, most recently, in the City of Dearborn. Unfortunately, too many people don’t recognize what attracts rats and other rodents. The bottom line involves food sources and hiding places. Eliminate those two factors, and you will usually eliminate the problem.
For instance, around homes or other properties:
- Weather-strip garage doors so they close tightly, eliminating access points
- Screen or close openings under overlapping roof lines
- Repair damaged ventilation screens
- Do not accumulate trash
- Provide tight-fitting covers for crawl spaces
- Sealing all openings around pipes, cables, wires that enter walls and foundations
- Use compost bins with secure covers
- Harvest fruit-barring trees and pick up all fruit off the ground
- Feed your pets only the amount they will eat in one sitting
- (Preferably, feed your pets indoors)
- Clean animal feces daily
- Only feed birds in cleanable areas, and keep them clean
- Keep grass cut neatly
- Keep yards clean
- Keep all garbage cans covered and secured
- Thin or remove dense vegetation
- Stack firewood off the ground and away from buildings and fences
- Keep garden sheds closed
- (Does your shed have a rat wall?)
- Check garden sheds for any evidence of rats or rodents
- Open up or remove any double fencing
- Check garage shelves and storage lofts for evidence of rats
If you find yourself with a rat or rodent problem, many of the areas previously discussed are usually the reasons for it. Outdoor rodents seek food and cover. Eliminate those factors, and you’ve usually eliminated them. The City of Taylor provides free rat poison at the Taylor Animal Shelter. If you discover rats, we recommend that you consider using it. But we also recommend that you re-exam not only your own property, but the properties surrounding you. If you discover rats, chances are that your neighbors are having the same difficulty. Sharing information and remedies among neighbors is highly recommended, because the problem that you are experiencing may not be coming from your property, but from elsewhere.
While the City does not provide extermination services (other than providing free rat poison), if you or your neighbors discover a rat harborage due to excess debris and unsanitary conditions, report them to the Taylor Ordinance Department by either using the City of Taylor’s free app, iCare Taylor, or calling the Customer Service Center at (734) 287-6550.
Companies like Rodent Control by Victor, available online, offers other insight and remedies: