After we talked about snakes last month, other animals that are closely linked to humans and also disturbing are rats, the snake’s prey. Their existence is the likely cause of the presence of a snake around your house.

People, most without intention, provide them with the things they need most to thrive.

What do rats need to live?
• Food
• Water
• Shelter

Why are rats dangerous?
It can cause several problems and can’t be allowed to linger. The dangers of having rats in your home include:
• The spread of disease, several of which can be fatal.
• Contaminated food storage and preparation areas.
• Damage to your property.
• The risk of fires from chewed wires.

There are three types of rats that live around us:
• Roof rats: they nest on the roof of the house, eat from the food and trash piled up in the kitchen. Roof rats often destroy objects made of wood, such as cabinets, power cables, among others.
• Gutter Rats: they love wet, smelly and dirty areas. Generally, they lodge in a ditch and land, or forage in the trash. Sometimes these rats occasionally go into the house to look for food.
• House Rats: these are small rodents, usually called curut or Nying Nying. These rats are often located inside the house, under the table, under cabinets and piles of carton boxes. Their food source is almost the same as the roof rat.

Under ideal conditions, a pair of rats can multiply into two thousand in a year, so even though TMD’s Pest Control Team performs routine pest control and ensure the health within the environment in Lippo Village, it needs the residents’ help and cooperation to prevent rats from breeding.

What you can do to keep rats out of your house:
• Dump garbage into a sealed dumpster, not scattered outside. Rats really like dirty places, narrow halls and piles of goods in store rooms and dark areas. Ensure the cleanliness of your house and its surrounding area.
• Cut off the food chain, do not store food and drinks in the open and where it is accessible to rats. When rats are unable to find food in your house, they will look elsewhere.
• Close their nest. Generally, rats nest in holes of loose soil in the garden. Do a soil compaction or put gravel down the hole, or close the hole with a potted plant.
• Remove heavy vegetation, as rats consider this is a great hiding place. Trim trees, shrubs and branches back four feet from your home as rats are not Olympians; they can’t bridge that gap.
• Set traps inside or use rat repellent tools. They are several commercially available traps to catch rats inside your home that are not dangerous to pets and children, such as, cage traps.

Rats are one of the most frustrating household pests. The existence of rats can be very annoying and costly, both for the house itself as well as for our health. Make sure your house is free from rats. When you need help, please contact TMD Call Center at (021) 557 77 557.

Keep your surroundings clean and keep those rodents away!