What To Do If You Discover A Rats' Nest On Your Property

One of the worst things about rats is that they often go undetected (for years!) This happens because rats are extremely shy and do everything they can to avoid humans. Unless you discover their signs, such as droppings, you may never know that you have rats. Another one of these signs is finding their nests. But what does it mean if you find a rat’s nest, and what should you do about it?

Have you found a used or old rats’ nest?

First of all, do not touch the rat’s nest with your bare hands. You see, the most intuitive thing to do at this point is throw the nest away. But what you have to understand is that rats are riddled with bacteria, germs, and viruses. These can easily be transferred to you, so do not touch the nest.

Instead, you should actually closely examine the rat’s nest. What you want to do is determine whether the rat is still around. Is this an old nest which has been vacated, or is the rat still living in it? Take a look at the area surrounding the nest and brush up on your rat facts. You’ll probably see droppings. Try to determine if these are fresh or old. Are they soft or hard? New droppings are soft, while old droppings are hard. Also use your nose. Can you detect the scent of ammonia? This means that the rat may have recently urinated in the area. Also look at the nest, does it look new or old?

Steps to take when you find a rats’ nest

If you feel that the rat is still living in the nest, then you’ll want to do one of the following. You will probably want to buy traps, bait them, and leave them around the nest to stop them transmitting diseases. You will need to check them regularly. Alternatively, you may wish to call pest control straight away. The professionals can take care of the situation without a fuss or a mess.

If you don’t see anything, then it’s probably safe to say that the rat has left. In this case you can dispose of the nest and droppings. Do this while wearing gloves and a face mask. Pick up the nest and put it in a bag. Gently sweep up the droppings. They key word is gently. Rat droppings contain viruses, so you don’t want to scatter particles into the air.

After this you should throw everything away, along with the gloves. What you also want to do is monitor the area. Check back later and see if there are any new droppings, or if you can smell ammonia. There’s also a chance that you could discover a new nest. In that case, you may be dealing with a rat infestation and you should call emergency pest control.