Rats in walls, attic or basement in Toronto are a nuisance and have a great potential for spreading diseases. On top of this, they chew on electrical wires which a fire hazard is waiting to happen. It is tempting to take on rat control on your own whether it is for budgetary reasons or you are confident about your DIY abilities. DIY rat extermination is almost always discouraged especially if you are using poisons to kill the rodents. Another great alternative is knowing how to trap rats effectively.
When killing rats outdoors, the first and most obvious danger is your young children or pets may ingest the poison. This happens especially when you are not conscious of where you are placing the bait. Even where you are cautious about bait placement, a young child or pet can easily come into contact with a dead rat that has ingested the poison. The ramifications here are obvious. The rodents don’t die instantly after and may die in the open where they are easily reached by pets or young children.
You also may find yourself dealing with a different set of problems if you don’t know much about rat activity. These rodents build their nest up to 150 feet from their food and/or water source. There is a high likelihood that the rat will die in its nest which could be anywhere from the attic, inside walls, behind appliances, basement or other hard-to-reach areas. The odour of rotting corpses can easily be overwhelming and a major problem if you can’t pinpoint where these corpses are.
Poisoning or otherwise killing the rodents is only a small part of successful rat extermination in Toronto. You still need to address the issues of why and how the rats got in your house in the first place. As for the former, it is necessary to remove all attractive food sources such as garbage, pet food and leaking pipes and drains. As for the how, you need to seal every entry point with steel mesh that the rats can’t chew through. These rodents can squeeze through ½ inch holes so it is improbable that you will successfully rodent proof your home.
There is also the issue of cleaning and disinfecting your home after extermination. This task is necessary to protect you and your family from diseases carried by rats and which continue to exist in droppings and urine. The cleaning also discourages other rats or rodents from replacing the defunct colony. A safe and successful cleanup requires thorough cleaning and special equipment.
Finally, there are laws and regulations that govern the use of rat poison in Toronto. For example, you could be charged if it is discovered your child or pet came into contact with rat poison due to your negligence. Some active ingredients and poisons are also restricted for use only by professionals.
