Rat control in Enschede: how to recognise rats
In the Netherlands it is nearly always the brown rat. It is much bigger than a mouse, with a blunt nose, small ears and a thick tail that is shorter than its body. Rats are wary and mostly active at dusk and during the night. These signs give them away:
- droppings one to two centimetres long, often grouped in one regular spot
- burrows with a smooth, worn entrance under paving, beneath the shed or in a flower bed
- dark, greasy smears along walls and beams where they run repeatedly
- gnaw marks on wooden doors, plastic waste pipes or the chicken feeder
- heavy scrabbling under the floor, inside the cavity wall or above a suspended ceiling
How rats reach your home
A rat in the crawl space has often come from below rather than from outside. The sewer is their motorway. Old clay pipes that have cracked or subsided, a loose joint or a drain that was never properly capped after a renovation: a rat slips through with ease, and from the outside you see nothing.
That is why, with rats under the floor, we often recommend a camera inspection of the house connection by a drainage specialist. Once the leak has been found and repaired, a rat valve or non-return flap stops new rats coming up the pipe. If they are coming from outside, there is usually a food source nearby: chicken feed, bird seed, an open compost heap or rubbish bags left beside the bin.
Rat control with a clear plan
During the inspection we look for runs, burrows and the point where rats enter the house or shed, and at the same time for whatever is attracting them. Only with that full picture do we choose a method – the same principle behind all our pest control in Enschede.
First we close off entry points where that can be done straight away, using mesh, metal or mortar. Then comes the treatment itself: traps, or professional rodenticides that only certified pest controllers may use, always in locked, anchored bait stations. Rats are suspicious of new objects, so it can take a while before they accept the bait. On a follow-up visit we check the stations and clear away any remains.
Why waiting is a bad idea
Rats gnaw constantly to keep their teeth short. Cables, water pipes and insulation in the crawl space all suffer, with a risk of short circuits or leaks. Rats can also spread disease, including Weil's disease, which reaches damp spots and water through their urine.
On top of that, a small problem quickly grows, because rats breed readily as long as there is food and shelter. If you find a dead rat, do not touch it with bare hands. Pick it up with gloves or a plastic bag, put it in the bin and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
What you can do: tidy up, close off, report
There is plenty you can do to give rats fewer chances. Keep chicken feed and bird seed in a metal bin with a lid, feed birds from a bird table rather than the ground and bring the dog or cat bowl inside in the evening. Do not put cooked food or meat on the compost heap, and keep bins closed. Never pour poison into burrows yourself: it works poorly and harms hedgehogs, birds and pets.
Seen rats in the street, in a park or along a ditch or stream? Report it to the gemeente Enschede. If the animals are smaller and leave tiny droppings in the kitchen, they are more likely to be mice; you can read about that on our mouse control page.
