The thought of rats in the house is typically enough to make any homeowner's skin crawl, but what about when you wake up in the middle of the night to a thump and the sound of scurrying feet overhead? While many rats choose to build their colonies inside of homes and businesses, others have taken the smarter approach of living up in the trees around a building. At night, the rats then drop down to the roof and find their way inside to scavenge for food. Commonly called roof or palm rats, these unwelcome nighttime visitors will require a little extra work to evict from your property. 

Understanding the Nesting Habits of Roof Rats

Rats live under constant threat from the other animals around them, including cats, dogs, people, and natural predators. It's no surprise, then, that these intelligent and resourceful rodents would make their homes in the treetops, particularly favoring palm and fruit trees. From the safety of their arboreal colonies, they can launch expeditions without compromising their nests, while still retaining easy access to your home. 

Finding the Rats' Access Point

Whenever you suspect that rats are entering your home in this fashion, your first priority should be to seal off any potential entryways they have found or made. This usually involves getting up on the roof to look for tiny cracks and crevices, so if you aren't comfortable with the idea or aren't sure you can find every possible opening, it may be best to call a rodent control service to help. At this time, you should also go through your house to determine where the rats are finding food and seal it up to remove the temptation. 

Tracking Down the Nest

Once your home is well defended against the rats, you will be faced with two options. You can choose to be content with the probability that the rats will no longer gain access to your home, or you can choose to resolve the issue once and for all by removing their arboreal nest. The latter is often the wiser move, since rats have a tendency to gain access to any building when they put their minds to it. This can be dangerous and dirty work, so it is recommended that only professional rodent control experts attempt it. 

Removing the Colony

Generally, roof rat colonies are managed through the use of poison, traps, and physical removal of the nest site, just like any other rat's nest. The difference, of course, is that much of this work must be carried out high up in the branches of a tree, which is why you should spare yourself the risk and rely on a licensed pest control service instead. If you can't stand the thought of another night of rats entering your home from above, start making plans to protect your house and remove the invaders today.