How do I seal my home?
The most extensive damage occurs when roof rats enter the home, so the first goal is to keep them out. Use stucco diamond mesh available at building material suppliers to screen and seal all holes and vents leading into your home or garden shed. It cuts and molds very easily. For the rat, this mesh is like biting into small razor blades.

Look for holes in exterior walls and near hot water heaters, washers and dryers, dishwashers, and under sinks. Don’t forget to screen off the sewer stacks on the roof. All cracks should be caulked.

Stuff the cover of the air conditioning line that runs from the outside unit into the attic with steel wool or copper mesh to prevent rats from climbing up the insulated pipe inside the cover. Look for scratch marks on the insulation, and then set a snap trap there to catch them the next time they use that entrance.

Show All Answers

1. What are common signs of roof rat activity?
2. What should I do if I see evidence on my property?
3. How should I handle dead rats, rat droppings, and nesting areas?
4. Where have roof rats been found?
5. When do they travel?
6. How do they travel?
7. How do they enter homes?
8. Why attics?
9. What do they eat and drink?
10. How do I seal my home?
11. Do roof rats carry disease?