Rats in the Attic a Major Problem in Melbourne FL

Living in Florida comes with a price

 The central Florida area is one of the most travel-worthy destinations in the world due to the many vacation destinations such as resorts, theme parks, and miles of beautiful beaches on our coastlines. However amazing the State of Florida is, living here is a whole different animal from visiting for a week-long vacation on the beach. Permanent residents in Florida have without a doubt several challenges that they face each year, the summer heat, hurricane season, and animals in the attic. With a temperate climate and mild winters, wildlife is able to flourish in Florida year round. Residents are always dealing with some wildlife issue usually in the form of some nuisance animal such as many different types of rodents, which is why we have the desire to educate the public on how to deal with these critters.

There are many different animals that would fit under the larger category of a “rodent”, however in this blog we want to focus on the animal that is often viewed as the most destructive and most difficult rodent to deal with, the common rat. There are several different varieties of rats that live and thrive in Florida, and they are often called by several different names i.e. (roof rats, river rats, palm rats, etc.). 

Although these are all interchangeable names, the preferred term in the animal removal industry is roof rats. Why are they called roof rats one might ask? Simply put, the name refers to how these animals one way or another get on top of a structure roof and find entry inside the structure, leaving someone with a critter in the attic, a very unenjoyable situation.

It might be hard to believe or even understand how an animal can first get on to the roof and them somehow find a way inside, do roofers leaves holes in roofs? This is a tricky question because if a roof is installed properly, there are no entry points that will allow water to get inside the house; this however does not mean that there are not holes for animals to find their way in. If you do know what you are looking for when looking at a structure, it doesn’t take long to see just how many ways a small animal is able to find its way inside and start to nest or live inside of the structure. Over the next several sections, we will attempt to explore in detail some of the more common areas on homes and other structures that allow animals to gain entry and how to deal with these issues that so many people face.

Florida Roof Rats 

We previously touched on the fact that even with a properly installed roof on a person’s house, there are still “holes” or natural construction gaps that allow certain animals to enter a home. These construction gaps are found on every home and structure in one way or another, it is important to know that depending on the type of roof a person has, these can change. The most common types of, all these roof styles have similar areas that animals gain entry. These areas include but are not limited to roof returns, damaged soffit, and many types of attic vents. Roof returns refer to the area on your roof where two or more sections of roof meet and join one another. This typically happens with a section of roof overhangs another section of roof and can result in a natural gap that leads into the attic. Soffit refers to the vented paneling that is installed on a home’s under eave in order to allow heat and excess moisture to escape from the attic space.

These are the most common areas that rats get into attic spaces. What we typically see in this industry is the larger and more intricate the design of the roof is, the more roof returns and gaps there will be. The simpler and less “cut-up” the roof is, then this will be easier to animal proof.

You might be asking yourself, “Ok, I understand how an animal gets into an attic from the roof, but how are they able to get onto the roof in the first place.” Florida roof rats are incredible climbers, if you can imagine watching a squirrel climb and move through a tree, and then you can get an idea of what a rat is capable of as well. There is a large misconception about how athletic a common rat really is due to the fact that they are reclusive and nocturnal, so humans do not see them as often. Do not be fooled however, pound for pound, a roof rat is one of the most athletic and adept animals in the world and when push comes to shove, it is almost impossible to keep rodents from being able to get on to the roof. Overhanging trees, screened in enclosures as well as gutters and electrical lines act as highways allowing rats and other critters access to the roof. Once on the roof, if the house is not properly sealed then it is only a matter of time until a curious critter finds its way in.

This picture is a perfect example of a large hole on a home that leads directly into the attic. This picture shows a roof return with several missing pieces of white vented soffit. This hole was most likely created during a high wind scenario where the soffit was ripped out, creating a hole for an animal in the attic, turning this area of the roof effectively into the front door to their home, which is your attic. We are focusing on rats in this blog but keep in mind that a variety of wildlife go exploring on peoples roofs and this hole in particular is big enough not only for roof rats, but for raccoons and other animals as well. This is a scenario where the homeowner usually needs to have this fixed soon to prevent anything getting inside.

Why are there Animals in my Attic? 

There is a huge problem in Florida with critters getting into people’s attic spaces as well as other parts of their homes, but there is no simple answer to the question of why.

Florida is a large state with a large population base…simply put there are a ton of homes and in recent years there is no sign of construction slowing down in the Sunshine State. Central Florida has a significant amount of undeveloped land still to this day that is rapidly being developed into shopping plazas, new neighborhoods, schools and new communities popping up. Recent reports show that Florida is not only a vacation destination, but people are coming here to live and grow roots, resulting in a high demand for more construction. Unfortunately this means that natural wildlife habitats are being destroyed and developed at an astounding rate. Undeveloped land in Florida is almost always teaming with life, small animals, large animals, fish and game all utilize nature and when humans take that away from them, they are forced to migrate and move or else face death. Survival instincts are present in every life form on the planet and rats are no different, when their homes are destroyed, they don’t just roll over and die but they move and set out to find a new home and place to live. This forced migration usually drives them into nearby neighborhoods where they find dozens of house just waiting for them to come on in and set up shop. We see in this industry that areas that are rapidly developing will usually have a high percentage of rodent activity due to the development.
Another factor to consider as far as construction goes is Florida’s weather, we have an extremely favorable climate for wildlife and our mild to non-existent winters allow construction and development to continue year round unlike many other areas in more northern parts of the country. Even though we are a very warm state we do occasionally have a cold front come through for a couple days and drop temperatures below freezing. Years of experience in the industry have taught us that animals feel the cold the same and you and I, and when it does get cold or we have a snap freeze, animals are quick to start seeking out warm areas to nest in and take shelter. The insulated properties of an attic offer a perfect safe haven for them to stay warm, dry, and protected until the weather becomes more favorable. The simple truth is there is no one reason why animals get into the attic, there is no one reason why they do anything, and they are wild animals and can be unpredictable. The important thing to understand is not why they are doing what they are doing, but what you can do to prepare for these issues and prevent any rats or other critters getting into the home.

What can you do?

In this blog we have tried to give the reader a basic understanding of some areas of the wildlife removal industry and an education on how and why animals get into people’s homes. Although there is still so much more we could write about and will do so in later blog posts, this post just scratches the surface of the animal removal business and we look forward to writing and educating more in the future. We have taken the time to give you key reason why this industry exists i.e. (natural construction gaps, Florida’s development, weather patterns, etc.), but we also want to briefly inform you on what steps you can take now in order to protect you from nuisance wildlife and the problems they can cause.
The first step that we recommend a homeowner take regardless of any existing wildlife issue is to call a professional wildlife removal company out to conduct a thorough inspection. This will allow them to inform you of any potential red flags that they see on your homes exterior and will also allow them to inspect your attic and determine if there is any evidence of animals in the attic. We stress that a homeowner call a wildlife removal company and not just a generic pest control company, who normally specialize in bugs, not rats. This will give you the peace of mind knowing that the company you hire knows exactly what they are doing. We also recommend NOT WAITING! Preventative maintenance and protection will always be less expensive than dealing with a problem after the wildlife has already gotten into the structure; this will save you money and a serious headache. We NEVER recommend trying to do this type of work in a DIY style; it usually involves getting into dangerous areas and working from heights off of ladders which can be very hazardous if not properly trained in safe techniques. It is better to leave it to the professionals who do it professionally, the quality of the work will be better, no health risk to homeowners, and wildlife removal companies will almost always warranty their work, again giving you peace of mind.
This industry, especially in Florida is not going anywhere, there will always be wildlife out there and people will always need homes to live in, making for a seemingly never ending struggle between man and beast. We are so thankful though that we have been able to shed light on this industry and hopefully have educated people on these issues and can point people in the right direction if they are currently dealing with an issue or seek to prevent something in the future. We will continue to post informative material on construction techniques to properly seal houses and structures, exclusions techniques for a variety of animals, and how to properly, safely and humanely trap animals that have gotten inside homes and attics. We hope this blog has helped and look forward to getting more material out there for everyone to read.