If you suspect an infestation of rats in your Richmond Hill home, you probably don’t need much persuasion to call for prompt rodent removal. In addition to potentially causing extensive property damage and spreading disease, the presence of rats in your home may cause you significant anxiety. You may worry about rats climbing up and down the stairs or even up on furniture.
While we wish we could offer you some reassurance, the truth is that rats are very good climbers and certainly have the ability to climb up and down stairs and up on furniture. This is one of the reasons why calling pest control in Richmond Hill for a suspected rodent infestation is so important.
What Makes Rats Good at Climbing Stairs?
Rats have several qualities that make them good at climbing stairs:
- Height: Depending on the species, the body of a rat can range from 6 to 10 inches long, counting the head but not the tail. The average height of an indoor stair riser is 7 inches high. Rats usually run around on all fours, but they do have the ability to stand up, and when they do, the taller ones may be able to get their head and front feet over the top without climbing at all, while the smaller ones can cover most of the height.
- Paws and Claws: Rats have strong, dextrous paws and sharp claws. These help the animals get a good grip for climbing. It helps if the stairs are covered with a material such as carpeting that lets them get better traction, but they don’t really need it. They can climb stairs made of any material, including wood, metal, and concrete.
- Jumping Ability: Rats may not have to scale the stair risers to ascend the steps. They are excellent jumpers and are able to propel themselves up to 3 feet in the air. With the average indoor stair riser being only 7 inches tall, rats can clear it easily with plenty of space to spare. Even outdoor stairs are often only 11 inches high and do not pose much of a barrier to rats, so they can scale the outdoor steps to get into your house if they couldn’t find another way in. Rats are also able to jump forward a distance of 4 feet, which may not help them much going up stairs but may come in handy when they are coming back down.
What Makes Rats Good at Climbing Up Furniture?
The same qualities that make rats good at climbing stairs can help them climb up furniture. Most chair seats and beds are less than 3 feet tall, easy for rats to jump on. Bedding or chair skirts may nearly reach the floor, providing a sort of ladder for rats to climb up.
However, just because rats can climb up on furniture doesn’t necessarily mean that they will. When rats are exploring, they are usually trying to find food. They may not be likely to climb up furniture if they don’t think there is something at the top that would make it worth their while. If you put away food when you are finished eating, clean up the kitchen, and don’t leave food in areas such as the living room or your bedroom, these rodents may not have a reason to try to climb up on the furniture.
Call Truly Nolen for Rodent Removal
While a rat infestation can happen at all times of the year, you are most likely to have problems with rodents during the fall and winter. When the weather turns cold, rats seek shelter from the weather and more accessible sources of food. Truly Nolen formulates pest control in Richmond Hill according to the seasons in which different pests are active. Contact us for rodent control solutions.