A rat exterminator is a pest control professional who specializes in rats. Other mammals that rat exterminators may deal with include mice, possums, raccoons, and so on. These pest control experts can be found working in a variety of locations around the world. If an exterminator is not available in an emergency, a local government animal control agency may be able to help.
Rat exterminators used to have working dogs that were trained to locate and attack rats. They are more likely to use traps nowadays. Rats will be kept alive in live traps, which will allow the exterminator to remove them for relocation or extermination. Other rat traps will kill the rats while trapping them, with the dead rats being collected and disposed of the rat exterminator.
A rat exterminator, like other exterminators, can assess a structure to determine whether or not rats are present, as well as make educated guesses about where the rats will be found and how much damage they have caused. The exterminator can get rid of the rats and help a contractor or homeowner repair the damage as well as take steps to prevent future rat infestations. A rat exterminator, for example, may advise covering large holes that could be used for ingress and egress, or storing materials such as grain in ratproof metal containers.
When it comes to rat prevention, rat exterminators can also serve as consultants. Many people prefer to stay away from rats in the first place, and an exterminator can inspect a structure and make recommendations. An inspection like this is less expensive than hiring an exterminator to get rid of rats later, and it will save the structure from wear and tear. If a structure is being sold, a rat exterminator may be hired to inspect it during the escrow process, as the presence of rats may be a deal breaker for some buyers.
Rats in a building are a major source of concern. They can bite humans and pets, resulting in infected abscesses or disease transmission. They also carry disease-carrying insects and can cause significant structural damage that is costly to repair. Rats chew, which can result in a variety of problems ranging from electrical issues caused faulty wiring to structural support damage. Rat urine and feces are also unwelcome in a building because they can spread disease and have a foul odor.