Rat Droppings – Identification, Location, & Solution

You could be cleaning up as usual and come across these droppings anywhere around the office. As soon as you find a single rat dropping in your office, it is important to act quickly. The last thing you want is for rats to take over your entire office building and start spreading highly infectious diseases to you and your loved ones.

Identifying Rat Droppings

One of the first signs of a rat infestation in your office will be rat droppings. You are likely to come across dark little pellets of rat feces scattered everywhere, especially near food items. The real difficulty begins when you are asked to identify whether the droppings belong to a rat or a mouse.

The key difference between rat and mouse feces is their size and shape. To identify rat feces, you should look for droppings that are approximately the size of a large grape and grouped together in an enclosed space.

If your house has many large cabinets and drawers, you can check for rat droppings in the corners of such spaces because these feces are often found in areas near insulation. Rat droppings also have a bad odour. Since rat feces will often be accompanied by urine, you can easily notice the foul smell around your house from the rat urine.

If the droppings in your house are smaller than a large grape and elongated in shape, then they might belong to mice instead. Making the differentiation between rat and mouse feces is important since it helps you take appropriate action.

New and Old Rat Droppings

If rats are currently active in your house, you are likely to find fresh droppings everywhere. Fresh rat droppings are dark in colour, moist, and shiny. As the droppings age, they will become grey and dusty. Old rat droppings will also crumble easily to the touch.

Where are Rat Droppings Found?

Rat droppings are most often found in areas that are near to a food source or insulation. You should look for droppings under sinks, in the corners of drawers and cupboards, and in any hidden areas around the office. Rats don’t like to be spotted – which is why their droppings are often found in areas that are least visited or cleaned.

If you suspect that the rat droppings are new, then you can try to confirm your suspicion by looking for rat tracks and runways. The easiest way to find active rats is to use a torch to scan the suspected area for smudge marks, urine, or rat footprints. If you see any of these, it is important to call a professional pest control company immediately.

In case you are unable to detect any tracks with the torch method, you can also place a very thin layer of flour on the ground in the suspected area. Once the rats start moving around again, their tracks will be prominent and leave trail marks on the flour.

Call to Action

If you suspect that you have a rodent infestation in your office or have found rat droppings, you should contact Van Vynck Environmental immediately. Their team of professionals will be able to guide you through the process of safely evacuating the premises and ensure that your house is free of rats in no time.