Rats only need a quarter-sized gap to get in your house. Here’s how to stop them

COBB COUNTY, Ga — Animals are looking for shelter as the weather gets colder.

Recently, Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist Eboni Deon spoke to an exterminator about what you can do to avoid an unexpected visit.

Jamie Nichols, senior service manager for Arrow Exterminators, says once nighttime temperatures fall to 50 degrees or cooler, pests are ready to find a warmer place to go.

“Gray squirrels, flying squirrels, and rats, those are the guys that are going to come in and seek harborage inside our homes,” Nichols said.

Sometimes the pests aren’t inside but rather on the outside of the home, finding warmth wherever they can.

“They actually haven’t been in my home, but they’ve been around my home. and kind of dug around the sides,” Charles Edwards, a Cobb County homeowner said.

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Edwards says he has kept the gray squirrels in his yard at bay but noticed they have gotten pretty close to his house.

Edwards used a store-bought pest repellent that he thought fixed his problem

“After a week or so, they were back,” Edwards said.

Nichols suggests sealing up gaps as the best way to get rid of rodents because once they are inside, they don’t want to leave on their own. rodents can enter through vents, gutter lines on homes and roof connections.

In the winter, to find warmth, critters can create a habitat in the landscaping and burrow under mulch close to your home.

“I inspected around my home to make sure there are no entry points because I definitely don’t want those critters to come in.”

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Nichols said rodents can squeeze through the smallest openings

“If they can get their head in it. they can get their body into it,” Nichols said.

A mouse only needs a dime-sized opening, and a rat a quarter-sized gap.

Nichols said you should look for gaps and openings around your home and speak with a professional to keep the heat in and rodents out.

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