Westfort Pest Control’s Guide on Rats in the Home

If you’ve spotted a small rodent scurrying across the floor but it can be hard to tell whether you’re dealing with a mouse or a young rat. This distinction matters as rats can cause more structural damage, carry different diseases, and multiply quickly. Whether you suspect mice, rats, or both, early action is essential in order to ensure effective pest control and removal of rats completely from your home or business.

This guide breaks down the differences between mice and rats, the causes of infestations, how to control them, and whether you can have both species living in your home at the same time. For homeowners and business owners seeking rat control in Guelph, this is the essential starting point.

How to Tell the Difference Between a Mouse and a Small Rat

It’s not always straight forward to identify the difference, especially when rats are still juveniles. Luckily mice and rats still have some key differences.

Size and Body Shape

  • Mice are small and slender with bodies typically 1 to 2.5 inches long.
  • Young rats may be similar in length, but they have thicker bodies, a more robust defined head, and a heavier build overall.

Head and Face

  • Mice have small, pointed faces with disproportionately large ears and eyes.
  • Rats have broader heads, smaller ears relative to their size, and more pronounced snouts.

Tails

  • Mice have long, thin, lightly furred tails often the same length as their body.
  • Rats have thicker, scaly tails, usually longer than their body length.

Droppings

  • Mouse droppings are small between 3 6 mm and will be scattered across multiple locations within a given room.
  • Rat droppings are larger up to 12 mm, capsule-shaped, and often grouped in corners or near walls.

Behaviour

  • Mice are curious and explore frequently, you’ll often catch them as they’re active at all times of day, but especially at night.
  • Rats are cautious and avoid open spaces unless necessary.

What Causes a Rat Infestation?

Rats don’t appear out of nowhere, they’re attracted by a combination of access, shelter, and food. Here are some of the things to look out for in your home or business to prevent rats from congregating.

Block Easy Entry Points

Rats can enter through:

  • Gaps as small as ½ inch
  • Foundation cracks
  • Utility line openings
  • Damaged vents or soffits

Older homes and commercial buildings in Guelph are especially vulnerable due to settling, aging building materials, and unsealed additions.

Food Sources Within their Reach

Rats are opportunistic feeders. Common attractants include:

  • Pet food
  • Bird seed
  • Open garbage cans
  • Compost bins
  • Food crumbs or spills

Even clean homes can accidentally invite rodents if outdoor food sources are accessible. Ensure that bagged foods are kept in plastic sealed containers to prevent attractive odors.

Clutter and Storage Areas

Basements, garages, and sheds provide warm, undisturbed shelter that is ideal for rats nesting.

Neighbourhood Activity

Construction, seasonal changes, and nearby infestations can push rats into surrounding homes and building units. If you’re a business owner you may want to consider partnering with nearby businesses to ensure that a whole building is rat-proofed, with a full rat removal and extermination of any existing population.

How to Control Rats and Prevent Entry

Rats reproduce quickly and can damage wiring, insulation, food stores, drywall, and even appliances. Controlling them requires a combination of prevention, removal, and long-term exclusion.

Seal Entry Points

Use steel wool, metal flashing, or wire mesh to close gaps. Avoid using foam alone, rats can chew straight through it.

Eliminate Food Sources

  • Store food in airtight containers
  • Clean spills promptly
  • Keep garbage bins tightly sealed
  • Remove uneaten pet food overnight

Reduce Clutter

Declutter storage rooms, keep items off the floor, and reduce nesting opportunities.

Set Traps

Snap traps are the most effective DIY solution. Place them along walls, behind appliances, and in dark corners. For heavy activity, professional-strength bait stations may be required, which are best installed by a professional rat exterminator.

Call a Pest and Rat Removal Service

DIY methods can help, but infestations often run deeper than what’s visible. A professional rat control Guelph exterminator can:

  • Identify entry points
  • Determine species
  • Find nesting locations
  • Install safe, environmentally friendly and effective traps or bait systems
  • Provide long-term prevention

Why Rat Extermination from a Licensed Professional is Often Recommended

One of the biggest frustrations homeowners and business owners face is discovering that the rat bait they bought from a big-box store simply isn’t cutting it. Unfortunately, consumer-grade bait doesn’t contain the same active ingredients or concentrations used by licensed exterminators’ rodenticides. In Ontario, professional-strength rodenticides can only be purchased and applied by technicians who hold the proper certifications. This ensures they are used safely and according to provincial regulations.

The baits available at hardware stores are formulated to be “safer,” which means they’re often too weak to kill rats in a single feeding. Instead, rats may nibble, get mildly sick, and then make the connection between the bait and how they felt afterward. Rats are incredibly intelligent animals, once they associate a product with illness, they avoid it entirely. Over time, this teaches the colony to reject that bait, making the infestation even harder for homeowners to manage.

Professional rodenticide used by a licensed technician also contains pheromones that lure rats to return. In our own tests, we’ve confirmed that rats prefer the professional grade rodenticide, and won’t touch the consumer-grade bait when given the two options.

Faster, More Reliable Rat Control from Professional Help

Because professional-grade bait is attractive and requires only a single feeding, professional rodenticides solve infestations far more effectively than DIY methods. Combined with proper placement, secured bait stations, and expert monitoring, you’ll be guaranteed a quicker reduction in the rat population and less risk of bait avoidance, meaning a fool-proof long-term solution.

When you’re dealing with an intelligent, cautious pest like rats, using the right bait isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. Professional-grade products just reach the rodents that store-bought options can’t.

Can You Have Mice and Rats at the Same Time?

The unfortunate answer is yes; you absolutely can.

While rats often dominate mice, they don’t always eliminate them. In larger or multi-level homes and buildings, mice and rats can coexist:

  • Rats often stay in basements, crawl spaces, garages, and low areas.
  • Mice tend to live in upper floors, kitchens, pantries, and wall voids.

Because they prefer different nesting areas and food sources, both can thrive independently. If you see signs of one, don’t assume the other isn’t present.

Call Westfort Pest Control for Rat Infestations

While traps and store-bought baits can sometimes catch a rat or two, they rarely solve the root problem and eliminate rat populations completely. If you notice ongoing signs of rats, or if your own efforts aren’t keeping up, it’s best to call in professionals.

At Westfort Pest Control, our team has the expertise, tools, and experience to identify entry points, safely eliminate infestations, and help you keep rats from coming back.

Don’t let a small rat problem turn into a major infestation.

Contact Westfort Pest Control for a free quote and protect your home from unwanted guests.