One of the pestering effects of rats living with you in your properties is their gnaw marks. Inside the home, palm trees rats can climb up elevated storage, and you know they have been there with their bite marks. Worse is when these marks are signs that they can open up the pantry and its contents with their teeth.
No matter how high you keep the food items and food boxes, the rats can always sneak up and open them. So are you dealing with rats that can climb the palm trees?
Here are telltale signs they are living with you.
- Bite marks on a tree trunk
- Droppings
- Nest in the crown of a palm tree
- Scratching marks
- Urine puddles
Palm Tree Rats: How To Tell They Are Near You
If you found out from our previous blog what are palm tree rats. And you now know that they bring significant damage to one’s property, especially the common species of palm tree rats, also called roof rats or black rats.
Before getting rid of them, know the telltale signs of palm tree rats living in your properties. Knowing right away that these rats are in your midst will give you high efficiency when going after them and shooing them away.
Here are the signs you should watch out for when you want to catch palm tree rats.
1. Bite Marks On Tree Trunks
The black rat species would frequent high places, which is why they can often be found climbing trees. They use the branches as their passageways and bridge going indoors, the attic, and the roof of a home.
Before they could familiarize themselves with your roof and inside your homes, look for the signs where they could use a tree as their entryway.
You will see bite marks on branches. There would be no other animals than can leave prominent teeth marks but rodents.
Birds would not leave bite marks on branches of trees. And cats will not dare to gnaw on wood even if they frequent climbing tree trunks.
Be able to tell the difference between cat scratches from rat teeth to gnaw marks.
2. Droppings
You can identify droppings in two ways, seeing and smelling.
Either way, you would only get bothered if you see droppings as a sign of rats in your midst. Droppings of palm tree rats would usually appear larger and shinier, and these would look like seeing fresh litter than those of an ordinary house mouse.
Sometimes, you will not have to wait until you see the site of pop trails. Once you notice a stench of the animal pool around trees, then do not think twice. Either rats or your pets seem to make their territory on the trees to scare rats and other rodents away.
3. Scratching Marks
Scratch marks made by black rats often appear near your food storage or roof entryways. These will look like small, deliberate, and scattered scratches.
Black rats scratch on things they try to open or find ways to get inside narrow spaces or small openings, hoping to find food.
4. Urine Puddles Near The Trees Or Rooftop Entryways
The last sign that tells you palm tree rats are trying to invade your properties is the smell of urine. Climbing rats would carry the scent and marks their litter on their paws or feet and even on their tails. It is no wonder why they quickly spread their stench around your properties. These would also amplify once you get near the places they frequent to crawl and climb.
