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What can rats chew through?
We have bad news for you if you are a homeowner - rats can chew through basically any and every material
you put in front of it. Wood? No problem. Plastic? Those pesky rats will chew right through that too.
Electrical wiring, expanding foam, even bricks … you name it, the rats will chew and gnaw their way
through it, and that's because they have front teeth that constantly grow. The rodents constantly feel
the need to chew and gnaw in order to keep them filed down and in check.
This lack of durable materials resistant to rats certainly makes it difficult when you have a "rat hole" in your
home, and you need to fill it up. If you fill it with plastic, the rat will just chew through it, and that puts
expanding foam out the window too. So what do you use? What material can rats NOT chew through?
Before you make any changes to your home, you should be aware of a few things. Firstly, nothing is entirely rat-proof.
Every material that you use - every sealing job you perform - will deteriorate over time. Maintaining your home regularly,
and over time, is the only way that you can be sure it is always free from rodents and other, sometimes bigger,
wild animals.
If you are focusing your attention to places such as pipework that enters your home, you should use strong and durable materials,
such as copper gauze, steel wool, and / or screen wire. In fact, these can provide quite handy "temporary" plugs (as such) before
you can do the full repair project.
You can still use your expanding foam to fill those pipework holes, but make sure you are also filling that expanding foam with
something else - one of the above materials. The rats WILL be able to chew through the foam, but they WON'T be able to chew through
the metal-based filler / stuffer material.
If you need to repair a hole in the wall, you can take a similar approach, building a "wall" of quick-drying plaster with a thick layer of
steel wire or copper gaze inside. Once again, the rats WILL be able to chew through the plaster with some time, but they WON'T be able to
chew through the metal-based material in the center.
Strong, woven hardware can be used in the same way with larger holes and spaces. Using layers of these metal-based materials gives you a level
of protection. The rats will still be able to cause some damage, but they won't be able to actually get into your home. That is, of course, if
you keep on top of things.
When it comes to securing around your windows, metal screen material are a smart choice, and you should make sure that there are no platforms
that are seemingly unnecessary on the outside of your home. These just give the rats something to sit on comfortably while they work on breaking
into your home. They also give the rats a platform when trying to climb to the top - the roof - where your home / rat security is usually a little
lacking.
For more rat information, visit our rat removal tips page, or for more specific how-to instructions, read the how to get rid of rats page with 6 step-by-step instructions.
If you have a problem with rats above your ceiling in your house, read my rats in the attic guide. The most important part of rat control is sealing shut entry holes into the building, but after
you've done that, you'll want to know how to kill rats humanely to complete the rat control job. If you need to hire professional help in your city, click on my directory of over
200 rat removal companies servicing 95% of the USA. we can help your with your rat problem!
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