Rats
Rats – The Silent, Costly, and Dangerous Invader in Your Home and Car
South Africa is currently experiencing a massive surge in rat activity, and they’re no longer just a problem in the ceiling – they’re destroying cars, burning down houses, and spreading serious diseases.
Why rats simply cannot stop chewing
A rat’s front incisors never stop growing – up to 12–15 cm per year! Like our fingernails, they must constantly gnaw on hard objects to grind them down. If they don’t, the teeth grow through the jaw or curl into the skull.
In nature they chew wood and seeds. In your home and vehicle they chew:
- Electrical wiring (causing short-circuits and house fires)
- Water pipes and geyser overflow pipes (flood damage)
- Insulation, wooden beams, and furniture
- Car wiring looms, hoses, and plastic components
The new #1 reason your car is being destroyed: Eco-friendly, soy-based wiring
Until a few years ago, the plastic insulation on automotive and household wiring contained mineral oil or petrolium based derivatives that rats disliked.
Now, in an effort to be environmentally friendly, most major manufacturers have switched to soybean- and corn-based bio-plastics.
Rats absolutely love the taste and smell – they treat modern wiring like spaghetti!
One single rat can cause thousands in repairs (ECU damage, complete engine loom replacement). Insurance companies are paying out millions every month, and many policies now specifically exclude rodent damage or demand proof of professional treatment.
Explosive breeding – from 2 rats to 2,000 in a single year
- Rats reach sexual maturity in just 8–12 weeks
- Pregnancy lasts only 21–24 days
- Average litter size: 6–12 babies
- A female can have 5–10 litters per year
Under ideal conditions (food, water, shelter), a single pair starting in summer can produce over 2,000 descendants in 12 months. That’s why one or two rats quickly become a full-blown plague.
Serious health risks
Rats and their droppings contaminate everything they touch:
- Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease) – from urine in water or damp soil
- Salmonellosis – food poisoning from droppings on kitchen counters
- Rat-bite fever
- Hantavirus and plague (still present in some rural areas)
- Allergies and asthma triggered by urine proteins in roof dust that falls into living areas
Their parasites (fleas, mites) can also transmit other diseases.
Common signs of rats in or around your property
- Night-time scratching, squeaking, or scampering in the ceiling
- Grease marks (rub marks) along skirting boards and beams
- Small elongated droppings (12–18 mm, pointed ends) in cupboards or along runways
- Gnaw marks on wood, plastic, or wiring
- Burrows around compost heaps, under decks, or along exterior walls
- Sudden car warning lights or total electrical failure
Professional control – the only long-term solution Effective rat management by SWAT includes:
- Detailed inspection
- Strategic placement of locked, tamper-resistant bait stations with latest-generation anticoagulants or non-toxic acute baits
- Installing tamperproof bait stations
- Ongoing monitoring and and replenishing of bait
Don’t wait for a R50,000 car repair bill or an electrical fire.
Call SWAT Exterminators today for a fast, discreet, guaranteed rat eradication programme – we stop them coming in, breeding, and chewing everything in sight.
Protect your family, your health, and your biggest investments. One call, and the rats are gone
