• Rats are a public health risk and can cause property damage.
• We explain how to find and prevent rats in hotels, motels and other lodging.

In this section

• Identification
• Problems rats cause
• Infestation
• Prevention
• Rat facts
• Resources

Property damage

• Rats eat and contaminate food.
• Rats damage buildings and other property by their gnawing and burrowing behavior.

Transmissible diseases

Rats can spread diseases to people and pets, such as:

• Murine typhus
• Leptospirosis
• Salmonellosis
• Plague
• Rat bite fever

Visual signs

• Droppings that are about 3/4-inch long and 1/8 inch in diameter throughout building.
• Urine staining. Use a black light for better visibility.
• Gnawed doorways and/or food packaging. Look for spilled foods.
• Rub marks on walls in heavily traveled areas.

Habitat signs

• Rat tracks in areas with heavy debris, dust or mud.
• Musty, pungent odor.
• Sounds at night such as a scratching, gnawing and fighting.
• Burrows in earth banks, along walls, and under rubbish and outdoor buildings.

Exterior

• Seal all holes or gaps with areas larger than 1/2 inch on outside buildings.
• Maintain outdoor areas clean and free of clutter.
• Keep lids to disposal bins closed.
• Keep bushes and shrubbery trimmed.

Interior

Watch for an increase in rat activity as seasons change and monitor any troublesome areas.

Cleaning

• Maintain areas free of food debris.
• Remove cardboard and clutter from rooms.

Physical facilities

• Seal all electrical conduits, heating ducts, pipes, and pipe chases.
• Install door sweeps and other devices to seal any holes or cracks leading to outside.
• Provide routine maintenance and spot checks to all areas of building to prevent rats getting in.

Pest control

• Work with pest control company to determine a regular schedule that fits your building needs.

What they eat and how they move

• Eat any type of food, but prefer high-quality foods such as meat and fresh grain
• Are primarily active at night
• Have poor eyesight, but keen sense of taste, hearing and smell
• Can enter structures by gnawing, climbing and jumping
• Can swim through sewers and enter buildings through toilets or broken drainpipes
• Can enter opening larger than 1/2 inch across

Adaptability

• Rats constantly explore and learn about their environment.
• Rats memorize the locations of pathways, obstacles, food, water, shelter and other elements in their area.
• Rats can quickly detect and tend to avoid new objects placed in a familiar environment.