What Fruits and Vegetables Do Rats Eat?

Rodents can become a big problem if they take over the walls, attic, and other hiding places in a house. One reason for this is that mice and rats chew on everything, including electrical wires, which then becomes a fire hazard. Some other signs that you might have a rodent infestation and should seek the help of a mice control in Pickering service include seeing droppings and urine stains in out-of-the-way places. It can be helpful to know what the eating habits of rodents are, in order to discourage them from coming inside. 

What Foods Do Rats Eat?

The stereotype about rats is that they love cheese, but they actually prefer many other foods to this dairy product. Rats like foods that contain lots of sugar, including fruits such as peaches, kiwi, grapes, pears, and watermelon. They are also known to gnaw on crunchy vegetables like carrots, asparagus, cucumber, peas, and broccoli. Rodents also enjoy nuts and some rats, notably the ones that are used to city living, will even eat meat. Most foods that humans eat, rats and mice will at least attempt to eat.  Rats have a unique digestive tract in that they are unable to throw up. This means that they tend to avoid certain foods that are hard to digest, such as raw sweet potatoes, artichokes, rhubarb, cabbage, dried corn, and unripe bananas. Rats also should not eat citrus fruits, and ironically, blue cheese. Consumption of these foods can cause rats illness or extreme discomfort. 

Reasons To Put Food Away

Because rodents will consume, or at least attempt to consume, nearly everything, it is important to not keep food out for long periods of time in order to make it less enticing for rats and mice to enter a home. Two of the main reasons rodents take up residence in a house are for food and a warm place to sleep or nest. Some things to consider include:

• Keeping food in tightly sealed containers, whether hard plastic or glass
• Gathering fruit off the ground that has fallen from trees 
• Take out the trash as soon as possible once it is full, and keep trash in a covered bin
• Keeping fruit and vegetable gardens at a reasonable distance from the house

Plastic storage bags are not ideal for helping to keep rodents away, since they can chew through that material. Keep in mind that in addition to the foods that humans consume, rats are also attracted to pet food such as cat and dog kibble, as well as bird seeds. Make sure pet food is stored appropriately and away from the ground. If you find food packaging that appears to have been chewed on, it might be time to contact a professional pest control service for help.  

Why Do Rats Chew?

Rats have teeth that are constantly growing, which means they bite and chew on all sorts of materials. When you have a rat infestation in the house, they might chew on your wooden furniture, walls, insulation, electrical wires, food containers, fruits and vegetables, newspapers, books, and more. This can cause a lot of damage to a home and the property inside, and it is very expensive to replace furniture and repair damage to walls. Because their teeth are constantly growing, rats have very sharp teeth, which further amplifies the damage that they can cause.  If you have a rodent problem in your home, Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control can help. We offer the humane removal of rodents and other species of wildlife in your house or yard. We also clean areas where rodents have left droppings and urine, as well as seal entry points so that your rodent problem does not continue to reoccur.