Pack Rats in Phoenix and How to Get Rid of Them

There are plenty of different types of rodents in Arizona that can cause grief to homeowners, but there’s just something about rats that makes people want to get rid of these critters quickly. They’re dirty, they’re noisy, and they’re a little creepy — especially if they strike a fear deep in your belly.

Pack rats run wild in the Sonoran Desert landscape; they’ve called this area home forever. Technically referred to as white-throated wood rats, these critters are important to the cycle of life in the desert, but they can also be big pests for homeowners. They received their nickname thanks to their habit of saving everything in their nests, called middens. Archeologists can actually review the contents of a rat’s midden to identify plant life from up to 50,000 year ago, which is the longest middens have been found to survive. In your home, however, let’s not allow them to become that ancient.

Habits of the Pack Rat

These woodland creatures are attracted to new “toys,” objects that spark their interest. They pick them up (sometimes dropping something they’re holding in lieu of something new) and cart them back to the midden.

Pack rats live in the desert in holes in the ground or under low foliage. They are constantly on the lookout for predators, so your inviting neighborhood offers them a haven from all of that. They will typically nest close to their feeding spots, but that doesn’t mean your home is off limits. Although they may not choose to live in your crawlspace full time, they may venture into an unsecured area for items they can use, either to add to their nests or to eat. And anything works for building that midden. Think paper, pillows, wiring, irrigation tubes, open food containers, and storage boxes. Anything can look good to a pack rat.

If a rat situation isn’t rectified early, you may be looking at an infestation, as they multiply quickly. A female can give birth every two months, and the newborns are able to enter into that cycle by the time they hit their two-month birthdays. That means you can have a tenfold jump in your pack rat population every year.

Avoid the Situation; Avoid the Rats

As with many invasive rodents and critters, the best way to keep them out is to make your home and yard uninviting. Secure attics, eaves, and crawlspaces. Remove piles of garbage, junk, or debris (even plant debris). Don’t leave food out, either inside or outside (and this includes pet food).

One of the ways to remove rats from your property is to use rat poison. Because we know that our customers want to keep their properties rodent-free, we provide safe bait traps for Phoenix homeowners to use on their property.

Call in the Professionals

Unless you’re up for setting nighttime traps and disposing of the pack rats you catch, it’s best to leave this job to the professionals. Oh, and remember that getting rids of the rats themselves isn’t the only job; you also need to eradicate their nests. Yeah, not a job most of us want to take on.

We have extensive experience in determining if you have a pack rat issue or something else and getting rid of the problem. Don’t go it alone; call in the professionals.