Pick Up Your Dog Poop: A Lesson in Rat Invasions

There are so many reasons to pick up dog poop around a property. But one that is particularly important is that dog poop, as disgusting as it sounds, is delicious for rats.

There are a lot of rats in Vancouver. But there are also a lot of homes, people, and places for rats to live. There’s a common misconception that there are more rats than people in big cities. That is actually not the case. So for a rat to invade your property, it usually means your property has something it needs:

• Holes that allow easy entry for shelter.
• Access to food.
• Limited danger (no cats, dogs, or heavy foot traffic).

Luck certainly plays a role. But if rats decide to invade your home, restaurant, office, or other property, it can usually mean they were drawn there by something.

That something could be dog poop.

When food is scarce, dog poop represents a fast and easy meal that is tasty for a rat’s less-than-sensitive palate. Instead of searching for food in potentially dangerous areas with many predators, they simply seek out a place that has dog poop and eat large meals for free.

Over time, rats may choose to live near this free food and feast any time they’re hungry. Because rats only come out at night, your chances of seeing one feeding are low, but the risk remains the more you let your dog poop outside without picking it up.

If you have a commercial property in Vancouver, having someone monitor the ground on occasion can help to decrease the risk that droppings attract more rodents, and while it’s not necessarily possible to completely prevent rats without rat exclusion and pest control services, removing dog poop can be a big help.

If you have rats, think you have rats, or are worried about rats, please contact Local Pest today in Vancouver, BC.