Rat Infestation in Singapore: Guide to Prevention & Control

Introduction

Do you know that in just one year, a pair of rats and their offspring can multiply into over 1,500 rats?

Rat infestation is a common and persistent problem in urban environments across the globe. Rodents flourish in areas where there is ample food, shelter, and water sources. Singapore is a highly developed and urbanised city-state, it seems like rats and mice have nowhere to go and therefore, they are wreaking havoc on our properties! These pests contaminate our food, carry diseases, damage our business reputation, and lead to expensive repair work.

Moreover, urban Singapore has several waste centres, poorly-managed establishments, and refuse areas that provide conducive conditions for these pests to nest, breed, and thrive. However, the National Environment Agency (NEA) is taking several measures for effective rodent control with increased surveillance in areas of harbourages, removing food sources, and even penalising businesses with pest sightings! Moreover, the Singapore Food Agency has circulated specific guidelines to prevent rat infestation at food establishments. Yet, the city’s humid climate, dense population, and unending construction cause rat infestation recurrence. 

Therefore, through this blog, we will explore the major signs and risks of rat infestation and tips for rodent control and prevention.

Why are rat infestation is a concern in Singapore?

Apart from  being a nuisance, rats pose significant risks and damage to both health and property. Below are a few reasons that highlight why rodent control is critical in Singapore:

1. Health Risks: Rats spread numerous diseases through their hair, faeces, urine, and even saliva! Some of the diseases they can easily transmit to humans include:

• Salmonella: Rats can contaminate water and food sources through their faeces causing the spread of salmonella bacteria. 

Symptoms of salmonella infection typically appear six hours to six days after exposure. If you are experiencing fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, or abdominal cramps, you should consult your GP immediately. Most of the salmonella bacteria cases do not require specific treatment and can be resolved with the help of antibiotics.

• Leptospirosis: This bacterial infection is primarily caused by urine and skin tissues of infected rats. When these rats come in contact with water, soil, or any surface they tend to contaminate them all!

Symptoms of leptospirosis range from a skin rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, and high fever to chills, headache, red eyes, muscle aches, jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), and diarrhoea. When the infection becomes severe, it can lead to respiratory distress, kidney damage, meningitis, or liver failure.

• Rat-bite fever: If you were exposed directly to rat infestation, you can be at risk of rat-bite fever. It can be contracted through scratches or bites from them. Furthermore, the transmission can happen through contact with rats’ mucous secretions or urine. 

The potential complications include muscle pain, fever, headache, joint pain, vomiting, muscle pain, and a skin rash. The symptoms will show up after 5 to 10 days of exposure and can lead to severe complications (like meningitis, pneumonia, and endocarditis) if left untreated. 

• Hantavirus: This airborne virus gets transmitted through the inhalation of contaminated dust particles with elements like urine, saliva, or rat droppings. You can primarily get infected while cleaning or mopping the areas with severe rat infestation. 
  
  The most common health ailments of this infection include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches (especially in the hips, back, thighs, and shoulders). Furthermore, these symptoms can be accompanied by issues like headache, chills, dizziness, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Ignoring these health effects can lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) which causes severe coughing and shortness of breath.

2. Damage to the Property: Rats have ever-growing incisors and to keep their growth in check, they naturally tend to gnaw. This gnawing behaviour doesn’t only help in wearing down the teeth but also in creating burrows, accessing food, and navigating through a host of materials like electrical wires, wood, plastic, pipes, and even structural elements of buildings like the foundation! Therefore, their instinct to gnaw can lead to serious safety risks like electrical fires and expensive repair and renovation work.

3. Food Contamination: As mentioned earlier, a rat infestation around you can lead to severe health issues. They scavenge through garbage bins and sewers, and then move around your house (mainly kitchen) and contaminate surfaces with their urine, droppings, and mucus, thereby causing foodborne diseases.

4. Environmental Concerns:  Singapore’s tropical climate, green spaces, and dense infrastructure provide a perfect environment for rats to thrive. Several attempts for rodent control fall flat many times here as these pests have become highly adaptable to both rural and urban settings. This leads to environmental concerns for all commercial and residential properties across the country.

5. Compromised Brand Reputation:  If you own businesses like F&B, hotels, and other food-sensitive industries, a rat infestation can wreak havoc on your reputation. It can lead to bad customer experience and reviews, loss of patrons, negative product recall value, fines, or penalties, and can finally cost you your business! 

Signs of rat infestation

To tackle these stealthy invaders, you must be aware of the telltale signs. Rats tend to leave behind some distinct indicators of their invasion and recognising these signs is the first step in acting against the rat infestation. 

Droppings: One of the most common signs of rat infestation is the sighting of droppings near food sources like kitchen counters, along cupboards, and areas under the sink. The pellet-shaped droppings are generally small (the size of a grain of rice) and black. A recent rodent activity can be ascertained from fresh and shiny droppings whereas the light-coloured and crumbly droppings signify older movement.

Gnaw marks:  A rough gnaw mark on a variety of materials signifies rat presence. From wooden furniture, food packaging, and wires to plastic, stored goods, and even concrete, rats leave larger and rougher, irregular edges unlike clean and smooth marks left by mice!

Tracks and paths:  Rats tend to leave smudgy and greasy footprints and even fur marks along their regular track. Their path can be easily traced along dusty areas or corners, walls, and beams. Be more vigilant about rat infestation in the attic, baseboards, and areas that are mostly uninterrupted by human activities.

Nesting spot and materials: Rat nests can be found in dark and hidden areas in and around your home. They can be commonly found in basements, attics, or wall cavities. They generally use soft materials in their nest like fabric, shredded paper, or insulation. 

Noises:  Do you hear strange noises like squeaking, scratching, and scurrying during the night? If yes, then the rats have already infested your home! These nocturnal creatures become active in the night and move within your house. If you observe closely, you can hear these strange noises coming from walls, attics, or ceilings.

Odour: Rat infested areas emit a strong and musky odour similar to a stale urine smell. These smells are more pungent than regular household odours like garbage or bins.

Visible sightings:  Rats avoid human interactions; therefore, you might not spot them during the daytime. However, if they invade your property in large numbers then they will rummage for food and you can see them scurrying in the bright light! This is an alarming sign of rat infestation that signifies you would require expert pest control services for effective rodent control.

Preventing rat infestation

ORIGIN brings you a list of the effective measures you can employ to prevent rat infestation on your property. You need to be alert to ensure that you do not leave any loose ends that enable these pesky pests near you. Let’s look at some of the best preventive measures:

Preventive measures for indoors

• Use airtight containers to store food.
• Rats gorge on pet foods. Store them in airtight containers.
• Never leave food leftovers on your kitchen countertop to sit overnight.
• Thoroughly clean food from packaging before dumping them in the garbage or recycling bins.
• Use lidded bins and ensure all trash bags are properly sealed and stored where rats can’t reach them.
• Avoid disposing of food leftovers in the sink or toilet, as this can attract rats to the sewage system.
• Use rat-proof containers for storing kitchen items, otherwise, avoid organising them on the floor. Rat infestation doesn’t happen in clutter-free spaces as they do not get any spot to nest or hide.
• Clean particular pantry areas from time to time. Focus on the areas under appliances and on corners where leftovers tend to accumulate. 

Preventive measures for outdoors

• Dispose of cooked food mindfully, especially, if it is fish, meat, or other protein foods. If you throw them in a compost pile, you will attract rodents. Choose a composter that has a dense mesh or metal grid at the bottom and a lid on the top.
• Do not dump garbage bags just outside your house or around the street corner. Throw them in secured bins only.
• If you doubt a rat infestation around your property, prevent their intrusion by applying high-quality mesh on basement doors and windows.
• If you have a garden or green lawn, trim down all over-grown vegetation, remove wood and other debris (they can be potential hiding spots for rodents), and regularly mow the lawn.

Preventative measures for the building or structure         

• Inspect your property and seal all entry points for effective rodent control. Focus on holes in the wall or roof, cracks, vents, gaps between doors and windows, and even the foundation. You can use steel wool, caulk, or hardware cloth to prevent rat influx.
• Install door sweeps on exterior doors and ensure the windows have proper seals that eliminate gaps.
• Regularly clean and declutter seldom-used spaces like sheds, basements, and attics. If left ignored for long, rats can use these spaces as their shelters.
• Rat infestation can occur in areas with ample water supply, therefore, mend all plumbing leaks to secure water sources. Also, check standing water within the property.
• Conduct regular inspections to secure the waste chutes. Ensuring properly sealed chutes can keep the pests away from the waste materials thereby preventing rat infestation in the building.

Challenges to rodent control: How rats outsmart humans?

If all your preventive methods have failed to tackle rat infestation, it is primarily because of rodent adaptability. Let’s understand the challenges of controlling or eradicating rat populations:

• Rapid reproduction rates: Female rats can produce approximately 8 to 12 litters per year, with 5 to 10 pups per litter! The high reproduction rates help them adapt and recover from preventive measures, even if a large number of rodents are eliminated.
• Behavioural flexibility: Rats are among highly adaptable pests. They do not easily forget the negative experiences and even adjust their habits according to the environment to survive. For instance, they learn to avoid baits and traps, thereby, making the rodent control methods less effective over time.
• Physical flexibility: Rats have flexible bodies and they can easily escape through the tiniest of holes. Moreover, they have wonderful agility and can efficiently run, climb, and swim.
• Sensory adaptations: Rats are wary and suspicious, and it’s difficult to lure them to gimmicks. With keen senses of touch, smell, and hearing, they can detect dangerous environments, which adds to their survival advantage.
• Ecological resilience: From urban pockets to rural areas, rat infestation can occur in a wide range of environments. Omnivorous scavengers, rats thrive on food from practically anywhere: home, outdoors, garbage areas, and even sewers!

Expert Rodent Control Measures by ORIGIN Exterminators

Preventive measures can help control rat invasions to some extent but are not always effective against severe rodent / rat infestation. Once the rats access your homes and buildings, they bring in their colonies, build their nests, and rapidly reproduce.

At ORIGIN, we highly recommend resorting to professional pest control services to permanently fix the rodent issue. Moreover, given how intelligent rodents can be and their ability to adapt, professional pest management companies like ORIGIN have a range of different traps and tools.  Here is a list of control methods to manage the rat infestation:

T-Rex snap trap:

These traps are the most common way to ensure a quick and humane end for rodents! The traps have a trigger plate on which the bait is kept to lure the rats, and when the pests enter the trap and reach the bait, the spring-loaded snapping bar kills the rats. 

Glue boards:

The sticky boards that are scented too are strategically installed along the commonly used tracks and paths of rodents. When the rats’ step on the board they get stuck to it, from where they are humanely disposed of!

It must be noted that glueboards are recommended as a last resort for rodent control techniques. The procedure itself is harsh and cruel as it can lead to more animal suffering, stress, and pain. Moreover, it can capture unintended pets or wildlife like small domestic animals, birds, and squirrels. Also, there are several instances of small children getting accidentally trapped on glueboards!

Therefore, it is imperative we ensure that these boards are placed responsibly. ORIGIN employs this technique sparingly and responsibly and adheres to NEA guidelines on glueboards.

Bait stations:

Secure stations attract the rodents inside them which can contain both atoxic bait and non toxic bait. It is important to monitor and create strategies to minimise bait and trap avoidance. The baiting method prevents access to children and non-targeted animals and is considered among the most effective solutions for rat infestation. 

Below are two important factors you need to consider for baiting treatment:

The importance of pre-baiting: As mentioned earlier, rats are smart, and their suspicious nature makes them avoid new objects in their surroundings. Pre-baiting traps can help combat this behaviour. Placing bait or introducing feed without setting the trap a few times makes rodents familiar with the trap and makes them drop their guard! Pre-baiting, therefore, stacks the odds in your favour to fight rat infestation. 

Poison and dosages: When using poison baits for rats, it is essential to focus on dosages for effective rodent control. For instance, single-dose poisons like anticoagulants can kill rats after one ingestion, whereas multi-dose poisons that need a couple of feedings target the rats' resistance. Their potent formula ensures efficacy and prevents resistance build-ups.

Furthermore, switching poisons and formulas at regular intervals can ensure long-term pest management. This strategy helps create resistant strains and minimise rat populations.

RATSENSE 

ORIGIN Exterminators uses RATSENSE, an IOT-driven surveillance system that provides real-time data analytics and monitors rodent activity 24/7. Using the reports derived from the data, experts successfully execute rodent control techniques. 

Conclusion

Rodent control in Singapore is the need of the hour to keep the residents and tourists safe from numerous health and safety concerns. Given their rapid breeding rate and the ability to survive in almost any climatic or environmental conditions, adds to the concerns of rat infestation, making them almost inevitable! 

However, if you are aware of the signs of their infestation, care to take preventive measures and avail of expert pest control services, you can protect yourself and your property from dangers posed by rats. Lastly, remember prevention is better than cure. With regular rodent control prevention tips, inspections, and actions, you can eliminate these annoying pests and maintain a cleaner and healthier rat-free space.

If you are bothered by a severe rat infestation, contact our highly trained and experienced technicians. We ensure a tailor-made solution for your specific rodent problem and deal with it safely, humanely, and effectively. Click here to get in touch or call us at 6280 5666 for more information.