Some people quite like having rats in their homes. Of course, these are the fluffy domesticated rats that are kept in a cage. Nobody wants wild rats crawling around their home. It can be unsettling to consider that wild rats might have entered your home, but they can also be somewhat dangerous. It's not as though they're going to attack, (and, yes, they're more scared of you than you are of them) but rats can chew through anything in their path. This is problematic when you think of all the wiring in your walls. So why would rats chew through wiring, and what are some signs that your wiring might have been affected by rats? How can you take care of the issue?

Unique Teeth

Rats are somewhat unique in that their incisors are open-rooted. This means that they grow throughout the rat's life. Rats grind their teeth in order to curb this growth, and they also gnaw on many things that they encounter. This is practical to keep their teeth in check, and, in wild rats, it's practical in another way. Rats often chew through barriers they encounter, and, in the case of wild rats that have entered your home, electrical wires can be such a barrier if they happen to be in your wall or ceiling cavity.

Insulating Cover

Rats are in fact unlikely to chew right through an electrical wire, but they can damage the insulating cover. If this cover is breached, then the rat will likely be electrocuted. The wire can become dangerous when the insulating cover is damaged and even a fraction of the internal wire is exposed. It's particularly dangerous when these exposed wires cross each other as this can cause short circuits and even fires in extreme cases.

Signs and Solutions

One of the most obvious signs of problems with your electrical wiring is when your home safety switch triggers with no discernible reason. You need to rule out external causes (such as a weather-based disruption) as well as the more obvious internal causes (such as a faulty electrical device). Look for signs of rodent activity, such as their small, pellet-shaped droppings in your ceiling cavity. You might also want to use a torch to look for wire damage. Under no circumstances should you get close to any damaged wires that you might see. You can also listen for rats in the wall. If you feel that your electrical wiring has become damaged by rats, you need to take immediate action.

• Set traps to catch and kill any rats inside your home. You can also use no-kill traps, but these are bulky, and you would need to transport the rats a fair distance from your home to prevent them from re-entering.
• Electricians are the only ones who can safely repair your damaged wiring. Do not attempt to make any repairs yourself. Call an electrician for repairs as soon as possible.
• Call a pest control company to inspect your property. They will be able to identify the likely point of entry to your home and will be able to prevent rats from re-entering.

Rats can be a huge problem when it comes to your electrical wiring, but it's a problem that's easy enough to take care of.