Rat Burrow Treatment in Jacksonville, FL

What rat burrows look like

Norway rats dig. Their burrows are round holes, usually two to four inches across, with smooth, packed edges and a fan of loose dirt nearby. Active burrows often have a worn path leading to them and fresh dirt pushed out. You find them along the edge of a slab, under sheds and decks, beside AC pads, under dense shrubs, in garden beds and along creek banks and seawalls.

Roof rats rarely burrow, so burrows tell you which rat you are dealing with. In Jacksonville that usually means a yard near water, a property with a shed or woodpile, or a commercial site with dumpsters and loading docks.

Treatment depends on the setting. Options include trapping at burrow entrances, tamper-resistant bait stations placed near the burrows, and collapsing and filling burrows once activity stops. Some products are applied directly into burrows by licensed professionals. Ask what will be used and whether it is safe for your pets and the wildlife in your yard.

What a thorough job includes

A complete burrow treatment includes:

• Mapping active burrows by checking for fresh dirt and worn runs
• A plan that fits the yard: traps, locked bait stations or both
• Keeping any bait in tamper-resistant stations, as UF/IFAS says Florida labels require outdoors
• Return visits to check activity and remove dead rats
• Collapsing and filling burrows, and sometimes packing them with gravel or wire mesh along a slab edge
• Removing harborage: woodpiles, debris, overgrown ground cover and pet food left out
• Sealing any slab, garage or crawl space gaps the rats are using to get into the house

Step by step

1. The technician finds and marks the active burrows.
2. You agree on a written plan that accounts for kids, pets and wildlife.
3. Traps or stations go in near the burrows and runways.
4. Burrows are checked on return visits. Re-opened holes mean rats are still there.
5. Once activity stops, burrows are collapsed and filled.
6. Harborage is reduced and the house is sealed at ground level.

Where Jacksonville rats dig

Water is the common thread. Jacksonville sits on the St. Johns River, with the Ortega River, the Trout River, Julington Creek, Pottsburg Creek and the Intracoastal Waterway running through or around it. Norway rats like soft banks near water, and properties on seawalls and creeks see more burrowing.

Sandy soil is easy digging. Much of the First Coast sits on sand, and rats burrow easily along slab edges and under sidewalks. That can undermine pavers and leave voids under a slab edge.

Commercial areas near the port and rail lines have the same problem at a larger scale. Burrows show up along fence lines, under dumpster pads and beside loading docks. See warehouse rodent control for those sites.

At home, the usual triggers are a shed sitting on the ground, a woodpile against a fence, a compost pile, bird feeders dropping seed, and a dog food bowl left outside overnight. Fix those and burrow problems shrink.

Yard changes that keep burrows from coming back

Once the burrows are closed, the yard has to stop attracting rats, or new ones dig in nearby. Most of these changes are simple.

Raise sheds and woodpiles, or put a skirt of hardware cloth around the base of a shed and bury the bottom edge so rats can't dig under it. Store firewood off the ground on a rack and away from the house. Clear dense ground cover and ivy along the foundation, where rats like to start a burrow out of sight.

Feed pets indoors. If you keep chickens or feed birds, clean up spilled feed every evening and store feed in metal cans. Pick up fallen fruit and nuts.

Along seawalls and creek banks, keep the area at the top of the wall trimmed so you can see new holes. Check it once a month. A new burrow found early takes one visit to deal with. A colony that has been digging all summer takes several.

Rat Burrow Treatment questions

Related reading

• Rat Control
• Exclusion and Sealing
• Warehouse Rodent Control
• How to get rid of rats
• Trash and property rules
• Rat droppings identification