The typical signs of rodent problems are:

• Sightings of live or dead rats
• Common rat droppings can be 12mm long and taper at both ends
• Runs – rats follow the same routes when travelling and leave trails through the grass and low vegetation
• Footprints and tail swipes – on muddy or dusty surfaces
• Smears – dark grey marks left on surfaces by repeated contact with rat fur
• Burrows – entrance holes 7-120mm in diameter in grassy banks, under tree roots, at the end of paving or drain cover surrounds
• Nests – sometime found indoors, in lofts or under floorboards
• Gnawing – rats gnaw continually, even on non-food materials, in order to wear down their front teeth