Hantavirus alert: Simple ways to smartly keep rats out of your house

Rats sneak into houses seeking three basics: food, warmth, and safety. In the summer, they ditch the outdoors for kitchens with leftover rice, fruits, or pet food. They chew anything, be it grains, plastic, or paper.

They are less seen in winter cold or rainy monsoons as they mostly remain inside. Homes offer dark corners like basements for nesting and breeding. Garbage piles and tall grass nearby act like magnets. Once comfy, they multiply fast, ignoring your efforts to shoo them.