A rat problem in a Bournemouth property tends to develop quietly for weeks before it becomes obvious, and by the time it is obvious it is already significant. The animals are cautious, largely nocturnal, and adept at staying out of sight, which means the early signs are subtle. Learning to spot them early - during the first few weeks of activity rather than after a family of rats has established itself - is the difference between a small, cheap intervention and an extensive treatment programme.  
  
Droppings are the most reliable indicator. Rat droppings are dark, about the size of a large grain of rice, and slightly pointed at each end. They appear along walls, in cupboards, behind appliances, and along any route a rat is using regularly. Fresh droppings are shiny and dark; older droppings are dull and often crumble if disturbed. Finding a small quantity of droppings suggests recent activity by one or two animals; finding widespread droppings in multiple locations suggests an established infestation.  
  
Smell is often noticed second. Rats have a characteristic musky smell that becomes strong in areas of concentrated activity - the underside of a shed, the void behind a kitchen unit, a corner of a loft. A house with a genuine rat problem often has a smell that visitors notice before the residents do, because familiar smells fade from consciousness. If a room in your house smells slightly off and you cannot immediately identify why, rats are worth ruling out.  
  
Noises at night are the third common indicator. Rats are active mostly after dark, and their movement in the fabric of a building - the scratching, gnawing and shuffling sounds - can be heard from adjoining rooms once activity is established. Loft spaces are the most common location for these noises to be heard from because the sound carries through the ceiling. A single night of odd noises might be anything, but consistent scratching or scampering after dark, several nights in a row, points strongly at a rodent problem.  
  
Chew marks and grease trails shows up as chew marks and grease marks. Rats gnaw constantly because their teeth grow continuously, and they chew on wood, plastic, electrical cables, and pipe insulation. Small, dish-shaped areas of chewing appear on soft materials - the edge of a plasterboard doorframe, the corner of a wooden skirting board, the outer sheath of a cable running along a wall. Grease marks - dark smears along walls at a low level - appear because rats have oily coats and rub against surfaces along their regular routes. A route used consistently over weeks develops a visible dark line.  
  
Nests are the definitive evidence of a serious infestation. Rats build nests in warm, undisturbed places - loft insulation, the back of kitchen cupboards, behind fridges and washing machines, in wall voids, in sheds and garages. The nest is usually a soft pile of shredded material - loft insulation, cardboard, fabric - drawn together into a cavity. Finding a nest means there is either a breeding pair or a group of animals on the premises.  
  
Access points is the most important question once the presence is confirmed. Rats can squeeze through remarkably small gaps - a two-centimetre hole is enough for a young animal. Common access points are gaps around drainage pipes where they enter the building, damaged air bricks, gaps at the eaves under the roof line, holes in soffit boards, and gaps around cable and pipe entries at ground level. Any pest control treatment that does not close the access points is a temporary treatment - new rats will find their way in through the same route within weeks.  
  
Behaviour that indicates rats rather than mice is worth being aware of. Mice are smaller, produce smaller droppings, run along walls in short darting movements, and their noises are lighter and quicker. Rats are heavier and slower - the noise of a rat moving is a distinct scampering rather than a mouse's rustle. Rats are more cautious about new objects in their environment and will sometimes avoid new traps for days before investigating. Rat droppings are darker and more elongated than mouse droppings.  
  
Getting professional help early makes a significant difference. A Commercial pest control control company responding to a first-week infestation can usually solve the problem in one or two visits with careful trapping and access-point sealing. A property with an established colony that has been ignored for months typically needs a longer treatment programme, professional trapping, potential rodenticide use, and thorough sealing of every point of ingress. The cost of the two situations differs by an order of magnitude, and the difference in duration is often weeks versus days.