These are probably the two most frequent questions that individuals with rat problems usually have to ask. Rats generally constitute plenty of nuisance in homes and farms, after gaining entry through the house doors, garage door, open windows, broken pipes, small openings in any portion of the house, etc.
It baffles plenty of people to see what rats chew through. It's extremely important that you are aware of the things rats can chew through, especially when you're trying to fight a rat infestation since this variable will determine the substances that would be used to stop or trap the tiny pests.
A good deal of materials which are often used in preventing rats can, unknown to a lot of people, be chewed through by the sharp toothed rodents. It should, however, be said that the ability of rats to chew through concrete and metal is based on the depth and types. For example, rats may only chew through soft metals, like aluminum, but they can't chew through heavy metals. It may then be concluded that rats can chew through anything as long as the conditions are ideal for them!
Time is another factor that impacts what rats have the ability to chew through. If a few rats were to descend on a sheet of metal and gnaw at it for a long time, they will likely chew through it. Likewise, a larger number of rats trying to gnaw on a material would increase their odds of chewing through it. They would obviously need less time to chew through wooden constructions. On the flip side, the more time it takes rats to chew on a specific place, the greater the odds of a predator or individual intruding in their action.
The main reason why rats are such determined chewers, is they really chew for survival. Like many other critters of the rodent family, they have strong incisors that grow throughout their lives. The chewing habit is for them, a working mechanism to submit these incisors and prevent them from growing out of hand -- or mouth.
