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Yes, rats can come up through drains. They can crawl through basement floor drains, lateral house drains, and roof drains. Installing rat blockers in your drains is the best way to repel rats and prevent them from entering your pipes. These are one-way valves that allow water and waste to flow out but keep rats from getting in.

It’s generally safe to stay in a house that smells like sewage, but you should get the problem fixed as soon as possible. In most cases, the level of sewer gas you’re exposed to in a home will be low enough to only cause minor symptoms, though high levels of gas exposure can be more dangerous. If you’re smelling sewer gas in your home, it’s important to locate, assess, and fix the problem, because it won’t go away on its own.

Even with a high-resolution camera, what you're looking at on the screen may not be recognizable to the untrained eye. Your plumber should be willing to walk you through the video and explain what they found. With high-res images, bright lighting, and self-leveling technology, you should get clear, steady views of the pipes that make up your plumbing system.

If you’re wondering whether rats can come up the toilet, the unfortunate answer is yes, it’s possible, though it’s extremely rare. These rodents are excellent swimmers and can travel through sewer pipes in search of food, and they may follow plumbing lines leading to your home if they’re drawn by the scent of scraps and waste. The toilet’s U-bend holds a small pocket of air, which can help a rat catch its breath before making its final push into your bathroom. While more common in cities with larger rat populations, this can happen anywhere with connected sewer systems; sealing entry points and keeping drains clean can help reduce the risk.