Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor Rat Control Situation:
I came accross your article about killing rats or rodents in the attic. I had a very bad squirrel infestation in my attic, and I had to get professional help. They did just what you recommended by putting cages in two places on or near the roof that were accessable to the attic. It did work for a long time. About eight years in fact. Had no problem after that until now. This problem just started, and I am not sure what is running up there. So far I have not seen any evidence . I never considered rats, but if it is that, I will start leaving a bunch of heavy duty snap traps right away. There is no way however that with the size of my attic, that I am ever going to find their entrance and exit points. I may have to resort to the professional again . Thanks for your info. I hope It might do the trick.
Aloha David! Am I glad to find you! Read your site a few minutes and saw your invite to e-mail you and here I am. Our great hunter cat just brought a baby rat to the front door and when I opened it, I THINK he carried the little creature in. happened so fast, I'm not sure it was in his mouth, but I'm pretty sure and worried about it if he did. He must have been ready to play with it some more, dropped it in the room as he came in, and now I don't know what to do. We share a house, and this room is our bedroom / living room with lots of nooks and crannies, dressers, couch and places to hide..... and die. It was stil very young, so maybe not weaned yet? Can babies survive without a momma rat? It had about a 3-4" long body and a 4-5" tail maybe. It was playing dead by the door and suddenly Kitty Kun, picked it up and ran in with it. (I think) Don't know if it was injured, but I'm also worried about fleas fleeing if the rat dies. What to do? Thanks so much, am especially worried about germs and fleas. With warm aloha, Gail
Ann Arbor Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Rats Able to Enter a Property Through the Plumbing?
Rats are able to swim:
Rats are surprisingly flexible and they have some excellent swimming abilities. Even if they have to make their way in through your pipes, it won't take long for them to make their way into your home if they are located under it in the groundwater. A rat is a perfect size to get through most water pipes or sewage pipes and this can mean easy access into your home.
There are dry spots throughout your plumbing:
Depending on the way your plumbing bends, it is likely that there could be some dry spots within your plumbing or within the inner workings of your home. Rats may enter into your plumbing and may even build nests throughout these dryer areas.
Rats can damage your plumbing:
As well as being able to scurry through your plumbing, rats could potentially damage your plumbing or even clog up your pipes. If there is a major rat problem or a nest nearby, you could be risking the chance that you could damage your neighbor's pipes or have an ongoing rat problem in your own home.
Rats easily enter in through broken lines:
If there are areas of your plumbing that have fallen into disrepair, make sure that they can be properly fixed up. Broken sewer lines or tree roots in your plumbing can often be the perfect place for many rats to make their way into your property.
Check grates and drain covers:
Installing mesh or making sure that you have a proper cover for your drain covers can be important to keeping rats from invading your space. Regularly looking at all of your drains and making sure that a rat can't make their way inside can be very important.
Close your toilet lid:
Closing a toilet lid could be a simple practice you could use that can stop rats from entering your home.