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 Nocturnal?
Biologically, rats are nocturnal. These animals come out at dusk to look for food and carry out other activities, then go back into hiding at dawn. Their choice of coming out at dusk is dependent on many things that have to do with their natural behavior and biology. Right here, we will be taking you through some of these factors.
The first factor is that rats are silent animals and will prefer to operate in an environment with less noise. Their involvement with humans and special liking for staying in places close to human settlements will make them want to stay in hiding during the day time because the activities of humans during the day causes noise that they can't cope with.
Another factor that modifies rats to being nocturnal is the fact that their instinct only makes it possible for them to feel relaxed and active when there is less danger. This is nearly impossible during the day time as many of their natural predators will be active during that exact time.
Third, rats like are sneaky and will always prefer to operate in hiding without the occupants of the house knowing. The night has limited light and the occupants are most likely to be at rest during this time. This gives rats all the time and opportunities they need to carry out their rat business without any form of interruption.
However, rats are also capable of moving around during the day if they have a safe route through which they can travel. The routes are usually dark and safe even during the day when there are noises and disturbances from humans.