Anne Arundel County, Annapolis Rat Control Situation:
Interresting site very helpful info. I had stored furniture in a storage facility and and went into remove yesterday .. And found rats had been nesting I there. I removed a table and chairs and two couches .. Which had rat dropping on. I didn't see much urine but I'm sure it's there. I'm concerned and extremely grossed out because I HATE rodents more than anything In this world. And I have a four month old baby. I want to throw the couches away, my boyfriend and friends tell my I'm exaggerating but by your site I think not. Can you tell me is it still safe to use the couches , their made with slip covers for easy clean up. What type of cleaning should I do to use again or shall I toss them.
Hi David, Great site-very resourceful. We have a night time visitor in our attic. We called a pest control company and they have put traps in our attic and sealed his entery hole. With that said I have a few questions: Its been over a week and he has yet to be caught! We still hear him at night. is that normal? Further, we have a small half inch open gap going around the entire perimeter of our roof. We recently replaced our roof and gutters and I think there was some miscommunication between the contractors. I just have to lift the roof shingles and I can see the opening. With that said, I was thinking of going up and stuffing the perimeter of the house with steel wool. Will that keepp rats out or will they push through and end up in our attic? I was only thinking steel wool 'cause "chicken wire" would be a more labour intensive project. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Annapolis Rat Control Tip of The Week
Reasons Why Relocated Rats Don't Survive Out Of Their Usual Territory
After trapping a rat in your home, you will have to decide either to kill it or relocate it. If killing a rat doesn't go down well with you because it makes you feel inhumane, you will be left with no other option but to relocate it.
If you have decided to relocate a trapped rat into a new territory, you need to understand the fact that it might not survive. Despite being a very smart household pest, rats find it very difficult to cope in a new environment for several reasons. The following are the reasons why a relocated rat won't survive out of their usual territory.
The first reason why rats won't survive in a new environment is that they are accustomed to their old environment. They have spent their entire life studying where they stay, knowing the exact place to find water and food in order to survive daily. Transferring this survival instinct to a new environment is a quite difficult thing to do for rats. As a result of these differences, they will find it difficult to locate food and water which they need to survive in any environment they are relocated to.
The presence of predators in the new environment is another reason why rats will find it difficult to survive. Animals like cats, snakes, and birds hunt for rats and will take advantage of the fact that the newly introduced rat doesn't know its way around to capture it.
When you introduce a rat into a new environment, it is going to meet other street rats that are already accustomed to that specific environment. Rats being animals that exhibit dominance in the form of hierarchy, where the submissive group is traumatized by the dominant rats, your rat will face multiple brutal battles and might end up in bad shape in the process. Over time, they will either get killed or too weak to look for food and shelter.
All these clearly show why any rat you decide to relocate might never survive the effects of leaving your home and being transferred into a new environment.