Arlington County, Arlington Rat Control Situation:
Hello. I don't know if this is something you still do, but I need some expert advise so thought I'd give it a try! We are renting a house in Alexandria VA west of DC. I think it was built in the 60's, a ranch style home, and has been renovated but has much of the original doors, framework, etc. The guest bathroom in particular is not sealed off properly. It was an add-on and not done correctly, so the slab is cracked and eroding, as well as rotten wood with holes in it sealed with foam of all things! We have a beautiful courtyard and put out a couple bird feeders, but recently took them down when we noticed the sounds of critters in the attic. We've looked up there and so far the insulation looks almost new and other than a few cobwebs it's pretty clean up there. But there are a few droppings! I want to catch this early and eradicate the problem as quickly and humanely as possible for our safety and for the safety of our landlords house. It looks like you suggest sealing first, then traps, then clean-up. What do you think about the birdseed? Is it to blame? Or the wide open house? Can the rats be coming in from below the slab? My husband, ( this is his email btw) has heard them under the tub in the guest bathroom:// Any other tips? And are you by chance nearby in Arlington VA? Probably not, but just thought I'd check! Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Thank you for your time!
My response: The slab could be to blame. Perhaps there are multiple entries. I wouldn't know without seeing it, but I live in Orlando. Bird seed does attract rats, but really, the problem is that there are openings leading inside the house.
We have a roof rat problem. We've heard the little critter crawling around in our daughters upstairs bedroom (refinished attic /bedroom) for awhile now. My wife also saw the little guy in action on our neighbors bird feeder at about 3:30am this morning and then watched him head back up to our roof. That pretty much sealed the deal that we weren't dealing with squirrels... I can see a few potential issues. We don't have a way into the attic because of the way it was refinished. When previous owner did renovations, they didn't leave access point to portion of attic that is unfinished. There is also some flashing on roof that is pulled up and near where we hear the most noises. I was going to secure it, but don't want to trap anything in... Contact info is below. Give me a call on my cell, anytime, and I can go into more detail for you. Hopefully you can give me a rough estimate on the phone and then we can proceed from there. Definitely want to get this issue resolved. :)
Arlington Rat Control Tip of The Week
New York City's Rat Problem
The Norway Rat:
The majority of rats in New York City are Norway rats, otherwise known as brown rats. Brown rats typically weigh 1 pound and they can grow up to 16 inches long. A brown rat needs just 1 ounce of food and water every day to survive.
Agile Creatures:
Brown rats are known for their ability to climb through pipes and get through small spaces. Even though some of the largest brown rats can be up to 20 inches long and weigh more than 2 pounds, it's easy for them to fit through a hole that's the size of a quarter. Rats have some serious superpowers and are capable of falling up to five stories without any injury and leaping up to 4 feet for climbing.
Going Through Any Material:
Rats also have extremely strong jaw muscles and quality teeth. There are rats in New York that are capable of chewing through cinderblocks and sewer pipes.
Where Rats Live:
Most rats will rarely travel more than 600 feet away from the area that they were born. Most rats like to nest and burrow in soft ground as well as below ground to live in colonies. A rat colony is usually between 30 to 50 rats and the number of rats in a burrow or family is usually between 8 to 12. Rats stay close to their food source and they can often be found just a few hundred feet from where they go every day to be fed. Public garbage areas, alleyways, and more can be a hotbed for rats and NYC produces its own information portal on areas where rats are heavily concentrated.
Massive Population:
It's estimated that there are roughly 2,000,000 rats in New York City and this means that the rat population in New York City sits around 25% of the total number of humans.
