Clarke County, Athens-Clarke Rat Control Situation:
Dave, I just wanted to thank you so much for the great site on dealing with rats in the attic, as well as listing pest control companies that deal with rat issues. I thought I had mice in the attic, but I now think it's rats. I set two mouse snap traps almost three days ago. Early this morning, I was awakened by the sound of plastic banging in the attic. My only thought is that I've caught something, but I don't think it's a mouse. A mouse would have died instantly. Anyway, I do have a few questions for you. First, do you think the mouse trap killed the rat, or will kill it, or is it just injured? Second, any tips on safely climbing in the attic to prevent getting bit by a rat? I noticed your pics on your site about having to get into tight spaces. I would worry about encountering a rat by doing that. One last question, any tips on accessing tight areas for a tall guy? I'm 6'3" and I wasn't able to get close to the soffit area in one area of my home. The particular area has a cathedral ceiling and the roof gets closer to the rafters as you get closer to the soffit area. I attempted to move down in a particular area where I've heard noise, but my legs began cramping really bad.
Athens-Clarke Rat Control Tip of The Week
Animals that rats kill
The fact that rats pose several health risks and safety hazards makes them one of the most detested pests in many households. These rodents cause a whole lot of nuisance by disrupting the peace of your home with their scurrying and scratchy sounds when allowed to multiply and breed in your house. These reasons usually prompt many homeowners to look for the best possible way to get rid of them.
While trying to get rid of them, you need to also understand the fact that these rodents are capable of killing other animals. You might be wondering how an animal of this size can kill other animals. The fact is that rats are very aggressive animals with special skills when it comes to attacking their prey.
Although, the chances of this happening depend on many factors. For instance, rats will only kill or attempt to kill other animals when they are starving or they want to take over an area initially occupied by other rodents.
The most common animals that rats do attack and kill is mice. These two rodents share the same ecological niche; hence they often interact with each other. In the process of relating with one another, the scavenging instinct of rats might set in, prompting them to hunt and kill mice.
Asides from mice, rats also come in contact with and may kill cats and dogs. Cases like this occur once in a while and to only cats and dogs that are small in size or already suffering from preexisting illnesses.
Having shared this, if you are keeping a cat or dog as a pet in your house, chances are that the rats in your home will kill your pets when they have the opportunity to. Since rats are omnivorous, there are no limits to what they can feed on.
