Fulton County, Atlanta Rat Control Situation:
Hello, I ran across your article rats in the Attic online earlier today. I have some type of critter that moved in a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was a squirrel until I read your article that said squirrels are diurnal in nature. The thing in my attic is most active around 11pm, I can hear it move around a little bit and chewing on something-it sounds like a handsaw operating, and then again about 6am when it chews much more often and much louder. Is this symptomatic of a squirrel or could it be something else? You say rats live in the attic at night, but I don't even want to say the word rat. I live in Southeast Atlanta Georgia, so I'm not sure it's a flying squirrel, and it's definitely not big enough to be a raccoon or a opossum. Any help you could offer me would be very much appreciated. Thank you!
My response: Sounds like rat activity to me. Maybe you should have a wildlife expert come out and inspect your attic. You've got to find out how the rats are getting in, and seal those areas shut with steel.
Hi, I have a rat in my mini van and I can't get rid of it. I have tried traps - they didn't work. Poison - I think this rat thrives on it . I‘ve clean the van of any food and as it is a newish van there isn't anyway to get in. Help! Minnie
David, I live in Atlanta, not near you in Orlando, but I was looking over your photos of the rats. What are you using for bait on the snap traps or does it vary? Specifically dealing with roof rats and have you used traps outside? I'm fairly sure that I have most of the roof rats (sealed all points and it's been a while) but I feel like making sure by setting a few traps. Any hints would be greatly appreciated.
I bait the traps with a thin spread of peanut butter. But the location of the traps is 10x as important as the bait. Set the traps in areas of high rat activity.
Atlanta Rat Control Tip of The Week
What To Do If There Is A Nest Of Rats In Your Attic
Being a commensal rodent, rats live and thrive very well in human settlements. When you have them in your home, these pests will most likely harbor in your attic and make it their nesting place. If you have rats nesting in your attic, the first sign you will notice is scratching and scurrying sound in the ceiling of your home at night.
Having confirmed that there are rats nesting in your attic, you might be thinking of what to do and the best way to handle the situation. Right here, we will be sharing all you need to know about what to do when you have rats nesting in your attic.
1. Attic Inspection
After noticing some unusual sounds in your attic, the first thing you need to do is to inspect your home to confirm if there are rats nesting in your attic or not. While inspecting your home, you need to also determine how the rats got into your attic and where they are nesting.
2. Repair The Rat Entry Holes
If you are lucky enough to find their entry holes, you need to seal them before doing any other thing. Sealing them off prevents other rats from entering your attic after you have removed all the rats already nesting there.
3. Remove The Rats
After the sealing and the repair job, the next thing for you to do is to remove the rats. To do this, all you have to do is set as many snap traps as possible in different locations in your attic. To increase your chances of trapping more rats, you need to bait the snap trap with baits like peanut butter or any other dry nut. This will help attract the rats to the traps.
4. Clean The Attic
Finally, you need to clean up your attic with a strong disinfectant, to ensure that you are safe from bacteria and other pathogens deposited by the rats.