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 Are Some Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Rats And Keep Them Away?
The moment you stumble upon rats in your home, you automatically switch into panic mode, simply because you know the menace associated with having these rodents around you.
Apart from damaging your home, rats contaminate your environment and expose you to several diseases. If you want to get rid of the rats in your home, there are some home remedies that you can use to achieve what you want. Here are some home remedies that you can try:
1. Peppermint Oil
To humans, peppermint is refreshing. But to rats, nothing can be more nauseating than it. To take advantage of this, all you have to do is put droplets of peppermint oil along the routes of the rat in your home or dip cotton balls into peppermint oil and drop the soaked cotton around places the rats frequent the most. The smell of this will keep them away because they won't be able to stand it.
2. Plaster Of Paris And Cocoa Powder
This is one of the best natural ways to get rid of rats. In this case, all you need to do is to mix plaster of paris with one tablespoon of cocoa powder and then sprinkle the solution along their routes. This mixture will suffocate and dehydrate the rats and make them run outside your home.
3. Onions
The good part about the use of this particular home remedy is that it is readily available in every home. To use this as a rat repellent, all you have to do is to place an onion bulb around the holes of the rat. The smell coming from the onion will make the rat feel uncomfortable and this will make them leave in no time.
