Travis County, Austin Rat Control Situation:
David, My dilemma I have a walk up attic w/ a wooded floor, the roof does not have insulation neither do the walls of the attic. between the floor boards you can catch movement of the rats. There is a mother and her nest of young how many is not known. She come and goes through a broken pane in the glass. My fear is the how to retrieve the young and how will i clean up , sanitize the insulation under the floor. the rats roam across the entire attic floor. I realize that you must also catch the mother but how would we ever find the young w so much space to travel? I do have a standard cage set up now by the window pane. thank you Riley
Well, if you catch the mother rat by the window pane, then the young are going to die. And you're going to wind up with a big odor problem. To find the young, I sit in silence, sometimes for up to a half hour if necessary, until the young start chattering. Then if I can't crawl into the area, I cut open the wall/floor and get the young, and use them to catch the mom rat, and I get them all at once. Where in the Austin do you ive? My friend may be able to help you.
My neighbor Frank has been killing these rats because they're on his mango tree, he kills them with a bb gun...I tried of cleaning up my yard cuz they stink and lots flies on them....there is witness that live right behind him which she saw him shot them. I thought its illegal to kill these creatures. I have sent these to my landlord so she can see this..Thanks for your time...
My response: I don't know if it's illegal. I don't think so. Contact Texas Wildlife Commission. Tell this annoying neighbor to clean up his rat carcasses.
Austin Rat Control Tip of The Week
Will A Rat Bite A Sleeping Baby?
Infections Rats Can Spread:
The risk of a severe infection from a rat is relatively low and if you happen to notice a wound that could be inflicted by a rat, regularly wash it and keep it dry. Some of the main concerns for infection include rat pox and rat-bite fever. The saliva from some rat species can also contain a series of serious diseases like hantavirus and leptospirosis. A bite from a rodent can also make humans more susceptible to tendinitis. Rats are also known to carry rabies so it is important to consider this as a potential threat as well.
The Appearance Of A Rat Bite:
Rat bites are usually a small and single wound that can also have multiple abrasions where the rat may have walked. It is fairly common for bleeding to occur with these types of bites. The bite will eventually lead to ongoing redness and swelling and depending on the depth of the wound, could possibly generate some pus.
Causes For Concern:
If you happen to notice a small bite, you need to consider watching for symptoms including muscle aches, vomiting, fever, rash, and joint pain. If you find that your baby is extremely fussy, this can be an issue and a cause for concern when you notice the look of a rat bite. A fever can also be an equally concerning factor if you know you have rats in the house.
Rats Will Go To Any Area They Think Has Food:
Rats don't care if your baby is sleeping, they will check out the area and look for signs of food. Making sure that you can prepare your child's room and rid it of rats can be crucial to preventing the chance a rat could infect them or bite them.
