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
What Is The Largest Size A Rat Can Get To Be?
With an average lifespan of about 2 - 3 years, some species of rats can grow as large as 4 pounds. But on average, almost all rats are bigger than mice. Also, the size of a rat fairly depends on the specie and the sex of the rat. Male rats usually are larger than females. They have a longer body frame with tails as long as their body and can grow as big as 2 lbs.
Domesticated rats usually do better when it comes to size mainly because they are provided with all they need to grow properly and healthily. For pet rats, an adult rat can grow to a length of 9 to 11 inches with a tail length of 7 to 9 inches. If properly managed, some large species of rats can even grow as long as 20 inches. It all depends on how well the rats are being managed and taken care of.
One of the most fascinating thing about rats is that having a large body size doesn't mean they won't be able to pass through small openings and enter into your home. Rats can compress their body in order to be able to pass through small openings. Provided the opening is wide enough to allow the easy passage of its head, it will pass through. Therefore, you shouldn't consider the fact that the rats in your neighborhood are too big to gain access to your home through small openings. Instead, you need to seal all small openings up as soon as possible to avoid a rat infestation.
When it comes to rats with large sizes, the Bosavi woolly rat is one of a kind. This specie of rat can weigh up to 3.5 lbs. and grow as long as 32 inches. Although, this particular specie of rat can only be found in volcanic caves.