Baltimore City County, Baltimore Rat Control Situation:
Hi There. I just saw your website.... and i'm wondering if you wouldnt mind answering a couple questions for me. We live in Baltimore... We had a rat come in through our dryer vent (we've since had it replaced with one with a flap) and it made a little "home" in the laundry room. anyhow...that one was "caught" and disposed of. Being afraid there may be others in teh house....I put out some traps. My question is....one trap went off the other day...well i noticed it this morning...I didnt hear it or anything. Anyhow...the trap went off and the peanut butter was "flat" but showed no signs of "gnawing" or teeth in the PB that was remaining. The trap was set behind our hall stand and the stand may have been pushed into it by accident. Do you know if this would cause th rat trap to go off? or would the "trigger" have to be touched? Also, would there be "teeth" marks in the PB if it WAS a rat? Oh and the reason I wondered is that I found 4 droppings under the couch the other day (the other rat was disposed of about a week or so ago) and the droppings were brown. Do you know if the droppings woudl still be brown after a week as I wonder if it went under the couch and then back into the laundry room, which is just off the living room. And wonder if those droppings are "old". I have found NO other droppings to date. I'm guessing they would drop wherever they go vs just in a nest right? Thanks so much in advance!!!
Baltimore Rat Control Tip of The Week
How Do Rats Use Pheromones To Communicate?
Releaser Pheromones:
Rats communicate using releaser pheromones to send information to other rats that they are in their own territory. Rats often urinate in areas to send information that they are ready to nurse or that a specific area where their nest is located is their own. Rats use these releaser pheromones to claim territory and to make sure that other rats will stay away.
Primer Pheromones:
Primer pheromones are designed to be excreted during the peak of fertility and this is the type of pheromone that sends sexual signals to males in the area. These scents are released in order to attract males and to make sure that the female is going to mate during a time where she is more than likely to conceive.
Primer pheromones are some of the main types of communication tools used by rats and it's one of the most powerful ones that can be sensed in the area. These responses are triggered by the area of the brain called the Vomeronasal and this refers to the overall sense that an adult male gets of the pheromone.
Information Pheromones:
These types of pheromones are designed to be useful for identifying something about the animals or about the area. Rats often use these to convey fear or to share information about an area. Certain species of rats can share information about a food source, safe space, and more with these types of pheromones. Most of the time informational pheromones are designed to identify the smell of other species and to warn other rats of dangers in the area.
Scientists are continuing to study rats to determine the total number of ways that they are able to communicate by pheromones alone.