Whatcom County, Bellingham Rat Control Situation:
Hello David, I found your website very interesting. It didn't answer all of my questions so maybe you can help me out. I live in a two-story row home in Bellingham WA that is attached to neighboring row homes on both sides. I renovated the house and moved in a few months ago. I have a cat that is an excellent mouser. She has proven herself in my last home but I have not seen evidence of her catching any mice here. In fact, I have not seen any evidence of mice here at all since I have moved in, although there was evidence prior to my renovations. For the past week I have been hearing a lot of scurrying sounds in the ceiling cavity between the first and second floors. It happens mostly at night, but sometimes during the day on the weekends. It could also be happening while I am away at work. The only way I could access this cavity would be by cutting holes in the ceiling from the first floor. For this reason I am tempted to try poisons instead of traps, but I know your website does not recommend this. My neighbors on both sides of me tell me that they have mice in their homes. They are not as fortunate as I to have a good cat. I am not worried about mice in my living spaces. If they do manage to get through the drywall my cat will take care of them in a very short time. I am worried about damage to my wiring in the ceiling, and my wife's peace of mind in regards to the scurrying sounds at night. I believe the mice are using my ceiling cavity as a highway to travel between my neighbors homes. I believe I have sealed up all of the openings on the exterior of my home. I cannot say the same for my neighbors. To make a long question short, what do you recommend?
I am desperate & concerned for my family.I just want the rat problem gone forever. How much would you charge to come out to my house & complete this step by step process to get rid of the rats once and for all. After reading your article, I am convinced my regular Bellingham pest control company cannot completely resolve my problem. They have sealed up obvious points of entry with metal screens, behind which they have placed scent deterrents. You say this is not effective. I would agree as the rats are gnawing on my roof, trying to break back in. My garden is large with natural food sources from plant seeds, but otherwise is clean. I do not leave pet food, garbage or other food sources available. The crawl spaces are clean. How can I keep rodents from wanting to break into my attic? The pest control company says that the scent left by the former residents of my attic is attracting the new rodents. It's their 'scent trail' to tell them where 'home' is. I understand their strong desire to find a place to live. I read that fake owls and scent deterrents do not work. I do not want to poison the animals. I had agreed to snap trap the ones that were in the attic but only because the service would not live trap them. What now?
Bellingham Rat Control Tip of The Week
How Far And High Can A Rat Jump?
Jumping is a major part of many animals' survival instincts including rats. But in the case of these small rodents, they have a special way of using this particular survival instinct to their best advantage. One of the most common rats around, which is the brown rat, is known to be able to jump over four feet horizontally or in a downward slope and leap vertically to about 77 centimeters without hurting itself. This clearly shows how high rats can jump and how well they can suspend themselves in the air.
The jumping performance of rats depends mainly on their species because some rats are big while others have lighter bodies which tend to support agile movements. For instance, black rats with lean bodies are known to be able to leap over five feet. While brown rats with large body frames find it quite difficult to leap but do well at jumping downwards.
Another reason why some rats jump better than others is mainly because of their better survival instincts and hunting abilities. Rats in the wild are better at jumping than those in the suburban and urban areas. Therefore, you shouldn't expect the rats in your home to jump or leap that high.
Rats are naturally silent animals and will prefer to move around unnoticed. But in some cases, they make use of their jumping skills. One of the special cases in which they use their jumping skills is when they see a possible threat or a predator. They often use this to propel their speed and get away as soon as they can. Their speed and swift body movements are one of the ways they can stay alive and avoid been eaten by a predator.
