Suffolk County, Boston Rat Control Situation:
Halo David, I`ve checked your website. Thanks for sounding very sensible! I`m desperate here - I moved near Boston MA nearly a year ago and i`m sharing with a friend, an old cottage = mice, and sheds = rats. At the moment there is a bit of scratching in the house, now and again, but no chewing marks or droppings in the kitchen, although I leave a packet of biscuits available deliberately - to find out if we have a visitor ( and we caught 6mice last winter.) And the mouse traps are set and empty. Having said so there are in-between the walls cavities where the mice are not accessible.. The HUGE problem, though, are the sheds and the messy yard - just perfect for rats. I`m desperate, I`ve just spent most of the day de-cluttering one of them, which made me sick - the mess, the stench and the rat droppings... I`ve no clue how to deal with the problem. I have two dogs, so any kind of poison is out of the question. I am going to tidy this place, but I`m on a low budget so I must rely on myself which will take time. Nevertheless, the main issue is: IF i get rid of the rats, what to do NOT to get them back?! there are fields (cultivated for crops), hedges, walls, nooks and corners everywhere.. One of the sheds is new, wooden and on the concrete floor but i must rat-proof it and I don`t know how. The other one should be demolished but it belongs to my mate, and he needs it so all I can do is to help keep it neat. David, drop me a line, please, any kind of support will be a bonus after my today`s "adventures"... Kind regards, maya
My response: You've already done a good job by starting to clear out the clutter. But to keep them out of the cottage, you've got to find and seal the entry holes shut. Don't worry about how many rats and mice are outside. Inspect the house and find out how the rodents are getting inside. Seal up every single last entry/exit hole and gap with steel. Trap, properly trap on rat runways, ALL the rats, and remove them from the house. Clean up the attic space or home once they are all gone for good.
Boston Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Dogs Good at Keeping Rats Away?
Having rat problems automatically comes with the need to get rid of them. If you have a similar challenge in your home, chances are that you are already thinking about getting the natural enemy of rats to help keep them away. While cats seem to be the most commonly used animal when it comes to keeping rats away, dogs can also play a similar role and even do it better.
There is no denying the fact that cats are great at keeping rats away, but these animals are opportunistic hunters, which simply means that they only kill rats when they see one. Also, as they become older, they begin to develop a lackadaisical attitude towards the hunting and catching of rats.
But in the case of dogs, their hunting spirit becomes fiercer each passing day, and they can be quite aggressive hunters. Also, when dogs become familiar with you, they become territorial and will do everything possible to satisfy you. The moment the dog figures out that you want it to help keep rats away, it will work tirelessly to get this done and will always be on the lookout to catch a passing rat.
To take advantage of the supreme hunting skills of dogs, all you need to do is to get a breed of dog that is very active and train it to follow your commands. Once you can do that, the dog will help keep rats away from your home.
