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 Rats Nocturnal?
Biologically, rats are nocturnal. These animals come out at dusk to look for food and carry out other activities, then go back into hiding at dawn. Their choice of coming out at dusk is dependent on many things that have to do with their natural behavior and biology. Right here, we will be taking you through some of these factors.
The first factor is that rats are silent animals and will prefer to operate in an environment with less noise. Their involvement with humans and special liking for staying in places close to human settlements will make them want to stay in hiding during the day time because the activities of humans during the day causes noise that they can't cope with.
Another factor that modifies rats to being nocturnal is the fact that their instinct only makes it possible for them to feel relaxed and active when there is less danger. This is nearly impossible during the day time as many of their natural predators will be active during that exact time.
Third, rats like are sneaky and will always prefer to operate in hiding without the occupants of the house knowing. The night has limited light and the occupants are most likely to be at rest during this time. This gives rats all the time and opportunities they need to carry out their rat business without any form of interruption.
However, rats are also capable of moving around during the day if they have a safe route through which they can travel. The routes are usually dark and safe even during the day when there are noises and disturbances from humans.