Charleston County, Charleston Rat Control Situation:
Hey David, how do I get rats/mice out of a single wide trailer home? There is maybe 4 inches of space between the ceiling and roof. There is scratching sounds in the walls, and pee stains in the ceiling tiles. There's no way to get into the ceiling. Will I need to gut the ceiling tiles to set traps? There is also a tree that hangs over the trailer house. I heard that rats can use trees to get on the roof, is that true? My girlfriend wants a humane way to remove the rats/mice but I have no way to set cages in her house because there is no attic. Any suggestions?? Thank you for your time and your website is very helpful.
I just read your article about how to remove rat in the attic. The company I talked to told me he has to suck all insulation in the attic out to get rid all the babies, disinfected the attic & spray the new insulation. All this will cost several thousand dollars, does it sound right to you?
We have found a dead rat on our garden. Can you come and take it way for us? Do you charge? Can we take it to the local refuge centre in Charleston? We don't know what to do?
Hi David, After reading your excellent article, I wrote you a long Email and it didn't go through so this is really a test. I've tried numerous ways to get rid of rats in my house i.e., 1. Attack Wave, 2. traps with peanut butter and beef sticks or both, 3. Glue traps. 4. Electronic zapper etc., and the only thing that worked for a while were the Victor traps with peanut butter and beef sticks. Lately, nothing seems to work and I thought I'd try to get some new ideas from you. I read your comment about peppermint oil on the Victor traps but I wasn't sure whether you were being facetious about your having success with this method. Were you?
Charleston Rat Control Tip of The Week
Norway Rat Biology
The Norway rat is typically nocturnal. It is a good swimmer; however, unlike the related black rat, it is a poor climber. Norway rats burrow well, and regularly uncover broad tunnel systems.
Rats are equipped for creating ultrasonic vocalizations, both as grown-ups and babies. They may likewise transmit short, high frequency, socially-prompted vocalization during interaction with different rats or animals. This call most takes after a trilling sound but is undetectable to human ears. Rats can discernibly be heard through calls sounding like squeaks when they are in trouble.
These rats are omnivores. This implies they can eat both plants and animals. As predators, rats are opportunistic.
The Norway rat can breed consistently if the conditions are reasonable, and a female can deliver up to twelve litters in a year. The gestation period is just 21 days, and litters can number up to fourteen, albeit smaller litters are common. In this way, the rat population can increase rapidly. Rats have a lifespan of around three years, yet regularly live less than one year.
Norway rats live in enormous hierarchical groups, either in tunnels or subsurface places, such as sewers and basements. When food is hard to come by, the rats lower in the social order are the first to die. If a large portion of a rat populace is eliminated from a zone, the rest will expand their reproductive rate, and rapidly reestablish the old populace level. This makes it imperative to have a plan to get rid of the entire rat population on your property if an infestation occurs.
