Kanawha County, Charleston Rat Control Situation:
Hello David. I have a problem at my West Virginia home & not quite sure how to resolve it. I hear scratching noises between a wall in my house. I believe it's a rat. How do I get it out?
Thanks for your useful information about rat in the attic. I have tried to find and seal up all entry points as possible, but the rats still can get into the attic once in a while. You mentioned about vent, and I'm thinking about the roof splashing vent from the bathroom. There is big space under the "umbrella" covering the opening of the splash and I wonder if they can climb or jump up and get into the attic. Please advise. Thanks.
Hi David, I enjoy your website. It is very informative. I found your website after noticing a couple pieces of rat feces in the attic and, what looked like a hole burrowing down in the insulation. I got paranoid, and set a trap with peanut butter but have not caught anything in 4 days. I did not think there were any entry areas as our roof was just replaced a few moths ago, BUT after I did an inspection I did find what looked like a half-circle chewed where the wood meets brick. I couldn't believe it! I patched that with steel the next day and became paranoid there were other holes. After a complete roof inspection I found a couple gaps between brick and wood that could be entry points. I completely repaired/closed all entry points... My question is how long should I leave that trap in the attic if I haven't caught anything? I don't think that rat stayed in the attic???? Thanks again and very informative website!
My name is Julio and I am worried becuase I always hear running noises in my bedroom cieling. How do I get rid of these mice . Where should I look for holes ? Can I call an rodent exterminater. Thank for the article.
Charleston Rat Control Tip of The Week
Why Don't Repellents Work Well To Get A Rat Out Of The Attic?
The urgent need for people to get rid of rats in their attic has made many consider humane removal methods apart from trapping and killing, one of which is the use of repellents. But here is the question! Do repellents work in getting rats out of attics?
The main idea of a repellent is to make the environment unsuitable for rats. This is achieved by using several techniques such as, scents and sound emissions. Although there is a wide range of repellents to choose from, the fact is that the use of repellents might not give you the kind of result that you desire in the long run. It might help keep them away for a while, but when the effects of the repellents subside, they will come back.
Let's take a look at some supposed effective rat repellents and how they were designed to work. With this, you will have a clear picture of the result you might get when you choose to use repellents to get rid of the rats in your attic.
Scent repellents are one of the most common repellents that are readily available in stores. This repellent is designed to use intense scent to either irritate or nauseate the rats. When used the first time, this might help repel the rats as intended. But with time, these rats will get used to this scent and will tend to stay until they get accustomed to it.
Another commonly used rat repellent is mechanical repellents. Apart from being ineffective, they are also very expensive. These repellents are designed to use sound and light waves to repel rats in the attic. This will also not give the desired results simply because rats are intelligent animals and will figure out that the mechanism can't cause any harm to them.
Having realized this, the best thing you can do to repel rats in your attic is by making it less appealing to them. This can be done by cleaning out the trash and making sure there are no hiding places for the rats.
