Mecklenburg County, Charlotte Rat Control Situation:
Hi David, great website and thanks for all the tips. I got a couple questions related to a rat trapped in my garage for the past 6 weeks. He got in because the garage door was left open and can't get out. I've place 4 snap traps baited with peanut butter in areas that he frequents as well as along walls. I've also placed glue traps in similar areas. This rat has avoided all these traps so far but he did trigger a bunch of smaller snap mouse traps that I placed weeks ago when I thought he was a mouse, and not a rat. Questions: 1.) how long do I wait for him to trigger a snap trap? I think he's pretty hungry since I took out any potential for food for him out of the garage. 2.) should I move my cars out of the garage for fear of him gnawing at the hoses/wires? 3.) do you think I can "flush" him out...remove all cars, boxes, stuff, places for him to hide and chase him out of the garage? 4.) can they gnaw through metal pipes? I still don't know where he is getting his water source? 5.) any other ideas/suggestions? Borrow my neighbors cat? Thanks for your help.
My response: That's very strange. If a rat wants to get out, it can get out. Why not leave the garage door open for a few minutes? How do you know it's still there?
Don't know if he wants to get out now that he has a warm place to live. I still see his poop and pee that he leaves every night. I actually saw him face to face as I was surveying the damage he is doing to stuff inside my garage. I am contemplating on trying to "flush" him out by moving all my boxes out so he has nowhere to hide. What do think about that option? Or should I just buy more snap traps? Or borrow a cat?
I guess you could try to borrow a cat, but that doesn't always work. Sounds like your current snap traps aren't working. Maybe a live cage trap?
Charlotte Rat Control Tip of The Week
The Myth That Poison Makes Rats Thirsty And Die Outside
No, rat poison doesn't make the rat thirsty. Poison doesn't make the rodent go out to drink, and along these lines die outside. Rat poison makes the rat dormant, and it dies any place it happens to be at when the poison takes effect. Since the rats living inside a house or building invest most of their energy inside the structure, they usually die inside that building, not outside.
Will Poison Make A Rat Thirsty And Die? (NO - That's A Myth)
Individuals use poisons since they think it is a protected, viable, hands-off strategy for evacuating pests. They have certain thoughts regarding it, but what amounts of those thoughts are true? One thought many convey is that poison will make rodents thirsty. When they consume the poison, they will out of nowhere have a solid, insatiable thirst. That will lead them outside, looking for water, where they will inevitably die. With this thought, poison appears to be the undeniable answer. It gets the rats out and kills them, getting rid of your concern with few to no drawbacks. The problem is, none of that is valid. Poison won't have this impact on rats or mice, or some other animal so far as that is concerned.
Using poison doesn't prompt thirst. It won't cause the rat(s) to leave the property, and go outside to find water. None of this is true; they are all myths. Poison will kill rats, however, not through thirst. Poisons kill rats in different ways, contingent upon the kind of poison you use. No poison will make the rodent want to leave the property whatsoever.
With each one, there is a higher possibility of the rat dying in your home. Ordinarily, this is going to mean within your dividers. Poisoned rats and mice are likely going to build up inside the dividers, and that is if they all eat the poison. There are various issues with poison, such as its ability to kill other animals, and the pain it inflicts on the rats, which adds to the negatives of it as a solution to pest invasions.
