Hamilton County, Chattanooga Rat Control Situation:
Hi David, I hope this email finds you doing well. I am really hoping you can help me... We have a dead rat in our attic. My husband works from home, and when he walked into the den (next to our bedroom) he smelled the odor. Because he works from home, he'll be smelling this odor until it goes away. I keep calling several numbers but I don't get someone on the other end and I haven't received any call backs. Is there anyone you can recommend in Chattanooga TN??? Please help! Any suggestion are welcome. Any way we can disguise the odor in the meantime or perhaps make it a bit more tolerable given my husband works from there? Many thanks in advance!
We purchased a new 2014 Ford Edge Limited with all the bells and whistles about 4 months ago. My with drives like a road warrior as she just had the 20000 mile checkup completed about two weeks ago and no rats. Tuesday morning she started the car and all the lights and warning lights stayed on so she took it to the Ford dealer in Temple, Texas where she was working. The service tech opened the hood and said they would take it back and check. When the mechanic started moving stuff out came a Hugh rat about 8" long (including tail). The damage was extensive to wiring harnesses. He told my wife they get about 4 of the per month on the new cars now! Apparently some idiot tree hugger decided to use "Soy" based wiring instead of rubber or poly as insulation in all the new cars! Rats love it! He said the rats was probably only there a few days and maybe only one night ! $1200 to fix this damage but if the rats show back up it could continue to cost more. The insurance we have covers this damage with a $250 deductible. My question is how do we prevent this from happening again? This is apparently a big problem on all new cars made in the USA. Feeling lost without a solution.
Chattanooga Rat Control Tip of The Week
Dealing With A Rat Infestation In Your Attic
Black Rats are small rodents that are common in almost all areas across the United States, and because of their smaller size they are considered to be less of a threat and a pest than Norway rats, their larger cousins. However, rats also carry a range of different diseases and can also pose a health risk to you and your family, so if you do find an infestation, it is worth dealing with is promptly. Rats are also good climbers, so finding them nesting in your attic is not uncommon.
Identifying That You Are Dealing With Rats Rather Than Other Pest Animal Species
The first step to dealing with an infestation is to ensure you are dealing with rats, as the sounds of scratching from the attic can sometimes be other animals such as rats, squirrels or even raccoons. The best way of identifying that it is rats you are dealing with is to check on any rat feces that you can find. These small pellets of poop should be significantly smaller than rat droppings, and will be around the size of a small grain of rice, and is black when fresh, turning brown and then grey after some time.
Precautions Before Carrying Out Rat Control Work
Going into a confined space where pest animals are present can be dangerous as there are often diseases that can be transmitted by rats. Wearing long sleeved clothing and gloves will help protect you from any nips from animals and also prevent direct contact with feces of urine. Another smart precaution is also to wear goggles and a breathing mask, as some diseases transmitted by rats can become airborne, and can then prove to be a dangerous problem if those airborne particles are then inhaled.
Laying Traps To Catch Rats
By far the most common and affordable way of dealing with a rat infestation in the attic is to lay traps to catch the little animals. The standard snap traps on a wooden base are cheap to buy and just as effective as more expensive options, and can be re-used, which is particularly useful if you have a larger rat infestation to deal with. When laying traps in the attic, make sure to lay them near the areas where you see the greatest buildup of rat feces, and also near any entry points they may be using to get in and out.
Removing Carcasses And Monitoring The Rat Problem
Once you have laid the traps, the next step is to monitor all of the traps over the next few days, to see how effective the traps are at dealing with the problem. With any rat carcass, you can simply bag it and place it in the garbage, or it can also be incinerated as well if you have the facility. Keep re-setting the traps and continue to monitor until you are no longer seeing any signs of rat activity and you are no longer catching any rats in your traps.
Repairs Required After A Rat Infestation
The key step to take after catching and dealing with all of the rats is to seal the attic, as they will often have several entry points to help them get in and out of the area. These should all be sealed using metal flashing or a suitable filler to prevent other rats from being able to get back into the area again. You should also try to remove any feces that you can, and if insulation is heavily soiled then that should also be replaced. One wise precaution is also to fumigate the attic after your repairs, to kill off any remaining bacteria or other particles that could be harmful to anyone going into the attic in the future.
