Nueces County, Corpus Christi Rat Control Situation:
I was wondering what enzme-based cleaner you use to fog for urine. We are in the throes of cleanup & I was wondering what you use. We have a lake cottage in Corpus Christi TX, had the pest-control folks out to seal the perimeter, but it wasn't a very good job. So, I'm back at it myself. With foam, hardware cloth, flashing, and mortar in my toolkit. For the interior, we removed the ceiling and insulation to exposed the rafters and disposed of all of the material. So far, I've used odo-ban as a disinfectant, but I want to get at the remnants with an enzyme-based cleaner. We usually use the stuff from the pet store, but I'm not sure if that's adequate for this effort. I then plan on sealing the stains with Zinsser's Perma-guard to seal any remnants in the wood. Thoughts?
Hi david my name is Christine and we have a rental property that has a mouse or rat problem. I removed a large screen tv and there was a ton of feces urine and a live mouse. I have a feeling there's more because it smells really bad. How can we sterilize the floors and other areas ourselves? If you have any suggestions please let me know. Thank you
David, I appreciate your web site very much. You look delighted at getting these crummy critters to die! I found a small critter hole when I was spraying for insects the other day. We have been so careful to seal up everything but they made a tiny space in an outside corner that goes under the house by the kitchen sink. I have put some de tour rodent repellent at the entrance and have set 4 traps outside in some landscape bait stations. The problem is that I feed the birds, I love the birds. So the feed is in a large locked deck box right where they have made their entrance to the foundation. They have not got into the box but have chewed on the outside. And we live in The Woodlands, Texas. Yes, woods everywhere and critters too. We have it all here hawks, owls, birds, coyotes, bobcats, deer. The question is this... Is this best handled by a pro or can I handle this myself if I just get active and stay consistent?
Corpus Christi Rat Control Tip of The Week
Can A Rat Have Rabies?
Rats have powerful bites:
Rats can have very powerful bites and are capable of damaging the skin quickly. A rat can bite through cinderblocks to get into an area if it needs to. Rats could bite through clothing or manage to break the skin even unintentionally with a very quick bite. Handling rats with care or using heavy gloves is recommended if you have to remove one or relocate it. It is ultimately best if you avoid handling rats whenever possible.
Many people are bitten each year with low rates of infection:
Rats bite over 50,000 people in the USA each year. Rabies vaccine shots are very rarely delivered in these cases and the risk for other types of diseases that rats carry can be far greater. Going to see a doctor about a rat bite can be wise if you are starting to feel some of the secondary symptoms or it looks infected.
Rats do spread disease:
Rats do spread a series of diseases including rat-bite fever. It can be transmitted through a bite or through pets. Rabies can be a deadly disease but most of the diseases that rats pass on are only able to cause the chance for fever and infection which carry lower rates of mortality.
Other animals can be much riskier to receive bites from:
If you are bitten by other animals like raccoons, coyotes, woodchucks, or skunks, this will give you a much riskier chance of receiving something like rabies. When bitten by a rat, you should be concerned but you may not have to run to get the bite checked out with the same urgency.
The main theory of low rabies cases:
A rat would have to survive a bite from a predator in order to become a carrier of rabies. As coyotes and larger animals will be likely to kill a rat in an attack, this leads to the chance of rats not being able to spread rabies at all.