Dallas County, Dallas Rat Control Situation:
I have been dealing with a "critter" in my attic for a few months, I called a pest professional in and they told me it was a mouse. I set several traps with no success. I figured then it was a bird and eventually I did not hear any further noise. Just recently the weather finally warmed up, I was leaving for work yesterday when I heard running in my eves on my back patio. Wood was removed from the corner of my house and a rat was looking at me. I left for work thinking it would leave. I had my son in law come over and fix the missing area of wood, only to hear later that evening it never left. We removed the wood to allow thw rat to leave. So this si where I am at now. What do I do?????? Help , Nancy
Hi David, I want to thank you for your article about the squirrels in the attic. I just found out that I have them and have called a professional to try to trap them. Your article gave me a lot of information to go on when the pro gets here later today. I didn't notice the big holes in the soffit of my roof right away, but I did notice some chewed up insulation in my driveway and was wondering where the heck did that come from. Then the next morning I noticed the patter of little feet. So I am pretty sure it is rats that I am dealing with. I know one of my neighbors feed the little rascals peanuts as I have found the peanuts buried in various places in my yard. So now they have found a home which of course I am not happy about as it probably will cost a lot of time and money to get rid of the squirrels and to patch the hole in my soffitt. Anyway as I write this I noticed two small rats or mice scamper across my garage roof. Too bad the trap was not in place this morning. Thanks again for your article. Very informative. Marilyn
Dallas Rat Control Tip of The Week
How Far And High Can A Rat Jump?
Jumping is a major part of many animals' survival instincts including rats. But in the case of these small rodents, they have a special way of using this particular survival instinct to their best advantage. One of the most common rats around, which is the brown rat, is known to be able to jump over four feet horizontally or in a downward slope and leap vertically to about 77 centimeters without hurting itself. This clearly shows how high rats can jump and how well they can suspend themselves in the air.
The jumping performance of rats depends mainly on their species because some rats are big while others have lighter bodies which tend to support agile movements. For instance, black rats with lean bodies are known to be able to leap over five feet. While brown rats with large body frames find it quite difficult to leap but do well at jumping downwards.
Another reason why some rats jump better than others is mainly because of their better survival instincts and hunting abilities. Rats in the wild are better at jumping than those in the suburban and urban areas. Therefore, you shouldn't expect the rats in your home to jump or leap that high.
Rats are naturally silent animals and will prefer to move around unnoticed. But in some cases, they make use of their jumping skills. One of the special cases in which they use their jumping skills is when they see a possible threat or a predator. They often use this to propel their speed and get away as soon as they can. Their speed and swift body movements are one of the ways they can stay alive and avoid been eaten by a predator.
