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
Do Rats Bite Human Necks?
Rodents are omnivorous animals. Their diet is mainly based on seeds, insects, and small animals. In order to hunt, they usually bite their victims' neck to neutralize them and suffocate them until they finally die. Seeing this behavior, some people think that rats will also bite human necks, but this is extremely uncommon.
There are cases where a rat has bit a child's face, neck, and hands. This type of aggressive behavior is often seen when rodents feel that the child's movement could be a threat. On the other hand, sometimes this happens when children are dirty and have food remains on them, thus confusing the rodents.
Complications Of A Rodent Bite
A rat bite can hardly suffocate a human being, but it can have other serious complications produced by the bacteria they carry. Symptoms appear within 3 weeks after the bite when the infected wound heals.
An infectious disease can begin with increased body temperature and chills. Within 3 to 4 days after the onset of the fever, there could be rash, systemic damage to different organs such as heart or brain, and visible swelling of the lymph nodes.
Bites are not the only way a rodent can transmit diseases. Direct contact through scratches produced by infected rats is usually quite harmful as well. However, it is more common to become infected by ingesting food or water contaminated with an infected rats' feces or urine.
Pest control is necessary to look after one's own health and that of your entire family, including household pets. There are cases of domestic animals such as dogs and cats that, when biting rats, can also become contaminated with these diseases which can be deadly.
