Lane County, Eugene Rat Control Situation:
Please help us! We have a rat problem at our house that has been ongoing now for years. We have killed several large rats with snap traps and set out boxes upon boxes of bait! I am at my wits end and want to burn the house down. As I type this message I am listening to one scratch in the wall, and I believe I can hear another in the ceiling above me. I had an exterminator come over today and he believes I have 2 large burrows, one under my garage and one under my shed, he feels that they may be gaining assess through the sump pump hole in my basement??? Is that possible? He set out a bunch of poison.... which I understand is a no no. We have two attics in our house and neither have interior entrance points, so it is impossible to set traps in the attic. I live in Eugene OR to be specific, do you know any rat experts in my area that you can direct me to?? I am at a point where I don't want to be in this house!
I have located the hole that it has chewed through insulation. I have an electric trap that is baited with peanut butter. I hear the darn things in the wall. Never had this problem. I am putting glue traps down tomorrow. Any other ideas? I was wondering if you could recommend a professional to get rid of rats in our attic. Somebody that will do what you mention in your awesome website ..such as Finding and sealing Entry points, guarantees removal and not coming back of rats etc. I live in Oregon thanks a lot.
Eugene Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Rats Able to Enter a Property Through the Plumbing?
Rats are able to swim:
Rats are surprisingly flexible and they have some excellent swimming abilities. Even if they have to make their way in through your pipes, it won't take long for them to make their way into your home if they are located under it in the groundwater. A rat is a perfect size to get through most water pipes or sewage pipes and this can mean easy access into your home.
There are dry spots throughout your plumbing:
Depending on the way your plumbing bends, it is likely that there could be some dry spots within your plumbing or within the inner workings of your home. Rats may enter into your plumbing and may even build nests throughout these dryer areas.
Rats can damage your plumbing:
As well as being able to scurry through your plumbing, rats could potentially damage your plumbing or even clog up your pipes. If there is a major rat problem or a nest nearby, you could be risking the chance that you could damage your neighbor's pipes or have an ongoing rat problem in your own home.
Rats easily enter in through broken lines:
If there are areas of your plumbing that have fallen into disrepair, make sure that they can be properly fixed up. Broken sewer lines or tree roots in your plumbing can often be the perfect place for many rats to make their way into your property.
Check grates and drain covers:
Installing mesh or making sure that you have a proper cover for your drain covers can be important to keeping rats from invading your space. Regularly looking at all of your drains and making sure that a rat can't make their way inside can be very important.
Close your toilet lid:
Closing a toilet lid could be a simple practice you could use that can stop rats from entering your home.