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
Do Rats Feel Pain?
Rats are one of the few animals with a developed brain and a sense of empathy. When handled with care, they can be playful and tickled. But when handled without compassion or roughly, they showcase a high level of anxiety and express their pain in a special kind of way. This clearly shows that just like every other animal, rats also feel pain.
When it comes to expression, rats express their pain in a special kind of way. They do this by slightly changing their facial appearance and making a grin that clearly shows that they are in discomfort. Apart from this, rats also show that they are in pain by narrowing their eyes, puffing out their cheeks, flattening their ears, and rhythmically increasing the size of their nose.
If you want to know if a rat is in pain or not, you will have to pay attention to its facial expressions. Since they are inaudible animals, waiting to hear them make excruciating sounds is a no-brainer. But with visual clues shared above, you will be able to know when a rat is in pain and when it is not.
Rats are sensible animals with a high level of empathy. Another way you can know when a rat is in pain without actually studying its facial expressions is when you see another rat showing concern for the isolated rat. This behavior in rats is also exhibited when one rat is wounded or ill. In situations like this, other rats will come around the indisposed rat to show their concern.
Having shared this, you can be certain that rats also feel pain. Therefore, if you notice any rat around exhibiting any of the signs above, the rat may be hurt or ill. Also, you need to understand the fact that rats are major carriers of diseases, hence you should avoid having direct contact with them.