Lee County, Fort Myers Rat Control Situation:
We have a call in to Wildlife Control here in Fort Myers and am awaiting their call back (I guess that is you?) In the meantime, I hope you can offer us some tips on what we can do while we wait. Our garage (and attic) is a mess and I am sure it has attracted the mice. In fact, the garage is the first place we noticed the mice. But, in the last week and a half, we have noticed the noises in our ceiling (or the floor to our second story)...apparently, there is a hole from that space into our pantry, because they have helped themselves nightly to our pantry. Upon closer inspection of the garage, we noticed someone left a gapping hole in our dry wall behind the heater (about 10 x 12). In addition, they did not seal where the pipes go up into attic very well. We just had an addition placed on our home last year so my husband is going to talk with the builder to see if he will seal these holes, otherwise, I am hoping this is a service that is available from animal control in Cape Coral. I did try to set up a trap without success....they ate the bait, but it didn't snap. While we wait for the animal control, can we try to block off where we believe the mice are coming into the pantry? I really would like to put an end to that right away. We were going to get wood and cover the openings as well as seal any smaller holes we can reach with the expanding foam. I was going to get some peppermint oil and put all over pantry...i'd much rather smell peppermint than know mice are running around in there! Then, I want to sanitize the pantry and get rid of any food they came in contact with. I don't want to jeopardize or complicate the process of eliminating our infestation, but would REALLY like them out of my house! I would appreciate your assistance, Thank you, Dina
Fort Myers Rat Control Tip of The Week
How Do Rats Fit In Small Holes, Do They Have Bones?
Rats Can Truly Fit In Small Holes:
A rat needs a space of just about a half an inch to get into an area. Rats have been known to climb through pipes, through areas in the ceiling, and more. Rats can do quite a lot with very little space and this will lead to the chance that they could end up in your home.
Rats Have Joints And Cartilage Like We Do:
The joints and cartilage that rats have can be very similar to the systems that we have. Rats can often work at strengthening their cartilage and joints when they scurry through small spaces. They strengthen their abilities by dashing through small spaces and this ensures that as long as they stay healthy, they can make it through small spaces.
As They Gain Weight They Face Challenges:
As a rat gains weight from staying close to its food source this can lead to the chance that it can no longer fit through holes roughly the size of a quarter. This can make the process of getting into these areas much more challenging. As a rat improves the size of its abdomen, it often loses its ability to fit through tight spaces.
Rats Sense If They Can Fit With Their Whiskers:
Rats are able to fit through areas because their bodies are extremely flexible and cylindrical. The shape of a rat is designed for burrowing and fitting into tight spaces. Rats are able to determine if their body can fit into an area by using their whiskers. This makes every judgment on going through a tight space much easier.
Rats Don't Have Softer Bones:
The skeleton of a rat is just the same as many other rodents. They have hard bones that don't bend and this will often limit the size of the spaces that they can crawl through.
