Greenville County, Greenville Rat Control Situation:
Hi, David: We are recent home owners with an infant at home, and found ourselves with a squirrel and mice in our attic. I came across your web site which was extremely helpful; thank you so much for putting that together. We followed your advice and hired a company from the web site you listed. I wanted to get your advice about what that company did. We still have mice and wanted to get a sense of what we can ask for, in the way of continuing the work. The attic is large and has the rolled insulation as well as the blown kind. The company did use poison. Should the poison cease or at this point continue? They've been trapping and poisoning for 2 weeks now --even though they've only caught one mouse. We're the middle townhouse in a row of three. Both town homes in either side of us have mice as well. The neighbor on the right has a bigger infestation that the neighbor on the left. According to the company guy, there's not a lot of feces in our attic, which indicates that we don't have too big a problem. However, even if only one mouse, that's a big problem --to me. When the company came to do repairs, they did some work in the front and back of the house (they put critter guards, and fixed a small hole in the A-frame on the roof). We still have mice, though. They've got to be going from house to house via the attic --it's the only thing that makes sense. It seems rather crazy that the mice are going out of our roof and then going to the neighbors via the roof, and back. We've had a bitterly cold winter; I can't imagine they're going to go out of one house and into the other. Logic would tell me that they've carved themselves a path from attic to attic. The company person claims that he can't seem to find a hole in between the houses, though his time in the attic has not been long at all. And, we still have mice. Also, they sterifabbed the attic, but shouldn't they have waited until the mice were caught? If there's more there, they're going to have to sterilize again, no? What are your thoughts? Thank you!
Greenville Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Mice or Rats Easier to Trap?
Intelligence:
Mice can often be much easier to trap because they are naturally curious creatures. It often takes just one or two days to capture a mouse after setting up a mousetrap. If you're having difficulty trapping a mouse you could consider moving it to a different location. Rats can be extremely intelligent and they communicate with each other meaning that any new objects will often bring about suspicion.
Reproduction:
Rats often reproduce at a much faster rate and this can make it difficult to control a rat problem if it's been going on for a long time. Most mice have around eight litters per year with around 5 to 6 pups in each litter. Rats can have between 6 to 12 pups in their litter.
Diet:
Rats can often be ravenous eaters and often require meat or a more substantial food source in order to remain satisfied. This can often make rats very difficult to trap because they can be so fussy about their food.
Size:
Rats have a definite size advantage over mice and this often means using much larger traps and some extra measures when it comes to keeping them in a trap. Because of the extra costs of these larger traps and the need to be more careful with where you set them, the requirements to trap a rat can be considerably higher than what it takes to trap the average mouse. Most rats can reach a length of between 7-10 inches and weigh up to a pound whereas the typical house mouse maxes out around 8 inches including its tail.
Tracking:
It's often easier to track rats because they leave larger footprints and they can cause a bit more destruction with their added size and strength. This can make finding rats throughout your home a bit easier.
