Hartford County, Hartford Rat Control Situation:
Hi David, We are very impressed with your website! Sadly, we found it after spending hundreds of dollars with a local exterminator/pest control company. Naturally, we still have a rat problem... We would like to attempt to eradicate and/or handle our "little problem" ourselves (we are pretty handy...) and in this economy we need to conserve where we can (especially after we spent money on the worthless "experts"!) My first question for you is... how do you make a one-way door for rats? We roof rats in our attic. The openings to outside have all been closed up, but we would like to be able to leave the animals a way out... just not a way IN. We liked the photographs on your website of the mesh funnel and the tower-looking one-way door, but we can't figure out how to make them. Do you have specifications or design plans for those two items? We would really appreciate it! My second question is... the product that you use to fog/disinfect after clean-up... does it have to be a fog or can it be a spray? If we fog the attic, how long do the people and the house pets have to be out of the house? My third question is... is an N-95 mask sufficient protection when working in the attic? Thank you, David! Sincerely, Carrie
My response: To make a one-way door, roll steel mesh into a funnel a foot long, with an opening the size of a quarter on the exit end. I wear a Tyvek suit, latex cloves, a HEPA respirator mask, and I remove the feces by hand, plus the soiled insulation, and bag it in plastic bags. I then fog the attic with a special cleaner called Bac-Azap, which helps decontaminate. You can try this yourself at your own risk, or hire a local company in your area off of my professionals directory.
Hartford Rat Control Tip of The Week
What Are The Mating Habits Of The Black Rat And Norway Rat?
Black Rat
The ship rats have a polygamous mating framework, where a single male mates with various females. As a rule, the prevailing male is a successful breeder. These rats mate from March to November. The development or conception period goes on for 21 - 29 days, yielding 3 - 5 litters of 1 - 16 young (with a normal or average of 7) every year. Children of this species are brought into the world altricial. Their eyes open just at 15 days old, while hairs show up before the end of the nursing period. The young ones are weaned, and become independent at 3 - 4 months of age.
Norway Rat
Norway rats generally build homes in below-ground burrows or at ground level. Homes might be fixed with shredded paper, fabric, or different stringy materials. Litters of 6 to 12 young ones are brought into the world 21 to 23 days after conception. Baby rats are stripped, and their eyes are shut; however, they develop quickly. They can eat solid food at 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. They become independent at around 3 weeks to about a month and arrive at reproductive maturity at 3 months old, sometimes as early as 8 weeks. Female Norway Rats may come into heat every 4 or 5 days, and they may even mate a day after a litter is conceived. The average female rat has 4 to 6 litters per year and may effectively wean at least 20 offspring every year.