Marion County, Indianapolis Rat Control Situation:
Hello David, I have been reading the information that you have on line about squirrels in the attic. We have something in our attic and cannot figure out what it is, nor have we been able to trap it, nor has it been caught in a rat trap. I hear this creature or creatures ??? during the day, as well as at night. There does not seem to be a particular favorite time that they move around. Perhaps the morning is very quiet, and there is more activity in the afternoon and evening. My bedroom is quite a distance from the area that we hear this creature in, so I would not hear it at night even if it is moving around a lot at night.
I mostly have heard scratching in the walls, and at one point did hear a big thud. The odd thing about this creature is this. We set a live trap with peanut butter in it, and what ever it is carried large pieces of insulation inside the trap to cover the peanut butter. Like really large- maybe a 6 X 6 inch piece. We feel the trap was not set properly because it did not shut. Next day we put meat in it, thinking it may be an animal that would want meat like an opossum. All this time our rat traps have remained in place but this creature DAILY overs all the traps with insulation....without getting caught. We have not seen anything enter or leave. We found one area that is gapping between he house and fascia but only maybe a 3" opening. We do know for sure that there is enter way at the garage floor. We will put foam insulation in those areas this weekend to hopefully stop rats or whatever it is up there from entering and will continue our trapping efforts. We live north of Indianapolis IN in the country on one acre. Our house is 7 years old; made of brick.
By my description, do you have any idea what we might be dealing with, and any suggestions on how to catch this creature? I appreciate all the info your web site; I just cant find anything that remotely sounds like what we have going on with this creature attempting to bury the traps with insulation. Many thanks for any advice. Jill
Why don't you have a wildlife expert inspect the house and attic in order to determine what the animal is? It could be raccoons or opossums, not necessarily rats. The feces and tracks in the attic, and the nature of the entry holes should tell you what animal you're dealing with.
Indianapolis Rat Control Tip of The Week
Why Is Rat Feces Dangerous To Breathe Or Touch?
Apart from rats being a significant threat to your house, the health implications of having their feces around your home is something that you need to be concerned about. Rat feces are carriers of all kinds of pathogens and diseases that can infect you when you have direct contact with them. This simply shows how dangerous rat feces are and why it is very important for you to avoid touching them or breathing them in.
Rats are a very active household pest, you can find them at almost every corner of your home, including your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and other rooms in your home. If you have a rat problem, their feces will be found in all these places. This shows that you are at risk of getting infected if the proper sanitization of your home is not done.
Rat feces are carriers of dozens of pathogens and bacteria, with each of these having the possibility of causing lethal health complications. One of the most common of these rat feces related infections is Hantavirus. This particular infection is medically known to cause severe health complications that could lead to death if not managed properly.
To simply avoid exposing yourself to these infections and diseases, you need to avoid touching or breathing in rat feces. The best way to avoid this is to use personal protective equipment such as gloves and a mask when cleaning your home.
Also, if you have a rat problem, you need to hire a professional wildlife agent to help disinfect your home after removing all the rats. By doing this, you will be able to protect yourself from the diseases and pathogens carried by rat feces.
