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
What Is The Fastest Way To Get Rid Of Rats?
Rats are not animals anyone should have in their homes. These rodents can wreak havoc on your beautiful home when allowed to breed and multiply. If you are lucky enough to realize you have a rat problem quickly, the best thing you can do is to look for the fastest way to get rid of them before they begin to increase in number to something beyond what you can contain.
When it comes to the fastest way to get rid of rats, snap traps are considered one of the fastest. This might seem like a very old method of getting rid of rats, but the fact is that it still works better than many of the newly designed rat removal methods out there.
A snap trap is a trap with a wooden platform and a spring-loaded bar that snaps immediately a rat comes in contact with the bait that was placed on it. In the process of trying to nibble or steal the bait from the trap, it will get caught by the neck and killed immediately.
One of the major reasons why snap traps are considered the fastest way to get rid of rat is that when it traps a rat, it can be reused immediately. Provided you have a good bait in place that can help you to attract rats to the snap trap, you will also be able to trap rats and remove them from your home without wasting too much time.
Also, snap traps are humane, affordable, and easy to use.