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
Can A Rat Be A Good Pet?
Rats are naturally affectionate, inquisitive, intelligent, and playful. So if you know you can keep up with the responsibility of taking care of it, there is no harm in keeping a rat as a pet. Rats are very clean animals, which means you won't have to worry much about it dirtying your home.
Just like other pets, rats are very easy to train. This is due to their high level of intelligence and empathy. To do this, all you need is a dedicated trainer with a good portfolio on how to train rats. When you have that in place, you can easily call your pet rat and it will respond to you. There is even some well-trained rat that can fetch balls when you instruct them to do so.
The most attractive quality of rats is their compassion. When another rat is not in a good state or in distress, you will see other rats rally round the rat in distress and show compassion and empathy in their little way. This particular quality is only common with humans and other few animals.
Also, when rats get accustomed to their owner, they tend to create a long life bond. Due to their level of intelligence, pet rats recognize the sight and voice of their owners and will respond accordingly when they hear or see their owner.
The only sad thing about keeping rats as pets is that they are short-lived compared to other pets like dogs and cats. But you will enjoy the little time you get to spend with them.
If you wish to keep a rat and have a pet, you can go ahead to do that. Rats can make a good pet if you are ready to provide all the care they need.
