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
The Steps To Get Rats Out Of A Wall
Rats are sneaky pests and will often find their ways through the cavity of walls. These cavities are usually their hideouts and pathways as they move around your house. But there are instances when they get stuck and are unable to find their way out.
Do you have a rat problem in your house, whereby a rat is stuck in the wall and you are looking for a way to get it out? This is no doubt a very difficult task to do, but right here we will be putting you through the process on how to get it out.
The Following Steps Will Guide You On How To Get Rats Out Of Your Wall:
1. When it comes to getting rats out of a wall, the first step you have to take is to look out for every possible entry and exit point around the wall. You intend to remove it, so don't allow it to get away by leaving those holes open. If you find any hole around the wall, you need to block it temporarily.
2. After ensuring that there are no surprise exit points, the next thing you need to do is to find the location of the rat in the wall. Figuring this out is quite easy. All you have to do is knock the wall and wait for the rat to make a scratching noise. Do this repeatedly until you can find its precise location in the wall.
3. The next line of action is to find a way to remove the rat. Ideally, there are two ways to go about it. But your choice of method depends on the location of the rat in the wall. If the rat is at the upper part of the wall, all you have to do is look down into the cavity with a bright flashlight from the top of the wall or the roof space and try removing the rat using a grab stick.
On the other hand, if the rat is at the bottom of the wall, you need to cut a small hole through the wall at the exact location of the rat and carefully remove it without allowing it to escape.
Finally, you need to seal up the hole you created and every other hole leading to the cavity of the wall to prevent this problem from repeating itself.
