Montgomery County, Montgomery Rat Control Situation:
David, I hope you can help. My wife and two kids bought our dream house a couple hundred yards from the cliff of the Pacifica ocean here in Moss Beach, CA. I started hearing some scratching in the walls, and began a four month battle with rats that I am losing. I went under the house and there were empty poison containers (from previous owners), thousands of rat poos, and about 20 rat carcasses. I cleaned it all up, and over many, many hours sealed what I believe to be every single tiny nook around the house (I caught a couple rats in the act of going into some holes). We've gone several weeks at a time without any rats, then occassionally we'll hear one. I catch one or two now and then under the house with snap traps, glue traps, but they are small rats, and there are hardly any new poos. Our roof is not accessible to any trees, or anything touching the ground except the water drains. We do have a ton of gopher holes and tunnels all around the house, even right next to the foundation (but none that seem to open up under the house) But currently none of us are sleeping because of one (what sounds like) big rat. It runs around and scratches all night between about 10 pm and 6 am. It is above and around our bedroom (below the kitchen) walls. Sometimes I feel like taking my chances with a pick axe, and blowing open the wall like a madman trying to get that rat. What would be your recommendation? Thank you so much, Marc
Montgomery Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Rats Able to Dream?
Talking about rats implies talking about pests. But let's not forget that these curious animals have been used in various scientific studies regarding sleep. In this post, we want to give you a brief description of what has been discovered about rats and sleep.
Do rats sleep?
If you ever have had the chance to see any of these little rodents, you should know that:- They are nocturnal animals
- They do not have the same sleep phases as humans
- They cannot see in color; they are colorblind
- These animals have many interesting characteristics, but the most interesting of them all is they incorporate the REM phase in their sleep
What is the REM cycle?
It is the phase of sleep in which our sleep becomes heavier. The brain waves that predominate behave the way they do when we are awake; this makes our heart rate and pressure increase, as well as the movement of our eyes (Rapid Eye Movement). There is no muscle tone and it is the moment we have dreams. Rats also experience the REM cycle.
So... do rats dream?
We could say yes; studies have shown that these medium-sized rodents incorporate this stage in their sleep phases. It's also important for you to know that their cycles are shorter and more widely spaced throughout the day.
That's why they will probably only see images, due to the absence of reasoning, they could not put together a story in their dreams.
Why they go out at night
It is difficult for a rat to cross your path during the day, and they have the need to go out and look for food. You will rarely see them wandering around during the day, as they tend to hide and sleep. But when night falls, they take advantage of the stillness and silence to seek supplies and prowl around.
