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
What Is The Largest Size A Rat Can Get To Be?
With an average lifespan of about 2 - 3 years, some species of rats can grow as large as 4 pounds. But on average, almost all rats are bigger than mice. Also, the size of a rat fairly depends on the specie and the sex of the rat. Male rats usually are larger than females. They have a longer body frame with tails as long as their body and can grow as big as 2 lbs.
Domesticated rats usually do better when it comes to size mainly because they are provided with all they need to grow properly and healthily. For pet rats, an adult rat can grow to a length of 9 to 11 inches with a tail length of 7 to 9 inches. If properly managed, some large species of rats can even grow as long as 20 inches. It all depends on how well the rats are being managed and taken care of.
One of the most fascinating thing about rats is that having a large body size doesn't mean they won't be able to pass through small openings and enter into your home. Rats can compress their body in order to be able to pass through small openings. Provided the opening is wide enough to allow the easy passage of its head, it will pass through. Therefore, you shouldn't consider the fact that the rats in your neighborhood are too big to gain access to your home through small openings. Instead, you need to seal all small openings up as soon as possible to avoid a rat infestation.
When it comes to rats with large sizes, the Bosavi woolly rat is one of a kind. This specie of rat can weigh up to 3.5 lbs. and grow as long as 32 inches. Although, this particular specie of rat can only be found in volcanic caves.
