Davidson County, Nashville Rat Control Situation:
David, Thank you for your site. Lots of great info there and very thorough. I had rats in my attic. Before I saw your site I called Orkin and they did a decent job with trapping and exclusion. It's hot in Nashville now so we have not had problems recently. Now it's time for cleanup. Wildlife Conrol quoted $4500. We can not and will not be paying that. A friend that does termite work mostly quoted $250. He proposes using his shop-vac to vaccum the droppings. I have ordered the Bac-azap for disinfecting, based on your recommendation and other reviews read online and he will also spray down the attic. Couple questions: I'm concerned about the use of the Shop-vac for the exhaust that will be broadcast while it's on. He says he will look for a Hepa filter, but in your opinion is this acceptable? Many Wildlife Control techs were in the attic many times over a month, without respirators, and to my knowledge no disease contracted (visibly). Is that enough to rule out potential hazards in using a Shop-vac? I'm told the level of droppings is "not that bad" and isolated to a couple areas. That may or may not help you. Second question is if spraying the enzyme will be sufficient, or if a fogger is required? I do have small children which is the concern, but I'm trying to remain reasonable and believe the drastic and expensive techniques proposed by some may be overkill (scare tactics?). Thanks again for your informative site, and thank you in advance for any advice.
I had a pet rat that went missing in early June of this year and just today we discovered it got stuck between my wall and dresser. It looks like a pancake. At first, I thought it was mold but then saw it's eyes and skeleton. I have no idea what to do and the thought of removing it myself is horrifying. How do I remove a rat the has decomposed this far and that is pretty much stuck to my wall and dresser?
Sunday morning woke up to find the rubber threshold to the front door was eaten away. Droppings about ¼ - 3/8" were found throughout the house. Looked like more than one with about 20 droppings. Spent Sunday replacing the threshold, put two TomCat baited traps by the front door and two TomCat baited traps in the house (by front door and next to refrigerator. Also, two mouse traps with peanut butter bait (the kind the mouse goes in and the door shuts behind it). Went to go to work today (Monday), new threshold eaten away, and only about 6 - 7 droppings in the house. All traps not touched. I have read sticky paper is a good way to catch rodents. Based off what I have stated above, is this a rat looking for a new food source to go back and tell his friends?
Hi David. Are you based in the Portland Metro area, or is that Wildlife Control? I have a listing that shows old rat black box traps and has about 12 bags of insulation that's been wrapped up for years. Buyer just had a home inspection and is asking for any and all rats found in the premises and in the crawl space to be removed, the bags removed, all the other contaminated insulation removed, vacuumed, fogged...and then new insulation laid. Would that be a job you can bid on, maybe Monday?
Nashville 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.
