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 Surfaces Are Rats Able To Climb?
Discovering rodents on your rooftop or in your attic may surprise you. These are places that are, to some degree, difficult to reach and require some uncommon climbing capacity. For rodents, however, that isn't that difficult to manage. Rats are astonishing climbers. They can climb anything. If there is something to hold on to, they can climb it. To get to food and water and their home, they will climb anything. From trees to blocks to stone, they will climb it. This implies they can get into pretty much anything. It doesn't make a difference if it is an opening at base level or in the rooftop, they can get to it.
Extraordinary Climbers
Most rodents are good climbers. Squirrels, mice, rats, and other rodents can climb pretty much anything. It is of nothing unexpected to individuals who see them frequently; however, the degree of their climbing capacity despite everything is surprising to a few. Climbing trees, plants, and anything with a good foothold is no problem. They can snatch on and climb any of that to get to where they need to go. A lot of people expect this as they see it often in rodents like squirrels.
What It Means For You
It is impressive, however, it tends to be a real torment for homeowners. Since rodents are astounding climbers, they can get into any place. If there is an opening anyplace in your home, rodents can arrive at it. They get into these openings and make their homes in a matter of moments, causing chaos. This is why extra care is required when it comes to sealing any potential holes. Since rodents can fit through even tiny spaces, you want to limit their options.
