Orleans Parish County, New Orleans Rat Control Situation:
Hi from New Orleans. I must say ure website is absolutley brilliant.Thank you for such a wealth of advise. I realise now that setting traps willy nilly doesn't work. I have caught a couple of mice over the past 6 weeks. But there is still something crawling around up there, and i CANNOT GET IT. Originally i'm sure it was mice as i caught 2/3 of them. But today i saw some rat droppings. I feel a bit spooked as i can hear this rodent on and off during the night. Sometimes right behind the wall at the head of the bed!! Have u ever heard of a cat used in an attic space (where i have a rat) to catch a rat? I have the cat, but maybe id have a problem with a lost cat in the attic if i put her up! What do you think? Thanks again for your greta website.
My response: You can try putting your cat up there, but it probably won't solve the rat problem. Inspect the house and find out how the rodents are getting inside. Seal up every single last entry/exit hole and gap with steel. Trap, properly trap on rat runways, ALL the rats, and remove them from the house.
I have been reading a lot of your website and am sure I can NOT do this myself. I am going to contact Trutech in Gadsden and hopefully can get them to come out and get rid of this problem. I read your price range and maybe they will let me pay a large amount down and monthly installments for the rest if it is much more than 500.00. My house is very very small so I hope that's a plus. Anyway I apologize for emailing you three times. I should have read further before contacting you. Thanks again! I forgot to mention that my attic is impossible to even look in. There is only a very small hole hat is supposed to be the attic and it is in my closet but I could not even get my head through ANSI am a small woman. Thanks
New Orleans Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Rats Nocturnal?
Biologically, rats are nocturnal. These animals come out at dusk to look for food and carry out other activities, then go back into hiding at dawn. Their choice of coming out at dusk is dependent on many things that have to do with their natural behavior and biology. Right here, we will be taking you through some of these factors.
The first factor is that rats are silent animals and will prefer to operate in an environment with less noise. Their involvement with humans and special liking for staying in places close to human settlements will make them want to stay in hiding during the day time because the activities of humans during the day causes noise that they can't cope with.
Another factor that modifies rats to being nocturnal is the fact that their instinct only makes it possible for them to feel relaxed and active when there is less danger. This is nearly impossible during the day time as many of their natural predators will be active during that exact time.
Third, rats like are sneaky and will always prefer to operate in hiding without the occupants of the house knowing. The night has limited light and the occupants are most likely to be at rest during this time. This gives rats all the time and opportunities they need to carry out their rat business without any form of interruption.
However, rats are also capable of moving around during the day if they have a safe route through which they can travel. The routes are usually dark and safe even during the day when there are noises and disturbances from humans.