Essex County, Newark Rat Control Situation:
I ran across your website and was hoping to gain some professional insight. My husband and I live in Newark NJ. I believe I have a mouse(mice) in our bedroom ceiling. It has been going on for several months and will stop periodically and re-surface. There is no way to get access into our ceiling, unless you cut it open. I hear the scurrying at night and yesterday during the day(which I thought was unusual) when I took a nap. We set some traps in our garage and caught a couple. We tried to look outside around the house to see where they might be coming in, but it is impossible to tell. The house is in excellent condition and very well maintained. I want to address this before the problem gets worse. What would you recommend ? Please help !
Besides the generally it's gross reason, I did not see why or what urgency I should attack the mice in the attic problem. I see plenty of mouse poo but have no idea how long it's been there, less than a year for sure, but temperatures have been in excess of 100 here and I assumed that would chase them out to cooler areas or just bake the things. How concerned do I need to be about the vermin and how aggressive do I need to be? Mind you my attic is packed to the rafters and the heat is extreme. I hear it or them in the attic at night but haven't trapped or killed them yet. I don't see scat. I've got rat traps, mouse traps and have-a-heart traps baited with peanut butter. For two weeks they've been loaded and placed in the areas where I hear the rodents. Twice a mouse trap was sprung, but no mouse. How to proceed? Time and patience? I was wondering if something like a set of rotating emergency lights with strobes might run them out. What do you think?
Newark Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Rats Able to Swim, or Do They Drown?
Though rats are not the most desired animals to have around your home, you will be amazed by the incredible survival instincts these rodents have. One of these survival instincts is their ability to survive in water. Rats are excellent swimmers, with their legs, tail, and rhythmic body movements, they can wade in the water for up to three days without drowning
These special skills allow them to be able to survive in water if by circumstance they find themselves stuck in a bucket of water, bathtub, or toilet. In cases where the water body is not restricted by a container or an object, rats use their swimming skills to find their way to dry land close by.
If you happen to find a rat stuck in water, the best thing you can do is to remove it and relocate it somewhere far away from your home or anywhere you are. Refusing to do this and expecting it to drown will only cost you your time because the rat will try as much as possible to survive.
Rats do drown in water, but that will only happen after 3 days when the rat has exhausted all of its energy swimming with no way out. Only a few rodents have this special kind of survival instinct, this clearly shows how smart and intelligent rats are.
Nevertheless, you shouldn't allow rats to run around your house and make your home their nesting place. If you find rats in the water around your home, you need to get them removed and relocated somewhere safe and far from your home to prevent further reentry. Rats are a menace to your health, so you need to look for the best way to get rid of them quickly.
