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
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.
