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
Why Using Poison Causes Dead Rats In The House
Unintended Victims:
Using poison can be quite risky as you could put your pets as well as young children at risk. If you're laying down rat poison throughout your home, it's possible that it could easily become targeted by toddlers who might be attracted to the small size and colors. Your pets could also be taking an unplanned trip to the hospital if they happen to ingest any of the rat poison as well.
It's Harmful To The Environment:
Using rat poison not only causes dead rats in the house but it's also harmful to the environment. You could end up with a predator in your home that's scavenging off of the dead rats, it could kill off some of the plant life in your area and it can lead to the chance that you might end up with other animals falling victim to the rat poison as well. Many homeowners have woken up to find a bobcat, fox, or coyote killed in their backyard from ingesting a rat that ate poison or from ingesting the poison themselves.
It Also Doesn't Solve The Problem:
Rats are finicky creatures and you might end up with just a few of them dead in the house before they communicate with one another and begin to avoid the areas where you place down poison and traps. Rather than facing ongoing difficulty with poisons and not getting all of the rats out of your home, choosing a different method could be a wise choice for making improvements for the future.
It's Often Time-consuming:
You might end up having to change out the poison or change your trap location on a regular basis just to capture a few rats. This can often be more time-consuming for you and your family.
