Orange County, Orlando Rat Control Situation:
hi david, i came across your site... guess why? There's a rat between my unit (main level condo) and the upper unit. it runs up and down the chimney, across my ceiling in a soffit in a space about 4' wide x 12' long x 2' high. my handyman set 2 rat traps yesterday via removal of a can light ( also took photos of the feces to verify not squirrel). they both went off withing 20 minutes of setting but the creep didn't get caught even though there was a huge scuttle that sounded like the tasmanian devil. to find out, the handyman set the traps on top the 2x4. argh. it was quiet all night and just as soon as we thought it was scared away, the noise started up this morning. local exterminators want to drop pellets after an 'exterior inspection' for $300 - $400. (the squirrel catcher assessed the roof and grounds yesterday and yes there are a few places and probably more.) people who have poisoned rats that haven't been able to get outside say not to use poison because the animal stench is hideous and lasts up to 6 weeks. at the moment, the varmit is banging around up there, i guess walking around the traps. any suggestions? it's driving us crazy, esp when it gets aggitated or perhaps fending off a competitor - it literally sounds like a bar room brawl. thanks - gaylene
AAARGHH!!! Never use poison! It only makes the problem worse! You need to seal the entry holes and trap and remove the rats.
so i've seen what i think is a mouse in my son's room. It was a little bigger than the palm of my hand and grey. i live in a three story apartment complex in Winter Park and hear them in my walls at night. I had made a couple of holes at the bottom of each of my two bedrooms and the living room for my cable wire. I wanted to know how to get rid of them, which traps work best, how long does it take to get rid of them and how do i know if i got them all? any help would be greatly appriciated. thanks.
It's more likely a juvenile rat than a mouse in central FL. You need to have either the building sealed shut, or the inside areas leading into your apartment. Give me a call, and I can come inspect the apartment for free.
Orlando Rat Control Tip of The Week
Can Rats Kill Mice?
Before providing an answer to this question, first of all, you need to be able to differentiate between a rat and mouse. As you must already know, they are both rodents and are quite identical. Without precisely knowing the differences between these two rodents, it will be quite difficult to know how they relate with each other and if rats do kill mice or it's just another myth.
To help you understand this in the best possible way, we will be taking a look at some of the qualities possessed by both rodents. After which we will address the main topic which is whether rats are capable of killing mice or not.
Rats
Rats are medium sized rodents with sizes bigger than that of mice. They have long tails and are very active compared to mice. The most common household rat is the black rat and this particular specie of rat is bigger than mice and also very active.
Mice
On the other hand, mice are smaller rodents with a pointed snout and small round eyes. These rodents have uniform traits; hence they often tend to look very identical. They are very docile when compared to their rat counterparts.
Having shared all these, by now you should categorically be able to differentiate between rats and mice. Coming back to the question above, the fact is rats are capable of killing mice. This habit is only exhibited when rats are faced with starvation and the only option left is to kill and feed on them.
Also, a change in environmental conditions can trigger their hunting senses and make them kill mice. Apart from any of these conditions, rats killing mice doesn't usually occur. You might have rats and mice in your home at the same time causing a nuisance.
