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
What Are Some Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Rats And Keep Them Away?
The moment you stumble upon rats in your home, you automatically switch into panic mode, simply because you know the menace associated with having these rodents around you.
Apart from damaging your home, rats contaminate your environment and expose you to several diseases. If you want to get rid of the rats in your home, there are some home remedies that you can use to achieve what you want. Here are some home remedies that you can try:
1. Peppermint Oil
To humans, peppermint is refreshing. But to rats, nothing can be more nauseating than it. To take advantage of this, all you have to do is put droplets of peppermint oil along the routes of the rat in your home or dip cotton balls into peppermint oil and drop the soaked cotton around places the rats frequent the most. The smell of this will keep them away because they won't be able to stand it.
2. Plaster Of Paris And Cocoa Powder
This is one of the best natural ways to get rid of rats. In this case, all you need to do is to mix plaster of paris with one tablespoon of cocoa powder and then sprinkle the solution along their routes. This mixture will suffocate and dehydrate the rats and make them run outside your home.
3. Onions
The good part about the use of this particular home remedy is that it is readily available in every home. To use this as a rat repellent, all you have to do is to place an onion bulb around the holes of the rat. The smell coming from the onion will make the rat feel uncomfortable and this will make them leave in no time.