Collin County, Plano Rat Control Situation:
Hello David: I have two Scottish Terriers who have been barking more than usual (scary picture isn't it) and obsessed with sniffing, following a trail etc. and I thought it might be mice which we had about three years ago and got rid of them via Wildlife Control's traps and advice (re patching everywhere and plugging holes etc.). It is an exceptionally hot place to live in the summer months, we live in an arid region north of Dallas, near Plano TX. Rats (to me) are entirely the stuff of nightmares and I am going away in August and the dogs are going into a kennel for the month of August. All I could think was about was that without the dogs on-site, they could start invading the kitchen and then the rest of the house and I am sick with worry and fear which I think has become unbearable partially because my husband died here from pancreatic cancer and we had moved here to enjoy hot summers in our retirement. I quickly read through several areas of your website and you say not to hire a pest control company. Would that apply to Wildlife Control or are they diversified enough to cover rodents? I was talking to the service agent (John) who we met with the mouse invasion and he was saying there are a lot of rats in Plano. He has put traps out in the basement sized for the small black rats that you mention would be in an attic normally and who knows if they are although I haven't heard anything. Aren't the huge Norwegian rats normally found around wharfs, ships and water in general? Is that just a myth? He will also come in mid month and remove any dead rat bodies. Do you have any advice to help me cover this problem? Finding a reliable handyman here is also a problem we were ‘just lucky' last time and as far as we could see very effective with patching up holes, large and small. I hope you will have time to reply, I'm taking meds now for my anxiety and one panic attack. Not the way I would like to live.
Can a rat climb up a wall and get to then soffit and chew a hole in the vent screen. I am buying a house were there was a rats in the attic and there were a lot of holes in the screens.
Plano Rat Control Tip of The Week
How Do Rats Use Pheromones To Communicate?
Releaser Pheromones:
Rats communicate using releaser pheromones to send information to other rats that they are in their own territory. Rats often urinate in areas to send information that they are ready to nurse or that a specific area where their nest is located is their own. Rats use these releaser pheromones to claim territory and to make sure that other rats will stay away.
Primer Pheromones:
Primer pheromones are designed to be excreted during the peak of fertility and this is the type of pheromone that sends sexual signals to males in the area. These scents are released in order to attract males and to make sure that the female is going to mate during a time where she is more than likely to conceive.
Primer pheromones are some of the main types of communication tools used by rats and it's one of the most powerful ones that can be sensed in the area. These responses are triggered by the area of the brain called the Vomeronasal and this refers to the overall sense that an adult male gets of the pheromone.
Information Pheromones:
These types of pheromones are designed to be useful for identifying something about the animals or about the area. Rats often use these to convey fear or to share information about an area. Certain species of rats can share information about a food source, safe space, and more with these types of pheromones. Most of the time informational pheromones are designed to identify the smell of other species and to warn other rats of dangers in the area.
Scientists are continuing to study rats to determine the total number of ways that they are able to communicate by pheromones alone.
