Saint Lucy County, Port St. Lucie Rat Control Situation:
Hi there, I'm glad I found your website, its been pretty informative, and helpful in reassuring me a bit. Ok, so me and my boyfriend just moved into a rental house 2 months ago, and we've been hearing scuttling in the ceiling crawl space, and I've noticed when I turned on the oil heat, that the odor that comes out of the ducts with the heated air smells like dead rats and urine, and every time we had the oil heat on at night, I would wake up with a slight feeling of throat irritation and like my nasal passages hurt, but since the summer we haven't been running the oil, but I dread when winter comes... and the scuttling continues. Well I went up into the crawl space last night, after we had a talk with the property manager, and he assured us he would be out and take a look and fix it, he didn't, anyways, it was easier for me to crawl up, as my boyfriend is 6'3" and would be bent like a hairpin, I suited up as you suggested, latex gloves, full respirator, safety glasses, headlamp, camera and flashlight, even a shower cap to protect from gunk falling on my head. I found extensive evidence of rats or squirrels, poo, tunnels, chewed stuff etc.,. took loads of pics to show to the property manager. From what I've seen and smelt, I am thinking that this will cost the owner of the house a tidy sum to clean up, because I am sure this is very dangerous health-wise to live in, and this type of condition should not be allowed in a rental home or any home. This may sound like a dumb question, but I was wondering how do I convince the owner and property manager this needs to be cleaned up ASAP, professionally. Also how would the rat urine etc. get cleaned out of the ducts in an oil heated home? That seems like it would be tough to do properly and safely. Any advice or info you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Port St. Lucie Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Rats Able to Swim, or Do They Drown?
Though rats are not the most desired animals to have around your home, you will be amazed by the incredible survival instincts these rodents have. One of these survival instincts is their ability to survive in water. Rats are excellent swimmers, with their legs, tail, and rhythmic body movements, they can wade in the water for up to three days without drowning
These special skills allow them to be able to survive in water if by circumstance they find themselves stuck in a bucket of water, bathtub, or toilet. In cases where the water body is not restricted by a container or an object, rats use their swimming skills to find their way to dry land close by.
If you happen to find a rat stuck in water, the best thing you can do is to remove it and relocate it somewhere far away from your home or anywhere you are. Refusing to do this and expecting it to drown will only cost you your time because the rat will try as much as possible to survive.
Rats do drown in water, but that will only happen after 3 days when the rat has exhausted all of its energy swimming with no way out. Only a few rodents have this special kind of survival instinct, this clearly shows how smart and intelligent rats are.
Nevertheless, you shouldn't allow rats to run around your house and make your home their nesting place. If you find rats in the water around your home, you need to get them removed and relocated somewhere safe and far from your home to prevent further reentry. Rats are a menace to your health, so you need to look for the best way to get rid of them quickly.