Contra Costa County, Richmond Rat Control Situation:
Hello!!! I was just at your website, and thought I would throw an email your way... I went into my garage tonight, and was throwing a load of laundry into the washer, and I heard scratching coming from the wall in the far right hand corner of the garage... I went over to inspect, and couldn't see anything, but the scratching continued... I tapped on the wall with a broom, and the scratching stopped... My question to you is this- if it were to be a mouse would I be able to hear them so clearly scratching? I know they don't weigh a whole lot... We did have a problem with squirrels in the attic a couple of months ago, but we got rid of them, and blocked the entry way that they made to enter the attic... We checked outside this evening after we heard the scratching, and cannot find any entry points in the eaves, soffits, etc... So I am under the impression that its not squirrels or something large like that (praying that its not)... I hope I have made sense... I am a nervous wreck right now at just the thought that their is something in my wall =( I hope to hear back from you soon... Joni
My response: Sometimes mice can make very loud noises, if they scratch directly on the drywall. But squirrels, opossums, raccoons, and rats also get in wall frequently.
Richmond Rat Control Tip of The Week
What Can I Do About A Trap-Shy Rat?
There are instances where rats tend to be trap-shy by trying as much as possible not to get too close to the trap to avoid getting caught. This particular situation can be a result of several reasons. The first and most common reason is that the rats have witnessed other rats getting trapped. Another reason is that the rats might be scared of the newly introduced object along their route.
Whatever the reason might be, getting the rats to put aside their fears and go for the bait requires a whole lot of planning and patience. Right here, we will be taking you through what you can do to stop the rats in your home from being trap-shy.
Aside from being a very common household pest, rats are habitual and will study their environment as much as they can in other to easily detect when something goes wrong or differs from the way it used to be. This naturally prompts them into being trap-shy when they notice the unusual new trap in their environment.
To stop this and make the rats in your home attracted to baits, you are going to have to take your time and repeat the following process continuously. The first thing you have to do is to make the rats in your home feel comfortable around the traps. To achieve this, all you have to do is place unset traps along their route and let them move around it without getting trapped. Naturally, rats like to move around on sawdust. You can also place sawdust on and around the traps to make it more appealing to them and make them feel comfortable and safe around the trap.
After doing that for a while, you can then go ahead and set the traps with bait. To increase your chances of trapping them, you can choose to place sawdust on and around the traps.