Riverside County, Riverside Rat Control Situation:
David, Read your entire website with interest as we recently purchased a home in the Palm Springs area and the inspection of it passed but did not mention any rats/mice. However within the first week of moving in we heard the distinct scratching of feet in our attic. I have since been up there and we do have droppings and signs that they have been there for a while. Our plan is to seal the entry points, lay traps and then have the attic insulation removed, attic sanitized and new insulation put in. See questions below if you would be so kind as to assist. To this point, we have no droppings in the living area, no outside obvious entry points (we walked the premises with a professional extermination company that handles rodents) and now moving to the roof to get a roofing company to come in and close all entry points, seal caps etc. Garbage is in the garage in sealed containers, we have no trees close to the house and no citrus at all on the property. Reason for this email is that the only company you show in this area is in Riverside and I wonder if you have any recommendations for a firm in the Coachella Valley. If so, could you please send me the contact name and phone number as we will be following your recommendations to the letter. QUESTIONS: Assuming we get all the entry points closed and sealed properly, should we use the extermination company as you show to do the re-insulation of the attic? We have been quoted on the service that they will trap and remove, then using HEPA vacuums and in proper gear will remove all insulation in bags for safe destruction and then they use a bleach/water combination to sanitize. Obvious next step is to re-insulate the attic. Your thoughts on the process and the bleach/water solution? Recognizing that we have no contacts within this industry, what questions should we be asking the firms we are talking to so as to avoid getting ripped off or worse...not eliminating the issues and problems? Last question: roof is most likely the entry points. Am I going down the right path to get a roofing company to seal these points from the outside and ask that they use steel within the closure? Really appreciate the reply as Canadians that just bought the home, we don't have quite the issue back where we are from. Thanks, Tim
Riverside Rat Control Tip of The Week
Norway Rat Biology
The Norway rat is typically nocturnal. It is a good swimmer; however, unlike the related black rat, it is a poor climber. Norway rats burrow well, and regularly uncover broad tunnel systems.
Rats are equipped for creating ultrasonic vocalizations, both as grown-ups and babies. They may likewise transmit short, high frequency, socially-prompted vocalization during interaction with different rats or animals. This call most takes after a trilling sound but is undetectable to human ears. Rats can discernibly be heard through calls sounding like squeaks when they are in trouble.
These rats are omnivores. This implies they can eat both plants and animals. As predators, rats are opportunistic.
The Norway rat can breed consistently if the conditions are reasonable, and a female can deliver up to twelve litters in a year. The gestation period is just 21 days, and litters can number up to fourteen, albeit smaller litters are common. In this way, the rat population can increase rapidly. Rats have a lifespan of around three years, yet regularly live less than one year.
Norway rats live in enormous hierarchical groups, either in tunnels or subsurface places, such as sewers and basements. When food is hard to come by, the rats lower in the social order are the first to die. If a large portion of a rat populace is eliminated from a zone, the rest will expand their reproductive rate, and rapidly reestablish the old populace level. This makes it imperative to have a plan to get rid of the entire rat population on your property if an infestation occurs.
