Monroe County, Rochester Rat Control Situation:
Hey Dave, we live in what we estimate to be in the area of a 100 yr. old one level house that is sitting on columns. The crawl space is similar to your web pica, very small. Rats & mice have been a concern since we moved in !8 yrs ago. All along I've been using sticks of poison. They take the sticks & seem to disappear. I don't know how they're getting in or out or if they are dying under there, and the process continues. I've tried using a snap trap but it seems the peanut butter dries up & is useless. Some company gave us an estimate of $10,000 to seal the cp but couldn't guarantee the rats wouldn't return. Maybe I haven't done enough inspection for entry/exit. Any advice ? Thanks, Mike
Dear Sir/Madam, Would you please recommend me an experienced company good at killing rats and mice? I noticed the problem more than one year ago. June last year, I hired EcoFirst to eliminate the rats and mice, and at that time, I signed a Contract with the company for one year. A half year later, that company was bought by Terminix, and it took over the job. So far, more than one year has passed, and they have come to my house several times, but the problem has NOT been solved at all, and it becomes more serious. June last year, the rats (mice?) were found in the Garage. Now, the rats (mice?) comes to my kitchen. This was noticed one month ago. I'm not sure whether it is rats or mice. We have not caught any so far. What should I do? Do you have any suggestion? Thank you very much. Regards, Paul
Rochester Rat Control Tip of The Week
Can A Rat Have Rabies?
Rats have powerful bites:
Rats can have very powerful bites and are capable of damaging the skin quickly. A rat can bite through cinderblocks to get into an area if it needs to. Rats could bite through clothing or manage to break the skin even unintentionally with a very quick bite. Handling rats with care or using heavy gloves is recommended if you have to remove one or relocate it. It is ultimately best if you avoid handling rats whenever possible.
Many people are bitten each year with low rates of infection:
Rats bite over 50,000 people in the USA each year. Rabies vaccine shots are very rarely delivered in these cases and the risk for other types of diseases that rats carry can be far greater. Going to see a doctor about a rat bite can be wise if you are starting to feel some of the secondary symptoms or it looks infected.
Rats do spread disease:
Rats do spread a series of diseases including rat-bite fever. It can be transmitted through a bite or through pets. Rabies can be a deadly disease but most of the diseases that rats pass on are only able to cause the chance for fever and infection which carry lower rates of mortality.
Other animals can be much riskier to receive bites from:
If you are bitten by other animals like raccoons, coyotes, woodchucks, or skunks, this will give you a much riskier chance of receiving something like rabies. When bitten by a rat, you should be concerned but you may not have to run to get the bite checked out with the same urgency.
The main theory of low rabies cases:
A rat would have to survive a bite from a predator in order to become a carrier of rabies. As coyotes and larger animals will be likely to kill a rat in an attack, this leads to the chance of rats not being able to spread rabies at all.