Santa Clara County, San Jose Rat Control Situation:
First off, love the website. thanks for the resource. Ive had rats for 6 months and have been trapping to get rid of them. After the first 3 months of trapping and 12 rats, i found an open sewer vent in a hidden part of my attic. i fixed that, but im still catching a rat every 2 weeks in snap traps. I sucked all the blown cellulose out of the hip-roof section of my house when i thought they were initially gone, and unfortunately they must now living in the flat roof portion that i cant access (recently added on). The outside of house is tight as a drum. Three rat pros have looked it over and dont see openings. so my question is....can rats be smart enough to live there for the past 3 months and avoid the traps????????? Maybe the rats saved up a lot of food when previous homeowner stored birdseed in attic? maybe they dont come into the hip roof often enough to die on the traps? Either that, or i must have another plumbing issue that i havnt found yet and they are still getting in. id rather think that i just need to be patient, but id like to get your opinion. Going insane, Mark
Hey Dave, Been reading your website and I think your main point is - there's no easy shortcut to mice removal - simple technique and put the effort in. I did purchase an electrical device that plugs into an outlet and emits a pulse through existing electrical wiring - I know, probably a gimmick, but I've heard a lot less scratching in my attic since (shrug). The field mice are still in the attic though - I see the dropping everywhere and I hear some scratching at night - I even see the suckers sometimes when I crack open the attic door. I will try some of your DIY techniques - but I was wondering if you can recommend a pro in the central NJ area? I'm in Los Gatos CA. Thanks! John
hi david, i read your article online and agree with you about exterminators. however what can i do about the mice in my attic. i went to turn on the central ac in my home and mice poop came out of the ceiling registers. i have heard some movement during the middle of the night up in my attic and within my walls. i have trapped some mice in the garage at times and than all is well i thought. my home is a manufactured high ranch. i live in mahopac ny. i also have a cat so i figured that would keep the mice population down because we never see any signs in the living areas or cabinets. what do you recommend i do moving forward. thank you for your help in this matter. if you like i can be reach on my cell phone. ken w
San Jose Rat Control Tip of The Week
Humane Ways To Kill A Rat
You might be thinking of the best way to get rid of the rats in your home without making them go through prolonged and excruciating pain. There are several ways to get this done, but first, you need to make sure all the possible entry points of rats into your house are sealed. Failure to do this will only make you continue to repeat the whole process of rat removal without getting the desired result.
To humanely kill the rats in your home, you need special rat removal devices like live traps and snap traps. These traps are designed to capture rats without making them suffer or go through pain before dying.
The best part about the use of these traps is that you won't even watch the rat die. All you just have to do is set and bait the trap properly. When you are back to check it, the trap will have caught and killed the rat.
Snap Traps
The use of a snap trap is one of the oldest yet most effective ways of removing rats from homes. This trap is designed in a way that captures the rat by the head and kills it instantly. Apart from being an effective way of trapping rats, setting it up is very easy. All you have to do is bait it using good bait. While the rat is trying to take the bait, the trap will be triggered and the rat will be caught. But this trap will only work when the whole head of the rat is inside the trap.
Live Traps
If you are looking for an alternative to trapping rats humanely without actually killing them, the use of live traps is a good idea. This type of trap is designed to help capture rats without causing them any pain or stress. However, for you to make sure this trapping process is humane, you need to check the trap frequently to avoid starving the rat before actually relocating them.
