Saint Louis County, St. Louis Rat Control Situation:
Hi David! I have a quick question that I'm hoping you can help me with. My husband and I are hearing noises in the attic and we noticed that the outside vent to the dryer has been pulled away from the house. We have some contraction going on in two rooms and after we put Sheetrock up, the next morning a hole was chewed where the ceiling meets the crawl space between the first and second floors. There were also rat droppings on the floor. We went out and bought snap traps (6) and set 2 in the room with the hole, one in the laundry room, 2 in the main attic, and one in the smaller attic above the room. The next morning half the traps were triggered but nothing caught. We reset all the traps and the next morning all the traps were triggered and empty. The rat had also gotten into the pantry during the night and found a bag of dog treats and tried to pull them out under the door. The reset all the traps, wrapping the trigger with gauze and coating it with peanut butter to make it harder for them to just lick it off. For three weeks now the traps have been untouched. We don't have much activity in the attic either. Last night I took some of the dog treats and put it with the peanut butter as added incentive and we finally caught one... A big one. My question is, is it likely that there are more or that we only had the one? We have two dogs inside and it boggles my mind that rats would be ballsy enough to roam the house when there are dogs around! Should I keep the traps out and see what happens or do you think we got it? Only the one trap with the rat was triggered. Thanks so much for your time, Zui in St. Louis MO
My response: If the traps were triggered with no trap, you were definitely using the wrong traps for the animal you were dealing with. So if it was definitely large rat traps that you were using, then you didn't have a rat - maybe an opossum or something. And if it was rat, then you used the wrong traps - did you you mouse traps, by chance?
St. Louis Rat Control Tip of The Week
What To Do If A Rat Bites You
Recognize A Rat Bite:
They are usually a small and single puncture wound with the chance for a small number of cuts. They also bleed and can cause painful swelling. If the bite gets infected, you may also start to see the signs of pus.
Recognizing Rat-bite Fever:
Rat-bite fever can include joint pain, fever and chills, muscle pain, vomiting, headaches, and more. These can be common in people of many ages so if your children get bit or another family member is bit, you will need to recognize these signs as well.
Rat Bites And Treatment:
If you have received a rat bite, there's an easy treatment option such as washing the area with warm water and soap. Drying your area with a clean towel and using antibiotic ointment can be important as well. Then, cover the area with a clean bandage. Even if the bite you have seems minor, you will need to see a doctor as soon as you can to get a tetanus shot. A rat bite can give you an increased chance of developing tetanus.
Treatment Period:
You will need to treat the area for 7-10 days with antibiotics to make sure that you do not develop an infection. Taking an antibiotic for this amount of time will make sure that the infection will have a lesser chance to develop and cause you ongoing symptoms or issues.
If You Are Infected:
Go to a doctor and take a full course of antibiotics as prescribed. If you do not finish your medication, you could be putting yourself at risk and this can lead to ongoing problems even after you have received your first few rounds.