Pierce County, Tacoma Rat Control Situation:
Hi. I've recently moved into a tiny cottage in the country. Spent all I have renovating it and it has a tiny crawl space attic which I have filled with insulation. I heard noises for the past two three days and on inspection I saw prices of pipe covering shredded in two or three areas. Little or no money David (I live in Tacoma WA) and can't afford outside agency. What do you suggest? Old rat traps? I think local DIY store sell them. I couldn't find entry point as the space is so tiny and I've put lots of insulation down.
Hey thanks for your web page, can you tell me what sort of fogger your use? will any fogger work with Bac-Azap?, I have a big basement area that was infected with many rats, I have removed as much of the insulation and debris as possible but it still smells so i guess i have to fog with this product. Do you use the product full strength in the fogger?
First off, great website; lots of helpful info. Secondly, I've spotted (and caught) at least one rat in my garage. I've watch them before going through holes in the wall and climbing up to the attic. If I seal up these holes in the garage, do I still need to set traps in the attic or can I just set traps in the garage to catch any that remain? Thanks for your help. Was also wondering about vacuuming out insulation when you have found animals in attic? Whats your take on that?
I really love your informative site. I have had rats in my attic for years and finally had all the entry points sealed (per your sites suggestion). Four rats were left stuck in my attic. After 48 hours they got hungry and I live trapped 3 of them within a 12 hour period. Unfortunately the fourth rat became trap shy. After 7 days (i put down water in a bowl) I gave up with the live trap and moved to snap trap. Those damn traps just wounded the poor thing and I had to listen to it suffer for 12 hours before it finally died in the wall. I just wanted to say that I dont think the live trap rats will die outside immediately. My yard has many rats living outside. We have a fountain in the back to drink from. My wife puts down bird seed every night. They have to leave my house at night to eat anyway. I have no doubt they live just fine outside with the other rats. So, I don't think live trapping is quite so bad for them.
Tacoma Rat Control Tip of The Week
Why Are Cage Traps Only Occasionally A Good Option For Rats And Why Do Relocated Rats Rarely Survive?
When it comes to getting rid of rats, homeowners are usually faced with the dilemma of how to get them out without actually killing them. This usually makes them consider every possible option just to achieve their aims. To make this possible, several devices have been designed to trap rats in homes. But when considering a humane way to get rid of these pests, cage traps are one of the best devices to use.
The use of cage traps helps to capture rats without actually getting them killed. Unlike the use of other devices such as lethal traps, cage traps help to capture the rats in the most humane way. Using a cage trap doesn't automatically guarantee the fact that the rats you are getting out of your home will be in good health when they are being captured. In most cases, before the homeowners get to even remember to check the cage, the rats are already dehydrated, exhausted, or too weak to survive.
To avoid this and keep the rats in good health, you need to try as much as possible to check on the cage trap constantly and make sure the traps are placed away from sunlight coming from windows and other openings in your home.
After catching a rat, the next thing to do is to relocate the rat. But in most cases, these rats never survive. Rats that are relocated have very slim chances of survival and will not make it past a few days.
Relocated rats find it very difficult to feed on available food in a new environment and might die as a result of starvation. Also, relocating them to an environment they are not familiar with comes with the need to urgently find shelter. In the process of finding shelter with no already established route, a vast majority of them become prey to other animals.