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
New York City's Rat Problem
The Norway Rat:
The majority of rats in New York City are Norway rats, otherwise known as brown rats. Brown rats typically weigh 1 pound and they can grow up to 16 inches long. A brown rat needs just 1 ounce of food and water every day to survive.
Agile Creatures:
Brown rats are known for their ability to climb through pipes and get through small spaces. Even though some of the largest brown rats can be up to 20 inches long and weigh more than 2 pounds, it's easy for them to fit through a hole that's the size of a quarter. Rats have some serious superpowers and are capable of falling up to five stories without any injury and leaping up to 4 feet for climbing.
Going Through Any Material:
Rats also have extremely strong jaw muscles and quality teeth. There are rats in New York that are capable of chewing through cinderblocks and sewer pipes.
Where Rats Live:
Most rats will rarely travel more than 600 feet away from the area that they were born. Most rats like to nest and burrow in soft ground as well as below ground to live in colonies. A rat colony is usually between 30 to 50 rats and the number of rats in a burrow or family is usually between 8 to 12. Rats stay close to their food source and they can often be found just a few hundred feet from where they go every day to be fed. Public garbage areas, alleyways, and more can be a hotbed for rats and NYC produces its own information portal on areas where rats are heavily concentrated.
Massive Population:
It's estimated that there are roughly 2,000,000 rats in New York City and this means that the rat population in New York City sits around 25% of the total number of humans.
