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
Do Rats Feel Pain?
Rats are one of the few animals with a developed brain and a sense of empathy. When handled with care, they can be playful and tickled. But when handled without compassion or roughly, they showcase a high level of anxiety and express their pain in a special kind of way. This clearly shows that just like every other animal, rats also feel pain.
When it comes to expression, rats express their pain in a special kind of way. They do this by slightly changing their facial appearance and making a grin that clearly shows that they are in discomfort. Apart from this, rats also show that they are in pain by narrowing their eyes, puffing out their cheeks, flattening their ears, and rhythmically increasing the size of their nose.
If you want to know if a rat is in pain or not, you will have to pay attention to its facial expressions. Since they are inaudible animals, waiting to hear them make excruciating sounds is a no-brainer. But with visual clues shared above, you will be able to know when a rat is in pain and when it is not.
Rats are sensible animals with a high level of empathy. Another way you can know when a rat is in pain without actually studying its facial expressions is when you see another rat showing concern for the isolated rat. This behavior in rats is also exhibited when one rat is wounded or ill. In situations like this, other rats will come around the indisposed rat to show their concern.
Having shared this, you can be certain that rats also feel pain. Therefore, if you notice any rat around exhibiting any of the signs above, the rat may be hurt or ill. Also, you need to understand the fact that rats are major carriers of diseases, hence you should avoid having direct contact with them.