Lucas County, Toledo Rat Control Situation:
Hi David- Thank you very much for your site. It has been extremely helpful. I caught my first and I hope only rat tonight (I know that's doubtful) due to your trapping advice. That said, I need advice on how to deal with rats burrowing into dirt basements. I have a half basement with a dirt crawl space and a narrow dirt trench around the perimeter for drainage. We found a rat a week ago and saw it has burrowed two holes outside down into the basement. Obviously it opened it up after we filled it in. Short of getting a new foundation I have no clue what to do. The best advice I have found was to put hardware paper down but that would be difficult in the crawl space. I spoke with a professional trapper in Toledo OH and he said there wasn't much I could do about them getting in other than keeping the traps set. We have lived here 8 years and never have seen a rat before. Mice yes but we have worked hard to close up the holes but clearly this is a different ball game. We are in a rural area and there are no dumpsters and the neighbors are clean etc. So I do not think it's a matter of cleanliness. Any advice you could give would be more than appreciated. And again, thank you for your site!!
I have sent a picture of the droppings I found, is it from a rat? I have set 2 traps in my attic and rat poison in saucers some of which has been eaten, but still have the rat or rats. I don't know what to do next buy some more poison? as I've run out. I did not want to pay a pest control company as I think normally they just use poison anyway, but if I cant get rid of them will have to. Shall I put the traps where the droppings were seen. This is terrible I can hear it or them at night in the attic, and would appreciate your advice.
Hi David! Thanks for your site and all of the useful info. I searched for the following for days, and still have nothing. How long do diseases remain "alive" in rat feces ? I have evidence of rat nesting in my outdoor storage shed that I first noticed about 6 months ago. I plugged the point of entry with steel wool and have not seen any activity since. I plan to clean the disturbed area and discard the damaged things. My question is, considering the age of the feces, is it and the contaminated area still potentially toxic or just ugly dirty !?
Toledo Rat Control Tip of The Week
What Is The Fastest Way To Get Rid Of Rats?
Rats are not animals anyone should have in their homes. These rodents can wreak havoc on your beautiful home when allowed to breed and multiply. If you are lucky enough to realize you have a rat problem quickly, the best thing you can do is to look for the fastest way to get rid of them before they begin to increase in number to something beyond what you can contain.
When it comes to the fastest way to get rid of rats, snap traps are considered one of the fastest. This might seem like a very old method of getting rid of rats, but the fact is that it still works better than many of the newly designed rat removal methods out there.
A snap trap is a trap with a wooden platform and a spring-loaded bar that snaps immediately a rat comes in contact with the bait that was placed on it. In the process of trying to nibble or steal the bait from the trap, it will get caught by the neck and killed immediately.
One of the major reasons why snap traps are considered the fastest way to get rid of rat is that when it traps a rat, it can be reused immediately. Provided you have a good bait in place that can help you to attract rats to the snap trap, you will also be able to trap rats and remove them from your home without wasting too much time.
Also, snap traps are humane, affordable, and easy to use.
