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
Why Don't High Pitch Sound Deterrent Machines And Strobing Lights Work Against Rats?
The first thing you need to understand about high pitch sound deterrent machines and strobing lights is that these machines have been officially announced as being fraudulent by the Federal Trade Commission. This is enough proof that the efficiency of these repelling devices is self-proclaimed and that they don't have anything to offer when it comes to repelling rats from your home.
Have you been wondering why these devices don't work against rats? Right here, we will be sharing all you need to know about them and why you should consider other means of getting rid of the rats in your home.
High pitch sound deterrent machines or strobing lights that are designed to repel rats using mechanical means. The former uses high pitch sounds that don't affect humans and is not audible to the human hearing to irritate the eardrums of small animals like rats and make them stay away from the areas the sound is coming from. While the latter is designed using a short wavelength of light rays to scare rats away in the night whenever they try to move around.
These devices might seem like a perfect way to repel rats, but the fact is that neither of these devices work. Rats are smart animals and can easily figure out if something poses a serious threat to them or not. Once they figure out that it doesn't, they will continue with their activities and withstand the effects caused by these devices.
Having shared this, you must consider other ways of getting rid of these rats in other to avoid wasting your hard-earned money. Neither of these devices will give you the results that you desire.