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
Ways To Get Rats Out Of My Garage
Clean Your Garage Out:
Before you begin setting down traps to work on removing rats from the area, you need to eliminate places where they can hide. Store trash and other items outside of your garage. Clean out your garage to make sure that there is no need for a competing food source or a problem with rats hiding in enclosed containers.
Setting Traps:
Setting down traps and using various methods for getting rid of rats is the next step. You can consider items like glue traps, snap traps, and certain types of poison. Rats can easily track poison around a garage so it can be important to keep your pets out of the area whenever possible.
Seal Up Areas Of Your Garage:
If rats have the chance to get into your garage, this could mean that their numbers will grow. Sealing up the ceiling and looking for signs where rats can get in can be important.
Disposal:
Making sure that you dispose of materials where rats have been can be important. Get rid of nest materials and make sure that you remove any of the rat carcasses from your garage as these can start to smell and cause other issues. Proper disposal can be a solution that will help you to remove the rats from your home and make sure they do not return.
Use Bleach:
Rats have a great sense of smell and they will often avoid areas that have been cleaned or bleached. If you have an area that has been bleached, that will often prevent rats from making their way into your garage and avoiding the area.
