Pima County, Tucson Rat Control Situation:
David, Can you please help me with some advise and maybe a referral for a local professional in Tucson AZ? I live in a mobile home and hear rats in the walls and ceiling at different time including during the night. I had a professional general contractor put very fine metal chicken wire called "hardware cloth" all around the bottom of my mobile from the edge to the ground attached to the stackered white bricks with screw drilled into them. There might be some very small gaps in different places, but no sign of rats getting in like black marks from their fur, rat droppings or urine stains any where outside. I even put screening around the the very small roof vents. I also previously had a friend come by who is in the pest control business and he looked all around the outside and just could not find where the rats are coming in at. I was using Decon for about 7 or 8 months, but now switched to a very strong blocks of rat poison from a local Do-it-Yourself Pest Control store. I always put the poison out under a small hole under the very fine metal hardware cloth in two different places and then block the hole off with a brick. I bought a 9 pound bucket for $39 and they already ate about 2 1/2 to nearly 3 pounds of it and I am still hearing them. *** Why is the strong blocks of poison not working, do they get amunity to it? Last year I even brought Rid-Ex Plus that turns your whole house wiring into a sound they do not like. It worked for a while, but not does not seem to affect them at all. It comes on for 3 minutes and then shuts of for 3 minutes (so they do not get use to the sound waves) and keeps repeating the cycle 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
How in the rats world are they still getting in my walls and ceilings voids? Can the rats be possibly tunneling or travleing through the underground the sewer pipes? *** Why is the strong poison not working? Do the rats get amunity to it after eating it for awhile? *** If there are dozens of them, would I not at least see one outside once in awhile or some signs of them? Where is there food supply? A few doors down are a few fruit trees, but would they not move closer to them? A tree right next to my place has these really small berries, could that be what they are eating? Should I move out for a while and not use any air conditioning, so the walls will get to hot for them to live in? I am at wits end and really need your advise and/or a professional to probably come out and help me get rid of these rats.
Tucson Rat Control Tip of The Week
Rats And Black Pepper
Rats eat almost anything. In their search for food, they can gnaw on plastic, wood, and even electrical wiring. A rat presence in your home can cause a lot of economic damage.
When this expense is added to the health problems rats' body fluids can cause, the best thing a person can do is getting them out of the house as soon as possible. The most common extermination way is using traps or rodenticides. However, there are more natural methods such as the use of peppers that cause unpleasant odors and tastes for the rodent and quickly drive them away.
Odors That Repel
Using repellents with unpleasant odors for rats is a way to keep them away from you in a friendly way. The advantage of not having to deal with the rodent's carcass can be worth the effort of constantly using these temporary methods. Rodents use their sense of smell to socialize as well as to survive. An odor such as ammonia often drives them away because it is very similar to the urine of large animals that could devour them. Spicy odors are perceived as dangerous chemicals that are also often avoided at all costs.
Black Pepper
Spicy food odors are unbearable for rats, thanks to their high capsaicin content. These natural compounds give the food its spicy effect, but they are also often very irritating to the mucous membranes and lungs of rodents. If ingested, they can cause a burning sensation in the taste buds and olfactory glands. Pepper is known to be able to scare away rats temporarily although this is not scientifically proven.
For all those people who are afraid of having to deal with poisons or homemade traps, finding new and less harmful options is a headache; however, homemade repellents like black pepper avoid harming other animals and humans, being a perfect choice. In any case, even if they are harmless odors, it is advisable to seek the advice and follow the instructions of a professional in the field.
