McLennan County, Waco Rat Control Situation:
Hi David,We are struggling with mice in our garage. We've caught 2 on plain sticky traps (both actually caught on the same trap), did a thorough clean out, left about 5 other various styles of traps around the garage and there was no sign anything for about a week and a half. I had some suspicions (although, I didn't see any droppings) so I put another plain flat sticky trap near the area where we caught the other two and a few days later...bam...another one. Now I'm a little freaked out that there is some sort of colony living in the garage walls and/or garage attic. When we were putting stuff back on the garage shelves after the deep clean we thought we heard a scratching or scuffling sound but couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Can you give me an estimate on the cost of having your team come out and track down the source? It should all be relatively easy access.
Hello my name is Henry from Waco TX. We have been hearing cracking noises in the ceiling at night. Mainly in the master bedroom bathroom. I don't know why. Could it be a water source. I will set traps in the attic. I was thinking of cutting a hole in the drywall placing posion there. It says that rodent will not smell. Please any advice will help.
I have found two burrow holes on either side of my front door. One smells of urine and the other I watched a chipmunk disappear into. I am not entirely sure if they are in the house now, but I know that they were and those entry points have been sealed. So a few questions....... What do I do to eliminate the burrows at front door? How to get rid of that horrid urine stench? Do chipmunks share tunnels with rats? If they are going under the deck should I set traps? I have a lot of vine coverage in the back yard, what should I replace that with? Do the rats dislike a certain type of mulch/woodchips? I am in the process of removing the vine coverage, but what else should I do? Thank you for any suggestions and guidance!!!
Love your site. Just curious why you don't talk about crawlspaces and only attics? I assume it's the same concept, but I never saw anything about it mentioned.
Waco Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are Cats Good at Keeping Rats Away?
When it comes to removing rats from homes, the use of cats in hunting these rodents is one of the best natural ways of getting that done. Cats and rats are natural enemies; hence cats are good at keeping rats away. The only issue with keeping cats to remove rats from your home is that there is a high probability of it being prone to catching other non-target animals like frogs, birds, and lizards. Also, there are no guarantees that the cat you bring into your home to keep rats away will help catch the rat within a specific time.
Apart from the hunting skills that cats use to remove rats, the scent of a cat will also make rats stay away from your home. Rats have a well-developed sense of smell and can easily pick up slight scents. With this, they can sense the presence of a cat in a particular area and stay as far as possible away from it. This survival instinct of rats will send them packing.
But for this to work the way you want it to, you need to find a cat that displays typical hunting behavior. Naturally, cats do have hunting instincts and the urge to catch rats. But this only gets triggered when the right environment is in place or the cats are encouraged to do so.
If you want a cat with a good hunting instinct, the first thing you need to do is to make inquiries as to whether the mother of the kitten was a good hunter or not. Cats learn the required hunting skills from their mother. If you want the cat you will be introducing into your home to be a good hunter, it will need to learn these hunting skills from its mother.
Are cats good at keeping rats away?
When it comes to removing rats from homes, the use of cats in hunting these rodents is one of the best natural ways of getting that done. Cats and rats are natural enemies; hence cats are good at keeping rats away. The only issue with keeping cats to remove rats from your home is that there is a high probability of it being prone to catching other non-target animals like frogs, birds, and lizards. Also, there are no guarantees that the cat you bring into your home to keep rats away will help catch the rat within a specific time.
Apart from the hunting skills that cats use to remove rats, the scent of a cat will also make rats stay away from your home. Rats have a well-developed sense of smell and can easily pick up slight scents. With this, they can sense the presence of a cat in a particular area and stay as far as possible away from it. This survival instinct of rats will send them packing.
But for this to work the way you want it to, you need to find a cat that displays typical hunting behavior. Naturally, cats do have hunting instincts and the urge to catch rats. But this only gets triggered when the right environment is in place or the cats are encouraged to do so.
If you want a cat with a good hunting instinct, the first thing you need to do is to make inquiries as to whether the mother of the kitten was a good hunter or not. Cats learn the required hunting skills from their mother. If you want the cat you will be introducing into your home to be a good hunter, it will need to learn these hunting skills from its mother.