Rats in the Air Conditioner - AC Chase

Rats do often enter the home or attic via an opening at the bottom of the A/C chase. They can also nest in outdoor air conditioner compressor units. In either case, the solution is to seal up the openings with steel mesh, bolted in.

Hi David, We had a new rat control person start servicing our house a few weeks ago and they sealed up the AC vent on the outside of our house. They were surprised that it wasn't done before. Well, we have been using Allstarrats for 4-5 months now. Originally this new technician recommended we get the 1 year service contract. We told her we were not interested in a year contract and had her remove the bait traps on the outside of our home. They also removed the rat traps inside our attic without us knowing because when we called the next week to set up the date and time to have them check the attic rat traps, they told us they removed the traps on the last visit. We were shocked and upset since we constantly hear noises either on the roof or in the attic. It's hard to tell what the noises are so we felt like we missed out on the opportunity to know if the attic was properly sealed.

So, we had them come back and replace the rat traps in the attic. We also asked them to get up on the roof and check for holes and to see if there has been an activity or chewing on the exclusion or fill any future holes that the rats might get in through. We called once and they said they would get up the roof. A week went by and no one was on the roof. We called again- maybe a week later, and asked to have someone up the roof. They said they would and about a week went by and no one got up on the roof. There was a day when they said they would get someone on the roof but it was raining so we understand that wasn't safe. We expected that they would be up on the roof the next day and no one came. So, we set up a third appointment (today) to really make sure that someone would be on the roof since they haven't been following through with what they tell us. So, we expected someone to be here this morning and we asked that they leave a note so we know they were here. A work truck finally showed up at 3:30 and was here for less than 5 minutes. I didn't even see them walk around the house and they definitely DID NOT get on the roof. I checked the door and saw a receipt that said 'Checked all previous access points. No rodent activity. and a bill for the monthly service charge. So, I called the main St. Pete number listed on the invoice and left a complaint and requested a tech is sent out to get on the attic with the receptionist.

About 10 minutes ago, the tech that has been servicing our house the past few weeks rang the door bell and said that they received a call from the office and they can't service our house because we are behind on our payment. That's untrue! We paid the original one time exclusion and trapping fee and also purchased an additional 3 months since they can't guarantee rats won't get back in. We pay month to month when they bill us because they have our credit card number! Today, the tech tells me that actually in their month to month service they also don't get on the roof and they only check bait traps. I said Come on, we wouldn't pay a service fee to a company to do something we can do or selves, like check bait traps. We would only pay a company to do the exclusion and keep the rats out and trap the rats if the exclusion wasn't done correctly. I couldn't believe they are trying to tell me this after 4 months of service. Is that normal or should I report this to the BBB?

They also said that it hasn't been 3 weeks since we've been trying to get someone on the roof but only 2 weeks and I said Fine, but the point is that it has been 2 weeks and this was the third time that we were told someone would look at the roof and once again no one was here. Three times was enough regardless of the time frame. They also said I said I would be here today and here I am. Which was odd to because they just told me they received a call from the office that I had a problem and that seemed to be the only reason they showed up. At the door, they said they couldn't even service our house! Honestly, the whole thing about the payment makes no sense because if we are behind on our account, why wouldn't they even tell us they would be here today What's the situation with them trying to tell us nothing is included in their monthly service? I'm seriously considering filing a report with the BBB if it's not handled appropriately. Other consumers need to know how they take care of customers with real rat problems. I've seen a few positive reviews about them but notice that they seem to be more of one time animal trapping help, which is different from this. Is this the norm in the industry or is this a serious service problem? I appreciate your feedback. Can any company do things differently? What's the legal and ethical thing for company's like this to do? Is there an industry standard? Also, regarding the billing. The company didn't charge us on time the first month and we actually had to call and remind them to charge us. So, I had to point out to the service tech today that if their records show we are behind it's due to an error on their part not ours. Payment has never been an issue so I find it odd they would even bring that up. Thanks!

Are rats comfortable in cold weather?

Rats seem like the type of rodents that aren’t very bothered by what surrounds them, whether it’s temperature or population. They seem more of the kind of rodent that would take any situation and location as long as they are able to survive without much trouble. When it comes to weather conditions, rats may feel discomfort if they are not able to find the right balance in the shelter they choose. The cold weather isn’t exactly the ideal choice for rats, but they don’t have to worry about hibernation since this isn’t something they naturally do. Unlike most animals, rats don’t mind staying out and about even during the wintertime. This is because they are able to easily adapt to their environment. They know what adjustments they need to make depending on the weather they are facing. For example, they are likely to search for a shelter with proper insulation during winter, but they would rather look for a home where they can be cool during the summer. Rats aren’t exactly comfortable with colder weather. Rather, they are simply less bothered because of their ability to adapt to their environment’s weather conditions. This allows them to survive during the cold even without having to go through too many preparations beforehand, which is what most animals would do. Another thing about rats is that they often rely on having the resources they need in order to survive, regardless of whether the temperature is cold or not. There are situations where a rat will gather food and store it in their shelter to avoid having to go out too much during the wintertime. However, rats will still go out to gather their food and resources despite the cold. Some animals would be either more comfortable in the cold or much more sensitive to it, but with rats, it’s something in between this. Rats aren’t resistant to the cold but neither are they too vulnerable to it that it causes them harm. While they will lessen their activity to lower their exposure to the cold, they don’t hibernate wherein most animals would not leave their nests or shelters until the end of winter. Rats have gone through a lot of experiences, whether it’s in the wild or not. This allows them to naturally understand what they should and can do to prevent the weather from affecting them in a harmful way. An example of this is the shelter that they look for, as well as how they will gather and store their food. With these qualities, rats are able to spend their days out in the cold without having to worry too much about whether or not they will encounter any troubles.