Orange County, Anaheim Rat Control Situation:
David, I was able to find your article on rats in the walls which I think I have at my home. It is very disturbing because it is loud scratching of the walls in the mornings all different areas of the home. Do you make calls to homeowners to help find and help them with their problems? If so, what number may I call you to set something up to come to my home and help me? I have been told to call an exterminator. Thank you in advance, Sharon
David - I have been looking at your site and am very impressed. I live near the water in dense vegetation and have an ongoing rat problem. I have tried plenty and your site mirrors what to do and not to do. I have just spent 2 full days sealing the underfloor area of my house and am about to close off some air-conditioning pipe ducting. I would like to put a one-way funnel on the last access point for a few days before I then seal it off completely. Hopefully to help any unwanted residents to depart. I am wondering what size opening you have been using on your one way funnels? I know this is a difficult question, but any sort of guide will help.Traps are awkward for me as I have roofspaces that are inaccessable to humans without wall removal. Thanks so much. Stephen Anaheim CA.
Hi David, I have at least one rat in my ceiling with no way to get to it short of cutting through the drywall. I have a suspicion how they're getting in, and want to close it up, but I'd like to do so when the chances are greatest that he's out looking for water or whatnot. Is there a time of day or night when it's most likely that he'll be out? I live in Los Angeles where the weather is dry and increasingly warm. Thanks, Craig
Anaheim Rat Control Tip of The Week
Reasons Why Relocated Rats Don't Survive Out Of Their Usual Territory
After trapping a rat in your home, you will have to decide either to kill it or relocate it. If killing a rat doesn't go down well with you because it makes you feel inhumane, you will be left with no other option but to relocate it.
If you have decided to relocate a trapped rat into a new territory, you need to understand the fact that it might not survive. Despite being a very smart household pest, rats find it very difficult to cope in a new environment for several reasons. The following are the reasons why a relocated rat won't survive out of their usual territory.
The first reason why rats won't survive in a new environment is that they are accustomed to their old environment. They have spent their entire life studying where they stay, knowing the exact place to find water and food in order to survive daily. Transferring this survival instinct to a new environment is a quite difficult thing to do for rats. As a result of these differences, they will find it difficult to locate food and water which they need to survive in any environment they are relocated to.
The presence of predators in the new environment is another reason why rats will find it difficult to survive. Animals like cats, snakes, and birds hunt for rats and will take advantage of the fact that the newly introduced rat doesn't know its way around to capture it.
When you introduce a rat into a new environment, it is going to meet other street rats that are already accustomed to that specific environment. Rats being animals that exhibit dominance in the form of hierarchy, where the submissive group is traumatized by the dominant rats, your rat will face multiple brutal battles and might end up in bad shape in the process. Over time, they will either get killed or too weak to look for food and shelter.
All these clearly show why any rat you decide to relocate might never survive the effects of leaving your home and being transferred into a new environment.