Clarke County, Athens-Clarke Rat Control Situation:
Dave, I just wanted to thank you so much for the great site on dealing with rats in the attic, as well as listing pest control companies that deal with rat issues. I thought I had mice in the attic, but I now think it's rats. I set two mouse snap traps almost three days ago. Early this morning, I was awakened by the sound of plastic banging in the attic. My only thought is that I've caught something, but I don't think it's a mouse. A mouse would have died instantly. Anyway, I do have a few questions for you. First, do you think the mouse trap killed the rat, or will kill it, or is it just injured? Second, any tips on safely climbing in the attic to prevent getting bit by a rat? I noticed your pics on your site about having to get into tight spaces. I would worry about encountering a rat by doing that. One last question, any tips on accessing tight areas for a tall guy? I'm 6'3" and I wasn't able to get close to the soffit area in one area of my home. The particular area has a cathedral ceiling and the roof gets closer to the rafters as you get closer to the soffit area. I attempted to move down in a particular area where I've heard noise, but my legs began cramping really bad.
Athens-Clarke Rat Control Tip of The Week
New York City's Rat Problem
The Norway Rat:
The majority of rats in New York City are Norway rats, otherwise known as brown rats. Brown rats typically weigh 1 pound and they can grow up to 16 inches long. A brown rat needs just 1 ounce of food and water every day to survive.
Agile Creatures:
Brown rats are known for their ability to climb through pipes and get through small spaces. Even though some of the largest brown rats can be up to 20 inches long and weigh more than 2 pounds, it's easy for them to fit through a hole that's the size of a quarter. Rats have some serious superpowers and are capable of falling up to five stories without any injury and leaping up to 4 feet for climbing.
Going Through Any Material:
Rats also have extremely strong jaw muscles and quality teeth. There are rats in New York that are capable of chewing through cinderblocks and sewer pipes.
Where Rats Live:
Most rats will rarely travel more than 600 feet away from the area that they were born. Most rats like to nest and burrow in soft ground as well as below ground to live in colonies. A rat colony is usually between 30 to 50 rats and the number of rats in a burrow or family is usually between 8 to 12. Rats stay close to their food source and they can often be found just a few hundred feet from where they go every day to be fed. Public garbage areas, alleyways, and more can be a hotbed for rats and NYC produces its own information portal on areas where rats are heavily concentrated.
Massive Population:
It's estimated that there are roughly 2,000,000 rats in New York City and this means that the rat population in New York City sits around 25% of the total number of humans.