Stark County, Canton Rat Control Situation:
HI there, Came across your website and found it very helpful and hoping you will entertain my question and perhaps direct me to someone in my area. My name is Shanna and I live about an hour north of central Ohio in the town of Canton OH. This summer we did some work on the outside of the house - replaced the sill plate and some of the clapboard. The house, unfortunately was open for quite some time and well, now I'm hearing sounds in the walls - movement, chewing, etc. I'm not sure what it is but here is what I do know: Sounds come at night I've identified where most of the sounds are coming from - unfortunately near my bedroom and they wake me around 2:30 and then again at 4:30 AM! My cat caught and left a juvenile rat on my porch yesterday over night I've not seen any rat holes around the property - I know what they look like from my zookeeper days. I'm assuming it's rats because of the cat but I'm not sure. I set bait traps this eve near the area where I think they are getting in (there are some remaining holes from the construction) and I stuffed insulation in those areas to check in the AM to see if it's been disturbed and if so, where. We will close the holes up ASAP!! Here's my problem and question - we don't have an attack as we've raised all the ceilings on the second floor so should we close all the holes and then look into the one way door or...? Also, I could use some help if you know of anyone in this area.
Canton 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.