Charleston County, Charleston Rat Control Situation:
Hey David, how do I get rats/mice out of a single wide trailer home? There is maybe 4 inches of space between the ceiling and roof. There is scratching sounds in the walls, and pee stains in the ceiling tiles. There's no way to get into the ceiling. Will I need to gut the ceiling tiles to set traps? There is also a tree that hangs over the trailer house. I heard that rats can use trees to get on the roof, is that true? My girlfriend wants a humane way to remove the rats/mice but I have no way to set cages in her house because there is no attic. Any suggestions?? Thank you for your time and your website is very helpful.
I just read your article about how to remove rat in the attic. The company I talked to told me he has to suck all insulation in the attic out to get rid all the babies, disinfected the attic & spray the new insulation. All this will cost several thousand dollars, does it sound right to you?
We have found a dead rat on our garden. Can you come and take it way for us? Do you charge? Can we take it to the local refuge centre in Charleston? We don't know what to do?
Hi David, After reading your excellent article, I wrote you a long Email and it didn't go through so this is really a test. I've tried numerous ways to get rid of rats in my house i.e., 1. Attack Wave, 2. traps with peanut butter and beef sticks or both, 3. Glue traps. 4. Electronic zapper etc., and the only thing that worked for a while were the Victor traps with peanut butter and beef sticks. Lately, nothing seems to work and I thought I'd try to get some new ideas from you. I read your comment about peppermint oil on the Victor traps but I wasn't sure whether you were being facetious about your having success with this method. Were you?
Charleston 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.
