Lane County, Eugene Rat Control Situation:
Please help us! We have a rat problem at our house that has been ongoing now for years. We have killed several large rats with snap traps and set out boxes upon boxes of bait! I am at my wits end and want to burn the house down. As I type this message I am listening to one scratch in the wall, and I believe I can hear another in the ceiling above me. I had an exterminator come over today and he believes I have 2 large burrows, one under my garage and one under my shed, he feels that they may be gaining assess through the sump pump hole in my basement??? Is that possible? He set out a bunch of poison.... which I understand is a no no. We have two attics in our house and neither have interior entrance points, so it is impossible to set traps in the attic. I live in Eugene OR to be specific, do you know any rat experts in my area that you can direct me to?? I am at a point where I don't want to be in this house!
I have located the hole that it has chewed through insulation. I have an electric trap that is baited with peanut butter. I hear the darn things in the wall. Never had this problem. I am putting glue traps down tomorrow. Any other ideas? I was wondering if you could recommend a professional to get rid of rats in our attic. Somebody that will do what you mention in your awesome website ..such as Finding and sealing Entry points, guarantees removal and not coming back of rats etc. I live in Oregon thanks a lot.
Eugene Rat Control Tip of The Week
Norway Rat Biology
The Norway rat is typically nocturnal. It is a good swimmer; however, unlike the related black rat, it is a poor climber. Norway rats burrow well, and regularly uncover broad tunnel systems.
Rats are equipped for creating ultrasonic vocalizations, both as grown-ups and babies. They may likewise transmit short, high frequency, socially-prompted vocalization during interaction with different rats or animals. This call most takes after a trilling sound but is undetectable to human ears. Rats can discernibly be heard through calls sounding like squeaks when they are in trouble.
These rats are omnivores. This implies they can eat both plants and animals. As predators, rats are opportunistic.
The Norway rat can breed consistently if the conditions are reasonable, and a female can deliver up to twelve litters in a year. The gestation period is just 21 days, and litters can number up to fourteen, albeit smaller litters are common. In this way, the rat population can increase rapidly. Rats have a lifespan of around three years, yet regularly live less than one year.
Norway rats live in enormous hierarchical groups, either in tunnels or subsurface places, such as sewers and basements. When food is hard to come by, the rats lower in the social order are the first to die. If a large portion of a rat populace is eliminated from a zone, the rest will expand their reproductive rate, and rapidly reestablish the old populace level. This makes it imperative to have a plan to get rid of the entire rat population on your property if an infestation occurs.