Kent County, Grand Rapids Rat Control Situation:
My name in Nia, I have a horrible mouse and rat problem under my outside deck. I have called a local company and they put down bait traps. Every month they check them and all the bait is gone. I looked out the back window at night and see the mice ru Ning around from under deck into garage and along the sides of the house. I am soooooo scared one will get in the house. I hope it's not already. Please call me and direct me as to what I should do next. My husband acts as if he thinks it's not a big deal. Help me please.
Hi David, just been looking at your website. I have found a run into my compost bin and also in the 1/2 foot wide gravel soak away around my house this week. I obviously now need to get rid of the source of food, i.e. the compost bin and remove any shelter, so my mission is a good old tidy up in the back garden this weekend. However tonight i was kept awake by scratching in the house, gotta say freaked me out a little. I have already put poison down in a bait box this week which is already all gone!! So do i continue baiting or shall i trap them? Am i right in thinking that the poison will try them out so even if they die in the wall they wont smell or will they go seek water and hopefully die outside!!!! wishful thinking on my part i guess!! I just don't want stinking rats rotting in the walls! Anyways hope you can help, Kind regards Hayley in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids Rat Control Tip of The Week
Will Rats Come Out When It's Light?
Rats are living beings with a negative phototropism. Daylight often affects them, leading them to be most active when it's dark out. Most rodents are characterized by going out during evenings when there is dim light or at night.
This habit of being active at night is very useful when combined with the instinct of going unnoticed. Rats that live in underground places like sewers can suffer retinal damage when they surface in broad daylight. The discomfort to their vision does not allow them to carry out the necessary daily survival activities.
Light is an abiotic environmental factor that can have a major impact on animal behavior and physiology. Rats adapt better to darkness because it can be very comfortable. It is believed that rats have dichromatic color vision and light is often a very important environmental signal for regulating circadian cycles and reproduction cycles.
Fear Of Light Or Fear Of Death?
Rats are one of the most successful invasive species in the world, they can adapt to almost any environment. These animals perceive light as dangerous. The light rays can make rodents feel somewhat exposed to predators or even vulnerable to people who will want to exterminate them no matter what it costs.
A Messy And Damp Place Is Ideal
Abandoned buildings, homes with cracks in the walls, or sewers, often have an abundance of dark places. A home with little light is ideal for living; it is perfect for rats to make their nests without having to expose their small offspring to being eaten by other animals.
Professional exterminators often use this information about the light phobia of rats in their preventive or extermination plans. The ultimate goal is to prevent these rodents from making their dens in or near people's homes.
