Brown County, Green Bay Rat Control Situation:
David, We have had rat problems on and off for two years. We've caught more than 20 rats in our attic. Several maintenance men, exterminators, roofers and a general contractor have inspected our house. We've removed bushes, trimmed trees, covered vents on the roof, put covers on the bottoms of the gutter downspouts. We have a hole in our house wall by our sink where they have chewed and chewed. We calledyour Wildlife guy in Green Bay. He was wonderful and spent an hour or two on our house and didn't even charge us. But he can not find where the rats are coming in. NO ONE has been able to find out where our rats are coming into the attic. Everyone says it's not our roof; but I don't know that. Angel said he'd come back because he has another theory about rats going through the sewer and up the pipes. He's coming back on Wednesday. My problem is what will I do if Angel comes and says he still can't find anything? We are literally trapped in our house. We can't sell it and we don't want to live here. I read the horrors about rats on the internet and I feel totally hopeless. Apparently there are no government agencies that can/ will help. What can we do? We're 72 years old and planned to live here for the rest of our lives. You can't imagine the psychological stress we're under. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi David, I have a rat or rats in my attic and I need your help. I have an old house that i could not possibly seal up. There is just no way because of inaccessible crawl spaces,etc. I have tried the large glue traps but he seems to go around them now. I will try the Victor snap traps but I think I am dealing with a very smart rat. Should I bait the trap first and not set it so it gets comfortable eating PB off the trap? Also do the expensive electronic repellants work at all. Tractor Supply sells one for $50. Please help me. I'm losing too much sleep!
I found what I thought was rat poop in a closet. My exterminator said I had to insulate the entire attic with their special insulation that kills all creatures. There were no signs if entry to that area. After he left I moved a box and found a large Palmetto bug which moved very slowly. I killed it and now wonder if the black things are eggs or feces. No stains or smell was in the area. Please help!
Green Bay 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.