Knox County, Knoxville Rat Control Situation:
I own a 2 story w basement corner row house in Knoxville. Last night while asleep on the couch in my first floor living room, noise in my ceiling by the front wall woke me up. Sounded like the scurrying of 1or 2 mice. Joists run the width of my house, from the outer wall to my neighbors house, so that space leads to nowhere. No food, water, or other openings are available. Should I be concerned, should any (?) action be taken?
One story concrete slab house with rats in attic. I have sealed up every hole to the attic I can find. The last thing I did was put the 1/2" wire mesh on all the vent pipes on the roof. The wire mesh on all the stacks, seemed to fix my problem, but about 2 months later they are back. I put up some security cameras in the attic and at bottom of a double wall space for plumbing, and can see the rat coming down and going up at bottom of a 2" pvc vent pipe obscured by a wall between two bathrooms with a tub on one side and shower on the other. The vent pipe is for the tub and shower. From the top of wall in the attic, I was able to cut out around the pipe and see down the wall about halfway down the 2" pvc vent was split (offset) maybe broke during construction where 2 pipes were joined together. Could not see actual chewed off part, but is probably there. I can see that the rat could get in there, but my question is where or how is he going outside besides into the sewer? The top is sealed with the wire mesh. I can fix the split pipe easily by tearing out the shower wall, but do you think that would fix the entry problem? How long can rats stay in attic without going outside for food? Do attic rats tunnel under a concrete slab house for entry?
Knoxville Rat Control Tip of The Week
What Diseases Are Caused By Rat Urine?
Rats are undoubtedly one of the animals that transmit the greatest number of diseases worldwide. These rodents are a very unpleasant species for humans, not only because they spend a lot of time in the garbage, but also because of the risk they pose to humans.
How Can You Get Infected Through A Rat's Urine?
Unfortunately, there are many ways a person can get a disease, virus, or infection from a rodent. From the moment a rat enters your property, you are exposed to a number of dangers that can seriously affect your health.
It is possible to become infected through direct contact with an object or food contaminated with rat urine. Rats often leave a trail of urine so that other rats can follow it to the best food source. This is why there could be rat urine on your food or even in the water.
Another way to get infected is to inhale dust contaminated with rat urine. The most frequent way to get infected by rat urine is through a fresh wound; the infection will have better access to your body.
Hantavirus
It is considered to be a viral disease that seriously affects the body; it can cause hemorrhagic fever and affect the lungs. The disease is found in rodents of all types and is mainly transmitted through their urine. Some symptoms of the disease are:- Fever
- Muscular aches and chills
- Dizziness
- Gastrointestinal problems
Leptospirosis
This infection may be better known as Weil's disease. It is considered to be a risky illness because if it is not treated in time it could be fatal. It is transmitted to humans through the urine of a carrier animal, including rats. This infection has all the symptoms of a normal infection, such as fever, dizziness, and body pain, except this infection can affect multiple important organs.
