Jefferson County, Louisville Rat Control Situation:
Good morning David. I came across your website and would like to ask you for some advice! I am currently dealing with mice in my ceiling/walls. They have not made it into my house itself but they are driving me nuts and will ultimately cause damage to my house at some point. I have an exterminator that comes to my house every 3 months and that has helped to prevent any mice within my home. The problem with them in my ceiling and wall began in December. I mentioned this to the exterminators and they baited my house... I guess to draw them out. It's been months now and they still are in my ceiling and getting worse... waking me up at night... I can hear them running around and squeaking... yuck. Drives me and my cat nuts to say the least... The big dilemma is that I have an old city row home... it has a flat roof and no attic or access via panel to the ceiling. The exterminators are lacking in their services... I have them coming out on Monday to get on my roof and look for holes etc... Can you provide me with some guidance on how to resolve this major issue... Can they put bait boxes on my roof to draw the mice out... or should I create an access panel to my ceiling so we can bait or set traps? HELP PLEASE! Thank you so very much!
My response: Never use bait boxes or ultrasonic sound machines. Niether help. Inspect the house and find out how the mice are getting inside. Seal up every single last entry/exit hole and gap with steel. Trap, properly trap on rat runways, ALL the mice, and remove them from the house. Clean up the attic space or home once they are all gone for good.
Thank you for responding. My main issue is how to get traps in my ceiling without an access panel? I have all finished ceilings and a flat roof... The exterminators are saying there is no way to get traps in my ceiling... I can inspect and seal all the holes and gaps but all that will do at this point it trap the mice inside my house... I dont know how we are supposed to draw them out of my ceiling and walls... They are not getting into my actual house... just ceiling and walls... Im really at a loss now.
Louisville Rat Control Tip of The Week
What To Do If A Rat Got Inside My House?
Rats are considered as one of the most dangerous household pests due to their destructive nature and their ability to carry diseases and other disease-causing organisms. If you happen to have a rat invasion in your home, you need to find a way to get them out without any further delay.
Rats are naturally sneaky and will always find a way to move around your home without being noticed. As a result of this, getting them out of your house might be quite difficult to do. To help make this easy for you, we will be sharing the simple steps you can take to handle the situation if rats get inside your house.
1. Locate All Their Entry Holes
Rats getting into your home means there are holes around your home big enough to allow their easy passage. Having realized this, the first thing you need to do is to find those holes and seal them up. By doing this, you will be preventing more rats from getting into your home.
2. Clean Your House
Even though rats do infest the cleanest of houses, it important for you to make sure your house is unattractive to rats by clearing all dirt and clutter in and around your home. To do this, take your time to clean your kitchen floor, clear out hidden places that you don't clean regularly, and vacuum the floor of your home to remove food particles. Also, when cleaning your home, you need to make sure your food is kept in a rat-proof container or cupboard.
3. Keep Their Natural Predators
When it comes to getting rats out of your home, one of the best ways to do this is to get their natural predators in your home. For instance, you can get a cat to help hunt them down and keep them away.
4. Trap And Remove
Although the use of lethal traps is an inhumane way to get rid of rats in your home, it is the most efficient method to use. To use this method, all you have to do is get traps from a local store and place them along the route of the rats.
Repeat this same process until you can remove all of the rats in your home.