Davidson County, Nashville Rat Control Situation:
David, Thank you for your site. Lots of great info there and very thorough. I had rats in my attic. Before I saw your site I called Orkin and they did a decent job with trapping and exclusion. It's hot in Nashville now so we have not had problems recently. Now it's time for cleanup. Wildlife Conrol quoted $4500. We can not and will not be paying that. A friend that does termite work mostly quoted $250. He proposes using his shop-vac to vaccum the droppings. I have ordered the Bac-azap for disinfecting, based on your recommendation and other reviews read online and he will also spray down the attic. Couple questions: I'm concerned about the use of the Shop-vac for the exhaust that will be broadcast while it's on. He says he will look for a Hepa filter, but in your opinion is this acceptable? Many Wildlife Control techs were in the attic many times over a month, without respirators, and to my knowledge no disease contracted (visibly). Is that enough to rule out potential hazards in using a Shop-vac? I'm told the level of droppings is "not that bad" and isolated to a couple areas. That may or may not help you. Second question is if spraying the enzyme will be sufficient, or if a fogger is required? I do have small children which is the concern, but I'm trying to remain reasonable and believe the drastic and expensive techniques proposed by some may be overkill (scare tactics?). Thanks again for your informative site, and thank you in advance for any advice.
I had a pet rat that went missing in early June of this year and just today we discovered it got stuck between my wall and dresser. It looks like a pancake. At first, I thought it was mold but then saw it's eyes and skeleton. I have no idea what to do and the thought of removing it myself is horrifying. How do I remove a rat the has decomposed this far and that is pretty much stuck to my wall and dresser?
Sunday morning woke up to find the rubber threshold to the front door was eaten away. Droppings about ¼ - 3/8" were found throughout the house. Looked like more than one with about 20 droppings. Spent Sunday replacing the threshold, put two TomCat baited traps by the front door and two TomCat baited traps in the house (by front door and next to refrigerator. Also, two mouse traps with peanut butter bait (the kind the mouse goes in and the door shuts behind it). Went to go to work today (Monday), new threshold eaten away, and only about 6 - 7 droppings in the house. All traps not touched. I have read sticky paper is a good way to catch rodents. Based off what I have stated above, is this a rat looking for a new food source to go back and tell his friends?
Hi David. Are you based in the Portland Metro area, or is that Wildlife Control? I have a listing that shows old rat black box traps and has about 12 bags of insulation that's been wrapped up for years. Buyer just had a home inspection and is asking for any and all rats found in the premises and in the crawl space to be removed, the bags removed, all the other contaminated insulation removed, vacuumed, fogged...and then new insulation laid. Would that be a job you can bid on, maybe Monday?
Nashville Rat Control Tip of The Week
What Are Possible Diseases Rats Can Carry?
Apart from causing severe damage to the structure of houses, rats are major carriers of life-threatening diseases. This simply shows how important it is for you to remove them from your home and make sure they don't find their way back.
Disease transmission from rats to humans can occur through several routes. These include;- Human exposure to wastes of rats such as feces, saliva, nesting materials, and urine while handling or removing them from homes.
- Bites from rats that are infected.
- Unsafe handling of rats (touching of rats without wearing gloves) and eating food that is contaminated with rat feces, urine, or saliva.
Diseases can be transmitted from rats through any of the above means. This clearly shows that if you have rats running around your home, you are at a high risk of getting infected. The following are some of the possible diseases rats can carry.
1. Hantavirus
This particular disease is one of the most life-threatening diseases that rats carry. Currently, Hantavirus is yet to have a known cure, vaccine, or treatment. Some of the symptoms of this particular disease include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea.
2. Salmonella
This particular disease is a bacterial infection carried in the digestive tracts of rats. When they pass feces, it usually contains a large proportion of this bacteria. If by mistake you consume any food substances that are contaminated with this bacteria, you might contract Salmonella. Some of the symptoms of this disease include diarrhea, vomiting, fever, chills, nausea, and abdominal cramps.
3. Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus
This disease is another life-threatening disease that rats transmit to humans when there is contact. LCMV is capable of causing encephalitis and meningitis if not quickly managed at its early phase.
4. Rat-bite Fever
Unlike other types of diseases, rat-bite fever is only transmitted when a rat bites you. The bacteria of this disease is found in the saliva of rats. The symptoms of this infection include high fever, muscle pain, headaches, and skin rash.
