Henrico County, Richmond Rat Control Situation:
Hello David: I am a female and scared to death of rats and roaches...I am certain rats are in my attic crawl space and I found a hole in the screen appeared to be chewed..I am afraid of the crawl space without rats!!! Can I just place trap by the one runaway where I am pretty certain they have entered? Obviously I am trying to avoid bucks on exterminator.
David: I live in Richmond VA and have to park on the street. Recently, the city dug up our street and I suppose the rat population. My truck's engine got infested. It is being fixed at this moment, but I'm wondering what--if anything--can I do to prevent this from happening again.The digging on my street has stopped and has been covered with cement or whatever. The repairs are being made on the truck and everything under the hood is being cleaned & disinfected. Any input would be appreciated.
Hello David We thought we had a squirrel problem in our roof but a company named Wildlife Control inspected our house yesterday and said we have a mice and rat problem. We have heard these animals scratching in the chimney and in the attic for over a year. Wildlife Control said they would seal the holes, remove all the insulation, decontaminate the area, clean the area, replace the electrical wires and insulation for $9,244.00. The square footage of the attic is 1,850 square feet. Do you think this is a fair deal or should I get a second opinion? I live about 30 miles east of Richmond VA and do not know who to call? Thank You for your website and information.
David I live in Richmond Virginia where it gets pretty hot in the summer. My house is an old 2 story house built in 1937. I have been working with rat problems over the years and have been following the steps u have outlined. Of course I need to do more.... My question is: Would rats be in the attic in the summer time? It's probably 120 - 140 degrees in there and therefore I thought they would wait for the cooler weather. I use Blox during the cooler months around the perimeter of the house. Thanks in Advance.
Richmond Rat Control Tip of The Week
Can A Rat Hurt A Human?
Rodents are animals that do not represent a direct threat to people. Although they are intelligent, they do not harm for pleasure. Most of the time, they are just bacteria carriers, but they do not spread them with the intention of starting a pandemic. The cases in which rats have harmed children, might have been because at that moment their instinct was activated to survive. Most houses that are invaded by this urban plague is because they do not take necessary preventive measures and rats have easy access to any corner of the house.
Rats vs. people
Man is surrounded by animals that are predators, so over the years, he decided to protect himself and shelter in homes. Some animals are attracted to find refuge in these homes due to the same necessity of protection and food that humans have. Rodents and people in the same house are a bad combination because of the structural and health damage that rodents can cause.
Can a rat make me sick?
Rats are animals whose excrement, urine, and saliva can contain a great number of bacteria damaging for people's health. Among the most well-known diseases are salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and hepatitis. The most common wounds caused by rodents are bites and scratches. An open and deep wound caused by rodents that come in contact with fluid from a rat will be an open door for microorganisms to spread into the bloodstream causing systemic infections that can be severe and even cause death.
In summary, it can be said that rats can hurt humans through infections by having contact with their fluids or can accidently cause scratches and bites through measures of self-defense. On the other hand, people that have a phobia of these little animals may have psychological damage when coming in contact with them.
