Sacramento County, Sacramento Rat Control Situation:
Hello David, I am desperate now. I have four children all under the age of thirteen. I need some help. I have an infestation of rats in my house. They were mainly in the walls and attic. One Sorry huge rat I killed that came in my house is dead. I poisoned him. I cut down my hedges because I had huge holes behind them. I filled it with dirt. The next door neighbor elevated her house and her problem ran behind my hedges. I put rat traps in the attic, poison, glue traps. Always fixing holes. I still have rats. I Heard one just last night fall down my wall. I live by woods and the rats seem out of control. Never had a problem for the thirteen years I have been living here until the neighbor elevated her house next door to me. Please any suggestions would be appreciated. I also hired orkin and it didn't help either. Very concerned, Angela in Sacramento CA
Hi David. I discovered your web site while googling "rat urine". We have had an occasional problem with rats over the past 3 years and thought we had the problem fixed last fall after a 1 year contract with a local pest control company. This past weekend we smelled a dead rat and found a small one in the crawl space. The smell dissipated and this morning we woke up to a horrible urine smell which came from the front hallway/living room (they are side by side). This is above the area where we found the dead rat, which we removed. As we don't know exactly where the smell is, we don't want to start ripping down drywall. Do you know of any good company in the Vancouver area of British Columbia that can help us with the clean-up and blocking the rats entry? Or, if not, what type of things should we be looking for when calling pest control. We are at our wits end and really believed that we had solved the problem. Thank you in advance for your advice. Robert
Hello, thanks for the informative page. I have a room addition that was built onto my house and the the rats have chewed an opening from the outside where the water pipes come in. The space they are scratching in is a wall space between the old building and new building and as of now there is no access to the attic or into the house they just have this cavity they have found. I don't want to seal up the hole with them in there. What do your recomend as the best course of action. thanks, Bill
Sacramento Rat Control Tip of The Week
Black Rat Biology
The black rat (Rates Rattus) has likewise been known as a ship rat, rooftop rat, and old English rat, among other names. It is a long-tailed rodent that is native to Asia. However, it is found in practically all parts of the world today. Black rats prefer hotter zones, however, are profoundly versatile, and will look for cover in natural (woods) and unnatural (homes and structures) areas. It is bigger and more aggressive than its brown-colored cousin, but is more vulnerable to cold and has a more constrained diet. Black rats are generally omnivores. They are a genuine threat to ranchers since they will eat a wide scope of farming harvests, seeds, and feed. A large population of black rats can decimate a field of crops, or contaminate a barn full of feed and hay.
A common black rat is 5.02-7.19 in long, including its tail, and weights 4.12 oz. when fully grown. Notwithstanding its name, the black rat is normally not black. Its coat is typically extremely dark brown. In the wild, black rats want to settle in burrows made using the ground litter (leaves, twigs, etc.) found on timberland floors. In urban settings, they like attics and upper floors of structures, making homes from discovered litter, destroyed paper, and insulation.
They are also tasty meals for coyotes, wild dogs, and other predator winged animals. These obtrusive pests are difficult to dispose of once they move in. Talk with your neighborhood experts on approaches to shield your home from being overrun. Keeping your yard free of clutter, yard debris, standing water, and trash will deter them. You should keep all garbage in fixed holders, and pick up outside pet food and feed. Routinely check your home and building for cracks and openings that would give black rats a path to your home. Black rats are keener on living in their normal habitat than in your home; however, they will consistently exploit food, water, and safe shelter.
