Saint Louis County, St. Louis Rat Control Situation:
Hi David! I have a quick question that I'm hoping you can help me with. My husband and I are hearing noises in the attic and we noticed that the outside vent to the dryer has been pulled away from the house. We have some contraction going on in two rooms and after we put Sheetrock up, the next morning a hole was chewed where the ceiling meets the crawl space between the first and second floors. There were also rat droppings on the floor. We went out and bought snap traps (6) and set 2 in the room with the hole, one in the laundry room, 2 in the main attic, and one in the smaller attic above the room. The next morning half the traps were triggered but nothing caught. We reset all the traps and the next morning all the traps were triggered and empty. The rat had also gotten into the pantry during the night and found a bag of dog treats and tried to pull them out under the door. The reset all the traps, wrapping the trigger with gauze and coating it with peanut butter to make it harder for them to just lick it off. For three weeks now the traps have been untouched. We don't have much activity in the attic either. Last night I took some of the dog treats and put it with the peanut butter as added incentive and we finally caught one... A big one. My question is, is it likely that there are more or that we only had the one? We have two dogs inside and it boggles my mind that rats would be ballsy enough to roam the house when there are dogs around! Should I keep the traps out and see what happens or do you think we got it? Only the one trap with the rat was triggered. Thanks so much for your time, Zui in St. Louis MO
My response: If the traps were triggered with no trap, you were definitely using the wrong traps for the animal you were dealing with. So if it was definitely large rat traps that you were using, then you didn't have a rat - maybe an opossum or something. And if it was rat, then you used the wrong traps - did you you mouse traps, by chance?
St. Louis Rat Control Tip of The Week
Are rats comfortable in cold weather?
As winter arrives, the cold increases, and the consequences of this change in weather are vast. Animals like rats will look to survive during these times. The principal necessity for them to be comfortable in these temperatures include refuge and food.
People's homes are perfect for rats to shelter from the cold. They are designed to give the security and benefits needed for a warm environment. As the cold increases, the rat's muscles start tensing, lowering their immune system to the point of making them more likely to get sick.
People and rats living in the same house are a bad combination
The danger of getting diseases is caused by the accumulation of feces that promotes bacteria development all over the house.
These microorganisms produce very dangerous diseases and infections, among them, the best known for its severity is leptospirosis that is caused by ingesting food contaminated with rodents' urine and feces.
The structural damage that living with rats can cause
Damages caused by rats are attributed by the capacity of their jaws to gnaw. They gnaw on materials like wood, plastic or even cables that, despite being hard, these are not an impediment for their teeth. During colder temperatures, their metabolism needs more energy to stay warm.
Among the activities to obtain this energy are eating and gnawing. On many occasions, this can cause dangerous accidents, such as fires thanks to short circuits caused by bitten cables. Economic losses can range from a pair of shoes to the entire house.
Living together with rodents is harmful for your health and bank account. You should know that when winter arrives, the rain and cold will make them find refuge, so you have to take preventative measures as a defense weapon against this urban plague.
