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
How Can I Get Rid Of A Rat In My Bedroom?
Fill In Gaps And Cracks:
It's likely that there could be areas across your bedroom where rats can easily enter into your home. This could mean filling in cracks and gaps along the baseboard of your room or at the top of your room where the ceiling meets it. Filling in these gaps and cracks will make sure that a rat cannot enter and leave freely.
Remove Food:
If you regularly keep old plates and food in your bedroom it is important to remove these items and clean up your room as quickly as possible. More areas for rats to hide and more food sources will make sure that a rat will continually go back to that room.
Trim Overhanging Branches:
If you have branches that overhang to a window in your bedroom or hang close to the roof of your bedroom, you should trim them back as this can be a perfect way that rats can access your property.
Set Traps That Are Not Dangerous To Pets:
It's likely that you still want to have your pets in your bedroom so you will need to use a trap that is safe for your room and that will also be widely effective at catching rats. Making sure that you are using a safe trap to remove a rat is a great way to capture an animal that has been getting into your bedroom. Rats can spread poison easily so you should never consider using a poison trap, especially in the bedroom.
Remove Nesting Material Often:
If you find nesting material around your bedroom or in the walls, make sure that you are removing it often to discourage rats from breeding and setting up for a long time in your room.