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
Is It Common For Rats To Bite Humans While They're Sleeping?
There have been many cases reported in which human beings have been bitten by rodents. People tend to be alarmed when seeing a rat, not just for being repulsive but for the notoriety they have. However, some rumors are just myths that are a bit exaggerated.
Any animal tends to behave aggressively if they feel threatened or in a dangerous situation. In the case of rodents, the behavior is the same. Most of the times they want to go unnoticed, but if they feel cornered they can bite in defense to escape.
Can Rats Bite People While They're Asleep?
It is a rare thing that a rat climbs to someone's bed and bites them. Generally, the occasions in which a rodent climbs a piece of furniture has to do with dirtiness. A messy bed with crumbs of food will attract a rodent.
In these situations, the animal does not normally attack the person. However, some rats sometimes bite kids when they sleep. These exceptions happen because these kids are in low hygiene conditions with crumbs of food on their hands and the smell of this food is an open invitation for rats and their instinct for feeding.
Rats And Infections
People that have been bitten by a rat usually say it is a very strong pain. It is known that their teeth can deeply penetrate the skin, whereby it is necessary to act and clean the wound quickly to prevent the spread of diseases that can be caused when their saliva enters in contact with the bloodstream.
Rodents are vectors in the transmission of many diseases due to the bacteria and viruses they carry. A messy and dirty house is sought after by rodents, due to the abundance of areas suitable for nests. For this reason, if you wish to prevent a rodent infestation, you should keep your house clean.
