Somehow we got Kangaroo rats inside our home. How do we get rid of them?
ANSWER:
Kangaroo rats are common in the Midwest part of the U.S.A, in crop lands and rural areas.
They feed extensively on waste grain after the harvest.
They are also called pack rats.
They are primarily seed eaters.
They have a strong hoarding habit and will gather large numbers of seeds
in their cheek pouches and take them to their burrows for storage.
You can either use either :
SNAP TRAPS with the expanded plastic trigger(rat sized), or
a live trap such as the
WILDCAT SINGLE DOOR TRAP
Bait the traps with a combination of peanut butter and oatmeal.
For more information about Kangaroo rats : Click here
What is the best material for screening the foundation of the house, to prevent rats from entering.
Also, how do I secure the screening so that it
will stay and not be moved by the rats? Will caulk work for securing
the screening?
ANSWER:
Caulking will not work. Use 1/4" mesh hardware cloth and secure it with screw. You may have to use anchors and screws to attach it to the masonry.
I have a serious rat problem. I hear them running in the roof. However, I cannot get into the roof because it is closed off. How do I get rid of them?
Is there some sort of fumigation that I can spray into the roof to keep them away from that area?
ANSWER:
No, there is nothing to keep them away. I would use a Wildcat Live Cage-Single Door a live trap,placed on the roof near the entry points. After trapping all of the rodents, seal the area with metal or hardware cloth.
Is there a rat poison in the marketplace that is not toxic to dogs, should
they pick up or chew a dead rat, after the rat ingested the material.
I am not worried about my Labrador Retrievers eating the poison directly,
but from coming in contact with a dead rat. We live in the country, and rats are a constant challenge.
ANSWER:
I would use Fastrac or Quintox .
It contains Vitamin D3 which causes death from heart failure.
It doesn't cause secondary poisoning.
With both these rodent baits, Quintox and Fastrac, it is important to keep non targeted animals away from this bait, because
there is no antidote.
It would be wise to use : Tamper Proof Bait Stations : Rat Size , or Mice size designed to keep other animals and children out of this type of rodent bait.
My sister has larva crawling out of her bathroom light. They are slightly
larger than a fly maggot and have black on them. The other side of the
fan/light connects to the attic. She has seen up to five at a time in the light
cover. They seem to crawl back up into the attic during daylight hours. Any
idea what this could be?
ANSWER:
Rodents will sometimes store food in the attics. This will attract beetles and moths. I suspect you are seeing their larvae.
Another possibility is a dead rodent which has produced maggots(fly larvae).
I think I have squirrels under my floor boards. I live in an older building
that has a cement base floor, with studs, sub-flooring and hardwood. This
past winter we keep hearing load scratching starting as early as 10:00pm,
but typically 2:00 - 3:00am. We bang the floor and the scratching persists
sometimes as long as 1 hour.
First, do you think they are squirrels? The sound is so loud I assume they
are squirrels. Second, is there any I can do? I was thinking of boring a
few holes in the floor boards and dumping down moth balls. Will this work?
ANSWER:
I believe you have rats. Poison bait or traps would be the answer. Moth balls may run them away, but it may just move them. Trapping near the entry point would be my best advice.
I believe you have rats. Poison bait(rodenticide)or rat size traps, live, snap or glue traps would be the answer. Moth balls may run them away, but it may just move them. Trapping near the entry point would be my best advice.
Rats carry many diseases, and recently we have had a few die in inaccessible
areas near our water heater. As the rat decomposes, will any of these
diseased germs affect the health of our family?
ANSWER:
I wouldn't worry about the decomposing rat. The urine and feces are the biggest concern. Anytime you clean an area that has rodent dropping and or urine, use gloves and a mask to filter any dust.
We had a rat come in from our commode, the exterminator got rid of it, how
can we stop rats from coming in from a commode.
ANSWER:
He most likely got in through the vent pipe on the roof. This is the vent for all the bathroom plumbing. You could fashion a screen cover with 1/4" mesh hardware cloth and hose clamps.
I have placed pellets of rat poison for about a week now
and it is eating it, but it is still alive.
The
active ingredient is Brodifacoum. I noticed at your site that you seemed to
think this is one of the the best ingredients for rodent control.
It is very
frustrating for me to work at my computer and listen to this rat eat through
my house.
Another thing I wanted to mention is that there is no food source
for the rat. The only thing I can think of is the bird seed which my wife
fills up the feeder and then throws it on the ground also. Why would the
rat make a home under my house?
Should I continued to use the Enforcer rat
poison because I can't take much more of the rat chewing up my house, I am
almost tempted to call a professional - which they charge $150.00!
ANSWER:
The pellets containing brodifacoum will take about 5 days to kill the rodent.
Dominant rats in a group will hoard bait for themselves and other rats may not get any until the dominant one dies.
I would continue to bait for 2-3 weeks.
Shelter is a big draw for rats under the house.
Why don't rats come out of the walls.
There are many food sources for them out of the walls, and they could
easily access them.
But they don't. Or at least, they don't appear to.
What could they possibly be eating in the walls, and how do we get them
out?
ANSWER:
They are probably using the walls just for shelter.
Food and water are being accessed outside.
Trapping with Rat Snap Traps
or a live trap such as
Wildcat Single Door
would work well.
