Rats

Post date: Jan 10, 2017 5:35:31 PM

RATS!!!

Attention: this affects your property and your vehicle

The neighborhood is experiencing a rat infestation and we need your help reducing the population. We are asking the neighborhood to set traps and bait stations around your property. One location we know the rats are living is in the greenbelt next to Brickyard Rd. A few homes on NE 167th St. have had rats in their attics and crawl spaces causing thousands of dollars of damage to insulation. The rats have also taken resident in a vehicle on NE 167th St. causing damage to electrical wiring.

As these homes have taken action to eliminate the rats from their property the population will likely move to find new homes to live in and new food sources. Don’t consider yourself safe if you live at the other end of the neighborhood. Taking action now will possibly save you thousands of dollars in the long run. The cost to clean out a crawl space, disinfect it, and replace insulation is anywhere from $2,400-$3,800.

Best Ways to Get Rid of Rats

• 1. Inspect your house and property for signs of rats

     1. 1. Find possible entry points. A rat only needs the size of a quarter to squeeze into your home. Look near the foundation, near entrances to crawl spaces, around vents, under doors, and anyplace where plumbing or wiring goes into your home, and where roof angles meet.

        2. On NE 167th St. rats have entered two homes crawl spaces via a drain pipe that ran down the property line and split off to each house into their crawl space. The drain must have a screen on the end that is in the crawl space to keep rodents out.

  2. Make your home less attractive to rats

• • • 1. Remove their food and shelter. They will eat just about anything. Things to look for outside include compost piles, bird or squirrel feeders, pet food, and pet waste.

      2. Stack firewood at least 18 inches off of the ground and keep it several feet away from your house.

      3. Trim back plants, bushes, and trees. Rats will crawl up trees and jump onto the roof.

      4. Keep all garbage inside trash bins with securely closing lids.

• 3. Traps

• • • 1. Snap traps are the most effective way to trap. Peanut butter is commonly used as bait since it will not spoil quickly. Other options are pieces of apple, potato, and raw bacon.

         1. 1. Trapper T Rex Rat Traps will fit in the Protecta bait station or Ambush bait station and are an alternative solution to help keep nontargeted animals and children away from the traps.

      2. Rats are often shy of new objects and the placement of unset traps in a new location for a week or two will increase the opportunities for catching.

      3. The top rule for using any rat trap is to use plenty of traps (at least a dozen). You may need more traps than you think is warranted when trapping rats. Usually, the rat population is larger than expected.

      4. Place rat traps spaced from 15-20 feet apart. Remember to place them touching a wall or fence since rats like to run along walls/fences because their vision is very poor.

• 4. Bait Stations

• • • 1. Rodents enter the station, eat the bait, and go off to die.

      2. Protects your children and pets from poisonous bait.

Rat Facts

• 1. Though they can live in a variety of natural habitats. Roof rats tend to live up in trees, whereas Norway Rats (common in northern states) and mice live at ground level or even in underground burrows. They very frequently live in people's homes or other buildings, such as the attic or basement, especially if these buildings contain or are near food sources.

  2. Rats are nocturnal; they come out at night to search for food.

  3. They will travel between 100-400 feet to search for food. (33-133 yards)

  4. They eat a variety of foods but often prefer grains.

  5. They have rodent teeth that continually grow, and they gnaw on objects in order to wear down the teeth.

  6. There are over 30 different types of diseases associated with rats and their droppings.

  7. Mating in mature rats occurs throughout the year between 7-15 times annually depending on species. When a female becomes receptive, she will mate with a large group of males within a short time span, up to 500 times within a six-hour period. Once a female becomes pregnant, gestation will last between 22 and 24 days.

  8. The litter size for rats varies depending on species, but is generally between 2-14, with an average litter size of about 10. Rats are weaned and leave the nest at approximately 3 to 4 weeks of age. Male rats reach sexual maturity at three months, females at four months.