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Date Posted: 12/15/2007
We all like to satisfy our winter needs for a warm, safe place with plenty of
food in the pantry. But so do rodents and other animals. When these pests
intrude on our property, it becomes a situation much like kicking out the
unwelcome kid next door who is constantly coming over and staying past dinner,
and insists on using everything in your house for his own purposes. There are
several types of animals to watch out for as it gets colder: rats, mice,
raccoons, and opossums.
Rats & Mice: The general types of these rodents that exist in your home can
include the Norway rat, the roof (or black) rat and the house mouse. Roof rats
usually stake out attics or cabinets and can climb quite well. Norway rats
choose to live in the ground by digging burrows against foundations, tree
trunks, and gardens. Their burrows can lead into crawl spaces and small
openings around pipes which can enable them to inhabit your kitchens and
bathrooms.
No matter the type of rat that lives in your home, you can be sure that it will
be attracted to any food item you have in your pantry, especially high-quality
food products such as meat and fresh grain. If you have pets, be extra cautious
about foods being left out, because rats will smell and detect dog food that is
sitting out.
Rats need one-half to one fluid ounce of water everyday when consuming dry
foods. They have extremely sharp senses of taste, hearing, and smell. Once they
are aware of what is within their reach and given their keen senses, rats will
do anything to get to food or shelter. Overall, rats are able to enter a
building through openings that are wider than half an inch across. Rats have a
very short life span -- most die within a year. However, rats can breed
rapidly, so even though they die off quickly, their young will survive them.
Female rats produce five or six litters of about half a dozen to a dozen young
each year.
Now that you know a little about the rat's habits, how can you tell that you
have rats living alongside you in your home? Spotting droppings or visible
signs of fresh gnawing should be an obvious indicator of rats. Rat tracks can
appear on dusty surfaces or mud. Rats usually build runways and burrows to get
into your home and they can be found next to buildings and under debris and low
vegetation.
Rodent Treatment
There are many things you can do to prevent rats, but what about the rats you
know are already snooping in your attic and dark corners?
Snap traps can be used along with baits to attract rats. However, once other
rats see that a fellow rat has been killed from a snap trap, they will avoid it
at all costs. The other drawback to using a snap trap is the potential health
hazards it can cause when the rat is killed by the trap. Snap traps can also
pose a danger to children or pets in your home, as they can break bones or
cause an even more serious injury.
Glue-boards are traps that use non-drying glue to capture and hold down
rodents. These traps can be placed under tables, furniture, next to walls,
refrigerators, or any place where you suspect rodent activity. Glue-boards are
designed to get the rodent stuck on the board so that they cannot escape. Like
the snap traps, glue-boards can pose health problems if rats' bodies are pulled
apart and exposed in your home.
Live traps are probably the easiest and most inexpensive rodent control out
there. The other benefit of live traps is that it poses less risk or danger to
animals you are not targeting, such as your pets. They also do not kill rats,
unlike all the other methods discussed above. Instead, rats are captured and
left in the trap until you dispose of them. Be sure to place enough bait to
attract rats. If rats are without food, they may become anxious and eventually
die, leaving behind their bodies to decay, as well as a horrible stench. Try to
find areas where there are a lot of rat droppings, chewed entry points, and any
other place you suspect rat activity or have heard noises from.
Rodent Proofing
Here are some simple rules of thumb you can adopt to prevent a rodent invasion
in your home:
- Store all your accessible food in rodent-proof containers such as glass or
metal
- Place your trash in tightly covered metal cans to prevent smells from
escaping or potential rodent entry.
- Check your faucets to make sure they are functioning properly and to fix
leaks as they occur, since gaps or holes around pipes can serve as easy entry
points for rodents.
- Seal up any unnecessary openings with concrete or sheet metal. For other
access points, a 1/4 inch hardware cloth or steel wool should do the trick.
- For pet owners, put any uneaten pet food away before you go to bed, as any
pet food left out is subject to rodent consumption!
- Wipe your floors often! Any bits of food left on your floor may be game for
mice.
Commensal Rodents
The most common commensal rodents, raccoon and
opossums, are known to many homeowners as troublemakers because of the damage
they can cause by hibernating in your attic or wreaking havoc in your garden.
These animals normally hide out in attics, under decks, sheds, garages, crawl
spaces, etc. Sometimes, they choose to live in naturally formed holes near
foundations. Raccoons and opossums especially have an affinity for digging in
yards and garbage. They love to inhabit attics where they can care for their
litter in a warm, dark, and enclosed environment. If they are living in your
attic, chances are your attic has a strong odor, which can eventually make its
way into the living area. Besides odor problems, raccoons can destroy your
insulation and chew on any electrical wires present.
Preventing Animal Pests
Here are some ways you can prevent those pesky raccoons and opossums from
entering your property:
Spray a non-chemical solution over the areas where these animals are prone to
dig or consume food. This will leave a bad taste in their mouths and will
discourage it from going to the same place to cause trouble.
- Use a non-drying glue when animals are climbing your
bird feeder poles. Once the raccoon or opossum gets the glue from the pole on
their paws, it will usually irritate them enough to discourage them from
climbing the pole again.
- Implement a 24/7 motion detector near your fish pond. The motion detector
will be able to detect the animal when it is in its range. The detector is
non-chemical and will release a three-second spray of water to scare the pest
away.
For raccoons and opossums who are already inhabiting
your home, trapping with a bait (usually meat) is the most effective and viable
way to get rid of them. However, you should only handle raccoons and opossums
if you are an experienced handler. If you are not sure what to do, the best
idea is to call an animal removal service. Anteater Pest
and Lawn can send a trained professional out to the property to identify,
inspect and design a program for you. The Exclusion portion of their Rodent
Service is designed to:
- Identify rodent and rodent damage
- Inspect conditions conducive to rodents
- Seal/Close entry and exit points
- Install traps
- Return and remove traps
- Include a 1 Year renewable warranty
Once you are armed with the right facts and materials, you should be able to
handle rodents quickly and efficiently before they overstay their welcome in
your home and ruin your holidays.
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