Rats! (I've got 'em)

[newbymom05]

So far, we know they're in the attic because we can hear them and they've made nests in our insulation, left droppings, etc. I called out a pest co that was recommended on local board and they want $435 to seal up entry points and lay out poison. People on the board think that's the cost of being rat-free (we live in a pretty affluent area). To me, that's an insane price!

I don't know what to do. We've laid out poison and gotten a few (we know b/c they've been stinking up the walls, bleccch!!!) but I want to stop them from getting in. DH is no help he doesn't see where they're getting in and doesn't want to futz around the (r)attic and I don't blame him, I don't want to either!

So basically, my question is, is $435 in the ball park of reasonable? What do others do w/ rodent problems?

[HollyBearsMom]

field mice I can deal with. They are a fact of life in a really old farm house but rats???

there is no price too high to get them out of my house. Just the thought of a big old dead rat decomposing in my walls makes me want to hurl.

So in my book $400+ is totally worth it.

[grahamsmom98]

So far, we know they're in the attic because we can hear them and they've made nests in our insulation, left droppings, etc. I called out a pest co that was recommended on local board and they want $435 to seal up entry points and lay out poison. People on the board think that's the cost of being rat-free (we live in a pretty affluent area). To me, that's an insane price!

I don't know what to do. We've laid out poison and gotten a few (we know b/c they've been stinking up the walls, bleccch!!!) but I want to stop them from getting in. DH is no help he doesn't see where they're getting in and doesn't want to futz around the (r)attic and I don't blame him, I don't want to either!

So basically, my question is, is $435 in the ball park of reasonable? What do others do w/ rodent problems?

Well, is $435 reasonable to protect your family from possible diseases and your home from electrical fires? I think so! Rats like to chew on wiring. And, if they can gain entry into the house, so can other critters, depending on where they are coming in (ground floor: skunks, squirrels, other rodents. Above the first floor: squirrels, bees & wasps, and birds). If they are in your attic, they could be causing damage to your roofing, and rain & snow always finds the openings/weak spots!

Are these Norway rates or wood rats? Either way, they have to go!

I would ask the pest control about using traps (kill-type) in addition to poison. If a rat manages to get outside after ingesting poison, it puts whatever animal consumes it (the dead rat) at risk for death, as well.

Most definately, you need to find out where they are coming in and seal those entry points. Either do it yourself (which doesn't sound like the popular idea!) or hire the experts. I would get several estimates on the cost of doing this. Catching or killing any type of rat isn't easy, they are smart and resourceful creatures. They won't want to leave or get caught!!

And, since I am sure you'll get responses suggesting using a cat, please don't. It puts the cat at risk for disease and injury (not to mention the risk of poisoning the cat).

[elsie]

Unless you want to get a big snake to live in your attic, I'd probably pay the exterminator.

[hibana]

Originally Posted by elsie

Unless you want to get a big snake to live in your attic, I'd probably pay the exterminator.

Though they are extremely effective...

[jillyofthevalley]

We had a rat problem in our old neighbourhood. We were finding them in our shed a lot and they did get into the house a couple of times. We found rat traps and peanut butter to be very effective. We caught the critters that moved into the house the first night with the traps and then we left traps in the shed at all times. It seemed to do the trick. After a while they disappeared. Definitely try to find out where they are getting in and block up the holes. Our little buggers came into the garage and then chewed through the drywall into our storage room and into the inside of the wall. Also, look around your yard and see if you can find any hot spots out there (like the garden shed) and set up traps there as well. You can get rid of them cheaply if you're willing to do the dirty work. I made dh do it.

[newbymom05]

Thanks for the replies, ladies. I actually like the snake idea, lol. SunFlower MOmmy, DH's new theory is that they're getting in via the garage, just like you described.He seems pretty deadset on having the exterminators in tomorrow, guess I"ll just suck it up money-wise. Interesting that no one on an international board has paid so much to deal w/ these vile critters.

[lucyem]

If it makes you feel better it would cost quite a bit more for us to get rid of rats here. More then $400 just for supplies to block up holes in our basement. The foundation is all stone. The whole thing has holes in it. We have no mice in our house, I think because we have so many snakes in the basement. But we certainly have rats. In the house and barns. We cannot use poison because of all our animals. I do think we are going to have to start trapping. My DH will eventually work on the foundation but it will take him a long time.

[rainyday]

We've had roof rats before. They're really common in the Pacific Northwest (don't know where you are). We ended up paying way more than $450 to get rid of them, and I think it was well worth it.

I'd worry about the exterminator you found for a couple of reasons. Did they find the entry points already? Most companies will do a free inspection and estimate. Call several companies, and you'll see that they don't all agree about the entry points. You also need one that will look at the integrity of the edge of your roof/gutter system. If you've got soft, easily gnawed wood there, they will return, even if their current entry/exit points are sealed.

Also, the problem with using poison is (as you've found out), they die in the walls of your house. Some exterminators will tell you that the rats will get thirsty from the poison which will drive them outside. Well, it might, or it might drive them to that small leak in a pipe that you don't yet know about, or they might get too sick to get outside, or maybe the exterminator's just making that up. I've read conflicting things about whether it's even true. In my experience, though, they WILL die in your walls, and the more that die there, the worse the smell will be, to the point that you will want to bash holes in your ceiling to find them or move out for a while.

We were finally able to eradicate ours by finding an exterminator who really took time to seal not just the current holes but any weak spots he could find. Before we found someone who did that, they just kept making/finding new entry spots. This was a big job for us, but that depends on your roof.

The exterminator we ended up using used traps in the attic spaces of our house. His rationale was that if all the entry/exit points are sealed, they will eventually be driven to the traps by hunger. It worked really well for us. I think the traps stopped catching rats after about a week, and then the company left them for another week or two to be sure. Since then, we've had no rats at all.

[newbymom05]

Originally Posted by rainyday

We've had roof rats before. They're really common in the Pacific Northwest (don't know where you are). We ended up paying way more than $450 to get rid of them, and I think it was well worth it.

I'd worry about the exterminator you found for a couple of reasons. Did they find the entry points already? Most companies will do a free inspection and estimate. Call several companies, and you'll see that they don't all agree about the entry points. You also need one that will look at the integrity of the edge of your roof/gutter system. If you've got soft, easily gnawed wood there, they will return, even if their current entry/exit points are sealed.

Also, the problem with using poison is (as you've found out), they die in the walls of your house. Some exterminators will tell you that the rats will get thirsty from the poison which will drive them outside. Well, it might, or it might drive them to that small leak in a pipe that you don't yet know about, or they might get too sick to get outside, or maybe the exterminator's just making that up. I've read conflicting things about whether it's even true. In my experience, though, they WILL die in your walls, and the more that die there, the worse the smell will be, to the point that you will want to bash holes in your ceiling to find them or move out for a while.

We were finally able to eradicate ours by finding an exterminator who really took time to seal not just the current holes but any weak spots he could find. Before we found someone who did that, they just kept making/finding new entry spots. This was a big job for us, but that depends on your roof.

The exterminator we ended up using used traps in the attic spaces of our house. His rationale was that if all the entry/exit points are sealed, they will eventually be driven to the traps by hunger. It worked really well for us. I think the traps stopped catching rats after about a week, and then the company left them for another week or two to be sure. Since then, we've had no rats at all.

Thanks for the informative post! The estimate I got was after they walked around w/ DH looking at entry points. DH doesn't want to wait (stinky rotting wall rat, y/k) so they're the only exterms we've called but they've come highly rec'd regarding finding/eradicating entry points and their plan is what you've described, so fingers crossed.

[KatWrangler]

Uh yes I would suck it up. The thought of rats in the house and possibly biting my children. Rats have to go.

[GearGirl]

Well we had a similar problem when we bought our house, it is common here as we are right on the bay. The problem did not end with pest control, they sealed up everything, we replaced the garage door, they put out traps, didn't work. I rescued a kitten (4 months old) not even thinking about the rats, just how cute the kitten was. The problem is now gone, gone, gone. Completely gone. I know this because we also have a schnauzer, and she would sniff and huff at all of the heating vents when the rats (yuck) were around. She hasn't done this in over a year. I don't know if all cats would be like mine, because he is a vicious hunter by nature. If there is even a tiny fly he stalks it, and goes crazy. I would never suggest adopting an animal that you don't want to help with this, but if you were thinking of a kitten anyway it would be a good time to go for it. I would look for the one most interested in going after toys, most alert, and attentive. The $ to the exterminator is worth a try though certainly.