Jump to content






Photo
- - - - -

Roof Rats...any Experience Getting Rid Of Them?


  • Please log in to reply
21 replies to this topic

#16 JohhnyCash

JohhnyCash

    Veteran

  • Premium Member
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 113 posts

Posted 24 November 2015 - 08:04 PM

We occasionally have rats and I kill them with a Victor rat trap baited with grape jelly.  They cannot resist.

 

Squash the "catch tab" down a little bit with a pair of pliers to make a "hair trigger".  I tune the traps so they will almost go off on their own.

 

Don't waste your time with the new fangled designs, they just don't work.

 

JC



#17 Anthony2173

Anthony2173

    Veteran

  • Premium Member
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 158 posts
  • Location:Natoma Station

Posted 30 November 2015 - 09:48 AM

Any idea what your neighbor paid

Not the slightest clue. I can say there were no rants about cost so I'm guessing it was reasonable.



#18 giacomo

giacomo

    All Star

  • Premium Member
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 447 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Natoma Station
  • Interests:Wine, good food, goof friends traveling to Hawaii, soccer, 70's/80's music, , Lake Tahoe

Posted 30 November 2015 - 12:14 PM

My issue is the damn squirrels.  We used to have rats, and yes Natoma Station is prime breeding ground for them,  but no sign of them lately (and we live in Natoma Station).  Still have 3 bait stations in backyard just in case. Squirrels got into the roof via entry hole on tile roof, and each morning we can hear them. it almost sounds like they'll go through the ceiling they're so loud. I  spent about an hour on Sunday checking for all the entry holes. I  used chicken wire to fill all gaps and holes and today didn't hear a single sound from the roof.  One note, use gloves when handling the chicken wire and cutting it down to size. it's sharp and can leave lots of little cuts on your hands.  As for bait on regular rat traps I used cheese/peanut butter and worked well.



#19 sunnyCA

sunnyCA

    Superstar

  • Premium Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 577 posts

Posted 03 December 2015 - 08:25 AM

Thanks to everyone for the replies.  We called Brandon at Thomas Wildlife Control (916.500.9027) and I am SO glad we did.  Brandon came out and carefully inspected the attic.  He was up there for quite a while, and of course, I was getting nervous that maybe our attic was out of control and was going to be extremely expensive to deal with.  He came down and said that on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most damage he had seen, our attic was (wait for it...) a 1.

 

For $650, he did a full exclusion process.  He fully analyzed the inside and outside of the attic and sealed off every possible hole with a really fine steel mesh.  I know that we could have done it ourselves for less, but honestly, it was worth it to have someone who knows the process do it right.

 

Terminix tried to convince us that not only did we need exclusion (for $1650...yes, a full $1000 more than we paid), but that we also needed a full attic overhaul--sanitizing and insulation removal/replacement for another $6900.  Brandon took a bunch of pictures that showed that to be a ridiculous proposition. It would have been a waste of time and money.  And this is from someone who does this all day, every day.  Not only that, Brandon actually identified clearly the path that the rats had used to get in and where they were going in the attic.  The traps that Terminix set were in the complete opposite end of the attic...no wonder they never caught anything.  Brandon set 8 traps in the path they were actually using and so if any were in the attic before the exclusion process, he will catch and remove them.  In the interest of disclosure, that was another $250, but honestly, totally worth it to us not to have to deal with it during the holidays. And his service is guaranteed.

 

And yes, we ended service Terminix.  



#20 (RobertAbdo)

(RobertAbdo)
  • Visitors

Posted 23 June 2016 - 04:17 AM

My aunt also faced the problem of roof rats and she was too fed up of them. Moreover, they were also having a baby in their home. She instead of using DIY methods preferred calling pest expert like from pest control sacramento and this worked out for her. Their products were non-toxic and this didn't harm the baby.



#21 Sandman

Sandman

    Hall Of Famer

  • Premium Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,547 posts

Posted 23 June 2016 - 06:42 AM

Dont use peanut butter. They love it bit will just lick the trap dry without setting it off.

#22 knittychick

knittychick

    Superstar

  • No Politics!
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 640 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:Broadstone

Posted 07 January 2017 - 10:29 AM

I want to give a shout out to Thomas Wildlife Control. We could hear activity in our attic, so my husband set up traps and caught a few rats, but we could still hear noises. My husband would reset the traps, but caught nothing. We called Brandon at Thomas Wildlife Control and found that rats and squirrels were destroying our roof from the outside. We have a Spanish style tile roof (rounded tile) and the rats and squirrels could run around the entire roof using the tiles as tunnels. We were hearing the rodents scratching and gnawing on the outside of the roof. They had destroyed the roof paper, so we had bare wood exposed that allowed for water damage. The rats had also chewed into the wood (not through the wood) causing additional damage. Once the tiles were removed Brandon took pics and a video to show us the damage on our roof and he found the ½” access holes on the roof seams where rats could enter the attic. We had extensive damage and you could see NONE of it when the tiles were in place. Anyway, Brandon and his crew worked on our roof for two full days and repaired everything using materials that should prevent further rodent damage.

 

They were knowledgeable, hardworking professionals. I have complete confidence in their work and I highly recommend them. So happy I have peace of mind that our roof is repaired before this weekend’s storm and we won’t have any more unwanted guests in our attic.  


"Peace is always beautiful." - Walt Whitman




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users