Homeowners awoken to the sounds of rustling and gnawing coming from their walls or attic space might be dealing with rats. While some keep rats as pets others are quick to request their immediate eviction. Rats are intelligent and clever rodents who will avoid the temptation of tasty baits in traps to preserve their mortality. The reason for this is in their innate characteristic of being neophobic.
Neophobia is a dislike or a fear of something new or unfamiliar. Rats in many cases display their neophobia when the arrival of traps and baited boxes arrive in their close proximity or along their traveled routes. They are genetically wired to know that the new arrivals are potential threats. In some cases the rats will disregard their neophobia and go for the bait; in other cases the bait will be ignored. There are ways to evict even the most neophobic rats.
When using baited traps a tried and true method involves the process of laying out food for a couple days with the traps unarmed. This technique is referred to as pre-baiting. With the traps unarmed and “free meals” to enjoy the rats will eventually become comfortable with the presence of the traps and the habit of feeding from the pre-baited location. After a couple of days the traps can be armed and baited with a generally higher success rate. Another method of rat removal is trap less and bait less focusing on exclusions.
Exclusions refer to repairs, both in active and proactive forms. Arguably the best way to seal rats and other critters from the home relies on locating the critters entrances/exits and potentially new entrances/exits. Once located, all of the cavities can be sealed with the exception of one or two. The cavities left open can be fitted with a one-way door. A one way door works like a doggy dog except it only allows the critters to exit.
After confirming all the rats have exited the one way door can be removed and the cavity behind it sealed.
Rats like most home invading critters can require a game plan to remove. Knowing the characteristics of the critter that needs evicting can help with that plan. Contact Critter Evictors if you believe you have rats in your walls or ceiling that require evicting.