What to do about rats..
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 7:17 pm
I just bought a 20 year old mobile home. The home is across the road from the intercoastal waterway, and apparently, when you have water, you have rats. The previous owner was elderly and let the foliage get jungle-like around the house. She also kept her bird and squirrel feeders full.
At the home inspection, we found a large dead rat in a trap right inside the crawl space door. The belly wrap was torn in several places. The owner had her pest control guy come over to tape it up, but the very next day I went to check on it and it was ripped again. (I suspect this is because he used duct tape. I really hope it wasn't because a rat was taped INTO the belly wrap.
As soon as I closed on the house in June, I bought 6 bait stations and a bucket of poison. It must be working because I've refilled them twice, AND Unfortunately, when I went to the house yesterday to finally move in (she had rented it back from me for 7 weeks) the place reeked of dead rodent. The exterminator is coming back tomorrow. Hope he will clear out the corpses.
I read through the postings and gleaned a few tidbits: Some mentioned having a sealed crawlspace. Is that even possible? Can't rats get in if they want? The house is on a cinderblock foundation with a small 2x3 ft door. By sealed, do you mean there is no door to the crawlspace? Someone else mentioned that you can't use duct tape on the belly wrap. I'm not going back under there myself! Tomorrow I'm going to swing by Clayton Homes to see if they can recommend someone who can help me out.
I have removed all the birdfeeders. I'm redoing the landscaping so it is no longer a jungle.
What else do I have to do to keep these rats away? a pet boa constrictor is not a viable option for me.
At the home inspection, we found a large dead rat in a trap right inside the crawl space door. The belly wrap was torn in several places. The owner had her pest control guy come over to tape it up, but the very next day I went to check on it and it was ripped again. (I suspect this is because he used duct tape. I really hope it wasn't because a rat was taped INTO the belly wrap.
As soon as I closed on the house in June, I bought 6 bait stations and a bucket of poison. It must be working because I've refilled them twice, AND Unfortunately, when I went to the house yesterday to finally move in (she had rented it back from me for 7 weeks) the place reeked of dead rodent. The exterminator is coming back tomorrow. Hope he will clear out the corpses.
I read through the postings and gleaned a few tidbits: Some mentioned having a sealed crawlspace. Is that even possible? Can't rats get in if they want? The house is on a cinderblock foundation with a small 2x3 ft door. By sealed, do you mean there is no door to the crawlspace? Someone else mentioned that you can't use duct tape on the belly wrap. I'm not going back under there myself! Tomorrow I'm going to swing by Clayton Homes to see if they can recommend someone who can help me out.
I have removed all the birdfeeders. I'm redoing the landscaping so it is no longer a jungle.
What else do I have to do to keep these rats away? a pet boa constrictor is not a viable option for me.