[Avolat]

I've been hearing noises from my ceiling...originally at night between 10 and midnight then sometimes between 4 and 6 am...lately it's been mostly those early morning hours around 4am.

I determined that a rat had likely moved in. I have regular pest service (for insect control but they advertise that they also deal with rodents) and so had them pop up through the attic access point to check. They confirmed poop and said it looked like rat activity. He set 2 traps with peanut-butter and came back regularly over the next month. Caught 1 rat in that time. Said he thought there was probably 1 or 2 more.

Then the company said I needed to have the supervisor out for a rat exclusion evaluation and quote.

Long story short, supervisor says no additional charge because I just need to cut back a citrus tree (I have had it removed), he sees no obvious access points otherwise and thinks that will solve rat access to my roof which, because it is a tile roof, he says cannot be perfectly sealed and that if a rat can get to such a roof it can almost always find a way in (comforting, yeah?).

They trap for another 2 weeks or so with no further luck but traps set off at least once without catching the sucker...then they recommend switching to poison...saying that after they toss it up there...no need to have them come back...problem solved. They tell me it's probably just one rat that will eat the poison and die.

I was given the impression that it would take 4-5 days for the poison to take effect...it's been a week and a half...still hearing noise.

Have read rats sometimes need a week or more to even decide to eat something new...so I'm trying to be patient. How long should I wait?

And then what next step should I try. I am concerned this company may not be up to the task. They have noted there is not a lot of accessible area for them (humans) in my attic and the noise is largely concentrated over my bedroom which has high ceilings and would be one of those inaccessible areas. Pest service said the smell of food would travel through the ceiling space and should draw the rats...true?

If the poison doesn't work...how do I get rid of rats in an inaccessible ceiling space?

And is there a way to truly seal a tile roof? I find it hard to believe there is nothing I can do there.

I'm thinking this may be a case where I may need to tackle the problem myself...any ideas?

 

[dd57chevy]

What is your location ?

 

[Avolat]

California...Central Valley region. Suppose that makes a difference on what kind of rat, yeah? Believe I am dealing with roof rats.

 

[dd57chevy]

Bait & traps . Make it a learning experience by trying different foods in the traps .
I don't think there's any magic involved here , especially in an inaccessable part of an attic ! Never heard of rats nesting in an attic , maybe it's a CA thing .

 

[raylo32]

I had some mice in my attic a couple years ago and deployed a bucket trap (google that term for more info). Just put it up there and forget it, check every month or so. The anti-freeze seems to preserve the dead 'uns and they don't stink. Use peanut butter on the rotating can for bait.

 

[HDS]

Rays are pretty smart and may not fall for the same trap that another one does. I've also heard that rats unlike mice will stink with poison as they have a higher moisture content. Poison may not be the best route. Trying different bait or trap types to get this one.

 

[charles16]

Ask your rat exterminators from the pest control company that if they have tried the most recent electric mousetrap or not? If not, ask them to try that too, as these traps are devised with the latest technology and are 100% reliable for rat extermination. Also, I think the exterminators hired by you are acting a bit slow, which might result in more rat infestation in your home.

 

[JanetCarlyle]

My ex neighbors in New Rochelle use to hire a localhttp://www.regalpest.net/new-rochelle-pest-exterminators/, for the entire maintenance of the house. They frequently made a visit to check for the success of the treatment they did. And cleaned the space well and also shared some tips in order not to face such problem again.

 

[Nik333]

Bait & traps . Make it a learning experience by trying different foods in the traps .
I don't think there's any magic involved here , especially in an inaccessable part of an attic ! Never heard of rats nesting in an attic , maybe it's a CA thing .

Yes, a GC found rats' nests in my attic in the same part of CA. Same noises, too.

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

just get a big snake and put into attic..problem solved....:devil3:

 

[PandJ]

you can put old fashion rat trap at any entrance to attic, even all the way across attic. Use peanut butter. One trap is fine but most likely nested already so may be some small ones too.

Keep trap close to hatch, check it once a day but most likely you'll hear snap on first evening. Throw the whole trap and rat out and put another up there to make sure no others.

Move fast on these, once they leave urine in insulation, it "call" other rats in future if really saturated. The old fashion traps are best. I throw them out with trap using glove because these things carry so much disease that I can afford a $2 trap for my saftey.

 

[noquacks]

probably impractical/impossible to "seal" 100% a tile roof. Also, too bad you had to cut down the citrus tree- maybe could have cut back the branches that approach the house(?)

Was the rat he caught black? If so, yes, its a roof rat (properly called black rat). If greyish, its a Norway rat, and theyre not from Norway...........

 

[Nik333]

Was the rat he caught black? If so, yes, its a roof rat (properly called black rat). If greyish, its a Norway rat, and theyre not from Norway...........

So that's what I saw on the water heater roof! :surprise: Big & hard to describe. Its scratching in the attic access was so loud I thought a rabid raccoon was going to pop down & visit us!

 

[Dave Sal]

I've had a problem with field mice in a detached garage during the winter months and used the smaller mouse sized version of this Victor electronic trap. They work great. You can get multiple kills with one set of batteries. One guy on a car forum that I read had rats in his backyard somewhere in California and used these traps with great success. He baited them with peanut butter (same as I did) and had a genius idea of laying a moist rag in front of the opening so that the rats feet get wet before entering, which conducts the electricity better than dry feet. He's gotten multiple kills in a short time. If you get one, just stick it up within arms reach of the attic hatch. Good luck.

http://www.amazon.com/Victor-Electr...22&sr=8-1&keywords=victor+rat+trap+electronic

 

[GreekGuy9999]

I definitely have some type of animal in my ceiling above my kitchen that gets active at night. There is ZERO access to the area above it outside of an A/C vent and perhaps 4 small recessed lights. How the heck can we eliminate it without punching through the ceiling dry wall? Do exterminators have small insertion devices that can lay poison pellets? Do we dismantle the vent and get access that way? We have checked around the exterior and cannot for the life of us figure out how it got in there. The area is not accessible through the main part of house's attic. It is literally sealed up by walls. Not sure what to do.

 

[dj3]

Old posting, same old problem.
Try electric ultrasound emitting devices.

 

[masterspestsydney]

There are other options on how to exterminate them. If baits and poison didn't have an effect, try these: Fumigants, Rat gel, powder or liquid concentrates. But I believe that this can only be provided by mice control. I also suggest to change the pest control company.