We've lived in our house for a little under 3 years now. When we first moved in we had rats in our crawlspace. We had an exterminator set bait traps, after 16 bodies the first year it cleared up. We had 2 the next year and I've been keeping up the bait traps but have had no signs of rats in our house.
The first year I also saw that the rats lived in our neighbor's house, which I could tell from them running atop the fence between our houses, on some vines and into holes in the siding. We reported to the city, and the city sent a notice after which we saw him cleaning up debris in his back yard.
This year, we still see rats outside. They have chewed through all of our plastic garbage cans and recycle bins. Yesterday, I sat looking out the window and I saw a squirrel sitting on top of a garbage can, a rat looking around on the ground next to the garbage cans, and another rat going in and out of my neighbor's house through gaps in the siding at the crawlspace.
Our city has a fine structure of increasing fines until a 4th offense when it becomes a misdemeanor punishable by $500 fines and/or up to 90 days in jail.
I don't talk to this neighbor much, I've spoken with him twice, but I am sure he's not in a great financial position and he's not home much - weather it's becaue he's working all the time or otherwise avoiding the house, who knows.
The options I'm weighing are calling the city again to report it or offering to pay $100 towards bringing in an exterminator. If I pick the latter but need to report, I think it'd make it more obvious who is reporting... I dunno. Wondering what other people think?
The first year I also saw that the rats lived in our neighbor's house, which I could tell from them running atop the fence between our houses, on some vines and into holes in the siding. We reported to the city, and the city sent a notice after which we saw him cleaning up debris in his back yard.
This year, we still see rats outside. They have chewed through all of our plastic garbage cans and recycle bins. Yesterday, I sat looking out the window and I saw a squirrel sitting on top of a garbage can, a rat looking around on the ground next to the garbage cans, and another rat going in and out of my neighbor's house through gaps in the siding at the crawlspace.
Our city has a fine structure of increasing fines until a 4th offense when it becomes a misdemeanor punishable by $500 fines and/or up to 90 days in jail.
I don't talk to this neighbor much, I've spoken with him twice, but I am sure he's not in a great financial position and he's not home much - weather it's becaue he's working all the time or otherwise avoiding the house, who knows.
The options I'm weighing are calling the city again to report it or offering to pay $100 towards bringing in an exterminator. If I pick the latter but need to report, I think it'd make it more obvious who is reporting... I dunno. Wondering what other people think?
No signs or symptoms, he expired during the night. So now all I use is traps. If the whole neighborhood is not doing a rat program, the rats will be there. Clean up everything around your house. It is all you can do!
