Frequently Asked Rodent Control Questions

To serve you better we are compiling a list of questions about rodents such as rats, mice, squirrels that our customers ask frequently. The list is ongoing will be added to from time to time. If you have a question that is not found here, please send us an e-mail or give us a call at 1-800-476-3368.

I can't seem to get a handle on trapping rats. They seem to come back. Do you have any tips?

You may need more Rat Traps than you think is warranted. Rats are often shy of new objects and placing unset traps in a new location for a week or two will increase the opportunities of catching. This will acclimate the rats to the traps, once acclimated, set enough traps to kill a large percentage of the population before the rodents become "trap shy." This is called mass trapping, trapping them at a higher rate than they can repopulate and become shy of the trap.
There may be a need to have as many as 2-3 dozen rat traps set in place in a commercial establishment, in an infested trash room for example. By having these traps baited with a Rat/Squirrel lure or peanut butter unset, a large population would be used to feeding on around the traps. When the traps are then simultaneously set after a while of this "feeding," a large kill can be obtained. The spring on the rat snap trap is very strong and could break a finger, so keep it out of reach of your pets and small children.

Do you sell rat poisons that will embalm the rat or make him go outside to die?

There has not or has there ever been a toxicant that would cause rodents to go outside or prevent decaying odor should they die inside. Traps are still the safest way to avoid odor problems when dealing with rodents.

What kind of poison baits do you have for squirrels?
No poison baits are labeled for use for squirrels. Trapping with live cage traps is the only reliable method of dealing with squirrels.

How can I tell if I have mice or rats?
The best way is to locate fecal droppings. See our section on rodents for descriptions of droppings for each rodent.

How can I be sure all my mice are gone after all the trapping and baiting I've had done?
Place a small pile of sunflower seeds (raw unsalted) in an area frequented by mice. If there are no scattered seeds within a couple of days . . . mission accomplished!

What is the proper way to clean up the aftermath of rat infestation in a basement?
Should masks be worn to vacuum up leavings? To remove dead trapped rats?
Breathing the dusts that is formed by cleaning up the droppings is a health hazard.
Wear a dust mask or respirator and rubber gloves.
It is best not to use a vacuum cleaner unless it is equipped with a Hepa filter. Also wetting the droppings lightly with a mister will lessen the amount of dust formed.

Somehow we got kangaroo rats inside our home. How do we get rid of them?
Kangaroo rats are common in crop lands and rural areas in the Midwest part of the U.S.A.
They feed extensively on waste grain after the harvest. They are also called pack rats. They are primarily seed eaters. They have a strong hoarding habit and will gather large numbers of seeds in their cheek pouches and take them to their burrows for storage.
You can either use either snap traps or live traps :
Snap Traps
Live Traps
Bait the traps with a combination of peanut butter and oatmeal.

What is the best material for screening the foundation of the house, to prevent rats from entering. Also, how do I secure the screening so that it will stay and not be moved by the rats? Will caulk work for securing the screening?
Caulking will not work. Use 1/4" mesh hardware cloth and secure it with screw. You may have to use anchors and screws to attach it to the masonry.

I have a serious rat problem. I hear them running in the roof. However, I cannot get into the roof because it is closed off. How do I get rid of them? Is there some sort of fumigation that I can spray into the roof to keep them away from that area?
No, there is nothing to keep them away. I would use a Safeguard Squirrel-Rat Live Trap #50450 a live trap, placed on the roof near the entry points. After trapping all of the rodents, seal the area with metal or hardware cloth.

Is there a rat poison in the marketplace that is not toxic to dogs, should they pick up or chew a dead rat, after the rat ingested the material? I am not worried about my Labrador retrievers eating the poison directly, but from coming in contact with a dead rat. We live in the country and rats are a constant challenge.
I would use Fastrac Blox or Fastrac Pellets, Terad3 Blox or Terad3 Pellets .
Both contains Vitamin D3 which causes death from heart failure, unlike an anticoagulant. It doesn't cause secondary poisoning.
With both these rodent baits, Terad3 and Fastrac, it is important to keep non-targeted animals away from this bait, because there is no antidote.
It would be wise to use Tamper proof bait stations , both in the mice size and rat size to keep other animals and children out of this type of rodent bait.

My sister has larva crawling out of her bathroom light. They are slightly larger than a fly maggot and have black on them. The other side of the fan/light connects to the attic. She has seen up to five at a time in the light cover. They seem to crawl back up into the attic during daylight hours. Any idea what this could be?
Rodents will sometimes store food in the attics. This will attract beetles and moths. I suspect you are seeing their larvae. Another possibility is a dead rodent which has produced maggots (fly larvae).

I think I have squirrels under my floor boards. I live in an older building that has a cement base floor, with studs, sub-flooring and hardwood. This past winter we kept hearing load scratching starting as early as 10:00 PM but typically 2:00 - 3:00 am. We bang the floor and the scratching persists sometimes as long as 1 hour. First, do you think they are squirrels? The sound is so loud I assume they are squirrels. Second, is there anything I can do? I was thinking of boring a few holes in the floor boards and dumping down moth balls. Will this work?
I believe you have rats. Poison bait (rodenticide) or rat size traps, live, snap, or glue traps would be the answer. Moth balls may run them away, but it may just move them. Trapping near the entry point would be my best advice.

Rats carry many diseases, and recently we have had a few die in inaccessible areas near our water heater. As the rat decomposes, will any of these diseased germs affect the health of our family?
I wouldn't worry about the decomposing rat. The urine and feces are the biggest concern. Anytime you clean an area that has rodent dropping and or urine, use gloves and a mask to filter any dust.

We had a rat come in from our commode and the exterminator got rid of it. How can we stop rats from coming in from a commode?
He most likely got in through the vent pipe on the roof. This is the vent for all the bathroom plumbing. You could fashion a screen cover with 1/4" mesh hardware cloth and hose clamps.

Why don't rats come out of the walls. There are many food sources for them out of the walls, and they could easily access them. But they don't. Or at least, they don't appear to. What could they possibly be eating in the walls, and how do we get them out?
They are probably using the walls just for shelter. Food and water are being accessed outside. Trapping with Rat Snap Traps
or a live trap such as
Safeguard Live Trap #50450 would work well.