How To Get Rid Of Rats In The Attic, FAST!

EEEE! It’s the shriek that will unnerve any homeowner when they go up in the attic and come face-to-face with two little eyes peering at them from a dark corner of the attic space. The shriek that will unnerve all members of the household, and the dog, and the cat! Believe it or not, the professional technicians of Master Attic may shriek themselves when seeing those ‘faces only a mom rat’ could love! Shriek because, as the professionals of rat and rodent removal, we know that ‘mom’ rats can increase the attic rat population very quickly; producing TWELVE ‘pups’ per litter and have multiple litters throughout the year — if rats are not removed from the attic FAST! Besides the rapid rate of rat reproduction, Master Attic technicians understand that a rat in the rafters of the attic can compromise the structural integrity of a house and pose serious health risks to its occupants! Master Attic professionals understand that getting rid of rats in the attic — FAST involves a methodical process that also includes rodent proofing the attic space so the rats do not return!

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DIY Rat Trapping — An Exercise In Futility!

As was written in our article What To Place In Attic For Rodent Removal? We explained why it is often futile to attempt DIY rodent removal in the attic space. Rats, specifically, are smarter than those tiny eyes staring back from the dark attic corner or insulation look. Rats are known to be neophobic, which means they are very cautious with new objects in their path of travel. That ‘smart’ rat can actually learn how to steal bait in a trap without triggering the trap! That ‘smart’ rat sticks with a set and safe route of travel in the attic, and when the panic-stricken homeowner randomly ‘flings’ one or two store-bought traps on the floor, the rats — yes RATS, because where one rat is there is at least another rat nearby, and those ‘smart rats’ learn how to navigate around the danger zone!

Homeowners who try DIY rat trapping are simply engaging in an exercise of futility in trying to trap a ‘smart rat.’ Such a homeowner is wasting precious time and money and risking their health and that of the household! Rats in the attic need to be removed FAST because:

• Those ‘smart rats’ breed quickly, and it does not take long to have a rat infestation! This breeding is the major reason why homeowners need to get rid of rats in the attic FAST!
• Those ‘smart rats’ gnaw and chew wood beams, electrical wiring, and will find their way to the kitchen, where the food in the kitchen cabinets and pantry is abundant!
• Rats transmit a variety of diseases to humans: The hantavirus through rat urine and droppings, also Leptospirosis, from bacteria in the urine of a rat, Salmonella bacteria from their feces, and Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis, a viral disease that causes neurological issues and is brought about by those rat droppings. Bacteria transmitted by ticks and fleas cause Tularemia. As rats travel over floors and kitchen countertops and rummage through food pantries, they contaminate the household directly, if not through the air-borne particles from their ‘droppings.’ When a homeowner asks why do I hear something moving in my attic? Time is of the essence once the well-informed homeowner realizes that the movement is a rat rustling in the attic! To get rid of rats in the attic — FAST requires the fast investigation of attic professionals serving NJ and Pennsylvania residents for 20 plus years!

The Only Way To Get Rid Of Rats In The Attic — FAST

No question: the business of rat removal and rodent proofing the attic or home crawlspace needs to be done FAST and with a professional method that begins with:

• Proper Protective Clothing: Due to the diseases that rats and their feces and urine can have, the danger of the fiberglass dust found in insulation, and to protect from rat scratches or bites, a professional technician hired to get rid of rats in the attic— FAST comes prepared to wear: disposable, long-sleeved overalls to ensure rat feces, urine, and insulation fibers stay off their personal clothes and skin, thick disposable rubber or latex gloves are worn to handle the rats who die in rat traps, and clean up the ‘droppings,’ safety googles with tight seal to protect the eyes from dust and air-borne particles of rat droppings, a respirator mask to protect from dust and debris, rubber boots to protect feet from any sharp objects, and when carrying contaminated objects from the attic, the professional technician will put on shoe covers to avoid tracking the contaminants from attic into the household space, and have hair covering to keep dust from the hair.
• Attic Inspection: With protective clothing on, the attic inspection begins with looking for the signs of the rat nest by looking at the insulation for signs of tunneling, compaction, and nest material along with rat droppings, checking for greasy marks along the attic joists, rafters, and walls that come off the rat’s fur, inspecting electrical wires to see if the wires were chewed.
• Sealing Entry Points: When the attic inspector affirms there is a one or more than one rat in the attic, the inspection technician will then begin the process of exclusion by searching out all entry points, which can be as small as a half-inch, and begin sealing the points of entry, such as roof gaps, soffits, attic vents, chimney gaps, and gaps around pipes, with material that the rats, on the outside of attic, cannot chew or gnaw to get in and re-infest the attic space.
• Trapping: With the entry points sealed to prevent other rats from entering the attic space, the next step is to set the rat snap traps methodically. It is important to use the correct trap to snare a ‘smart rat.’ To further ‘outsmart’ the ‘smart rat’ – pre-baiting the trap without setting it to snap – will give the neophobic, afraid of new things, rat time to get used to the device and to realize nothing happens when they step into it to nibble on the bait. Rat traps should use effective high-protein or sweet baits, such as peanut butter, hazelnut spread, or bacon grease, along the paths the rat travels, as well as set bait stations containing poison that a rat ingests and takes back to the nest. Bait stations are used to kill rats in areas where traps cannot be placed.
• Attic Sanitizing: When the rats have been removed from the attic, the last step of the professional attic technician is to restore the attic by removing contaminated insulation, installing new insulation, and sanitizing the attic space to remove the chemical signals, called pheromones, secreted by rats to attract other rats.
• Routine Preventive Inspections: To ensure rats do not find their way back to the comfort of your attic space, a routine inspection should be done before the next winter cold season, making sure there are no new entry points made, no damage to previous sealed entry points, and that the signs of activity in the attic or gnawing and smear marks are not present. Homeowners can prevent a rat infestation by taking a proactive approach: keeping home surroundings clean, keeping garbage containers tightly sealed, and storing food in cabinets securely.

Master Attic technicians are the pros to call for every attic or crawlspace difficulty! Trained in giving the eviction notice to raccoons, squirrels, rats, mice, and bats, who like taking up residence in attics in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In addition to rodent removal, Master Attic technicians ensure the attic is fully restored with attic sanitizing, removal of contaminated insulation caused by animals living in your attic, and installation of new insulation. Master Attic also understands the importance of rodent-proofing the attic by identifying and sealing off entry points. Don’t wait — contact Master Attic, via our website form or EEEE-mail us at info@masterattic.com. Time is of the essence to get rid of rats in the attic—FAST! We are the licensed attic and crawlspace professionals, serving New Jersey and Pennsylvania for 25+ years!