Cold weather puts rats on the move.

The recent cold weather has some pack rats on the move.  A great nest in mild weather may not be adequate when the temperature drops.  This time of year we see an increase in calls for rats in the attic.

This is especially true of younger rats that may have not had the time or experience to build an all weather nest.

It does not take much of a hole for a rat to find its way in.  Even a small gap can be enlarged to make a classic rat hole.  See the picture below.  This hole sits above a beam and was not visible from below.

How do you know if you have rats in the attic:

• The sound of gnawing at night coming from above or in a wall.
• Strange occurrences -  door bell rings in the middle of the night, lights flicker, alarm system go of for no reason, phone line is dead - these can all be signs of chewed wires.
• Smudges or dirty marks going up a wall. See below for an extreme example.

What to do?

• Do not use poison!  Nothing is worse than a dead rat in your attic.
• Call an expert!  The expert in Tucson is Mr. Pack Rat.
• All entry points needs to be located, the resident rats need to be trapped and removed and all holes sealed before another rat moves in. 

Kris