Rats in Central/South Austin? (Lago Vista, West: new home, crawl space, neighborhood)

[FueledByBlueBell]

I was out this weekend and noticed rats in my friend's very nice neighborhood near 35th and Lamar. Is this a significant problem in Central and South ATX? Do they invade your home? It is what it is, but just curious.

[calel]

Roof rats are common here. I've been battling them in my attic for several months now, to the point that I call my attic the rattic. I have the pecan trees in my backyard and the idiot neighbors with bird feeders on their fence to thank for the steady infestation.

[Trainwreck20]

Rats are everywhere, whether you see them or not. Wouldn't say that there is a problem with them, but they are there. More often I see little field mice out in open areas, and they are kind cute .

[capcat]

Originally Posted by FuledbyBlueBell

I was out this weekend and noticed rats in my friend's very nice neighborhood near 35th and Lamar. Is this a significant problem in Central and South ATX? Do they invade your home? It is what it is, but just curious.

I wouldn't say its a significant problem, but they'll take up residence if the conditions are right. In Allandale, rats lived in a hole near the street on my neighbor's property. The hole had something to do with an old water line, which the city repaired. Standing guard over the hole before it was fixed was a favorite pastime for neighborhood cats. An exterminator said that it's cyclical, some years will be a problem and some not. He put out a bait that made the rats thirsty enough to leave and seek water, but that wouldn't harm pets. Once or twice in 25 years, I saw a rat in the garage and in a storage shed at the back of our property. I live a couple of miles away now and haven't seen evidence of them. My office is in a old home near Rosedale, and I haven't seen evidence in the two years I've been there, either.

[Schnaiy]

Count yourself lucky, depending on your preference over SKUNKS...
As we were building our new home in Lago Vista, we found a family of skunks moved into the makeshift dumpster - which provided shelter and an on-going food source from the building contractors. Needless to say, much to my horror, the painters informed me one day that the skunks had snuck inside our new home and were snuggled sleeping in my husband's "mancave" (his favorite room in the house). Fortunately, having observed the skunks' comings and goings from the dumpster over several months, I knew that they would venture out once it was dusk...so we opened all of the doors and barricaded the staircase. I sent my husband back to the house to check they had vacated around midnight. And they had! So then we closed all of the doors and windows and made sure that the contractors were made aware to lock up securely each day when they left.
I have a New Zealand rat story too, but it's likely to scare the squeamish, let's just say, imagine waking up in your bed thinking the family cat had climbed up on your chest!

[CptnRn]

We had rats in the attic when we first bought this house years ago. We have gotten rid of then since with poison packets and traps. We also found and sealed several holes around the eaves where they were able to get in. Have not seen any the last several years. But there are signs of something chewing on the wood trim around some of the eaves, looking for a way to get in I guess.

The exterminator says they usually won't occupy the attic during the summer because of the heat, but do come indoors during the colder winter months.

In the Central Business District I definitely saw lots of rats active even during the daytime around the old warehouses we tore down on West Second Street.

[BentBow]

I live in SW Austin near the greenbelt, and my dogs "tree" on rats all the time. Popped the hood on my truck one day years ago, to change the oil and do some service and there is a big male rat with a nest on the intake manifold and rat crap, on stuff and I drove that truck daily.

[atxcio]

"Roof rats" are pretty common. I've had them in 3 properties that I've owned. They usually don't enter the house, but commonly use the attic or crawl spaces for shelter. They are usually a result of heavy tree cover around the house (touching the roof), or from brush piles/wood piles located on or near your property. Getting rid of those piles & trimming the trees away from the house will help. Also, you may need to get an "exclusion" done by a pest control company... that's where they use wire mesh and other techniques to close off all common entry points, such as attic and gable vents, dryer vents, plumbing entry points, etc. The service will typically have a warranty of 1 year or more. ABC Pest control will do this for a reasonable price (less than $1K). Beware of pest control companies that quote $1k+ for an exclusion -- it's usually a ripoff.

[mickey65]

When I first moved into my house last year, I had a roof rat running around along the fence, and I'd see him running around in the trees.

My dog spotted him one night and treed him. He barked at that rat non-stop for a bit, and I guess the rat didn't feel so "welcome" anymore in his old home and moved on. Haven't seen him since...

[llkltk]

Ack, these posts are making me nauseous!