rat infestation (Seattle: house, crawl space, extermination)

[tessypooh]

Anybody familiar in dealing w/ a house that has had a rat problem? What are common patterns of rat infestation in the Seattle area? We are looking at a place that apparently had a problem and an extermination was done. We are trying to understand what that means? Do they use traps and/or poison? Do we need to worry about our pets (dog and cats) w/ regard to ? poison if used. Can these issues really be permanently remedied? Do we need to do a full pest inspection in addition to a regular house inspection? Thanks in advance.

[Kayela]

Anybody familiar in dealing w/ a house that has had a rat problem? What are common patterns of rat infestation in the Seattle area? We are looking at a place that apparently had a problem and an extermination was done. We are trying to understand what that means? Do they use traps and/or poison? Do we need to worry about our pets (dog and cats) w/ regard to ? poison if used. Can these issues really be permanently remedied? Do we need to do a full pest inspection in addition to a regular house inspection? Thanks in advance.

We purchased a house that had signs of previous rat infestation. THe inspector did not find any fresh signs of activity, but we still hired an exterminator and had them periodically monitor the place. We also did a crawl space and attic cleanup, removed the old (soiled) insulation and installed new, and sealed any entry points. Never saw another sign while we were there.

Our exterminator did not use poison, and frowned on the practice since it creates liability for the homeowner and doesn't kill rats immediately. According to them, the rat usually crawls off and dies someplace very inconvenient and this is not a healthy/sanitary thing to have happen under/in your house. THey used traps, but not the big, snap kind (which they claimed were unsafe for humans and not very effective for rats), and periodically came back to check the bait and look for signs of activity.

Good luck with your purchase!

[tessypooh]

Originally Posted by Kayela

We purchased a house that had signs of previous rat infestation. THe inspector did not find any fresh signs of activity, but we still hired an exterminator and had them periodically monitor the place. We also did a crawl space and attic cleanup, removed the old (soiled) insulation and installed new, and sealed any entry points. Never saw another sign while we were there.

Our exterminator did not use poison, and frowned on the practice since it creates liability for the homeowner and doesn't kill rats immediately. According to them, the rat usually crawls off and dies someplace very inconvenient and this is not a healthy/sanitary thing to have happen under/in your house. THey used traps, but not the big, snap kind (which they claimed were unsafe for humans and not very effective for rats), and periodically came back to check the bait and look for signs of activity.

Good luck with your purchase!

Thank you for that helpful information.