Advice on our situation? (neighborhood, inspectors, live in)

[MovingtoDFW]

About 3 years ago, AC techs found rat droppings in our attic. We had our regular pest control guys take a look and they recommended rodent "exclusion" work. Their quote of $2k seemed high but I assumed it was one of those one-time costs and took the hit. Fast forward 3 years later, we started hearing scratching/ actual running noises in the attic last several days in peak summer! Previous guys checked and there are a bunch of droppings again in the attic. They agreed to redo/ repair the exclusion (for 1.2k plus $500 annual follow-up cost for next 2 years to warranty it). Problem seems worse now, after the previous exclusion! Because I was hoping they would repair their previous work without charge and wasn't sure of their competence given this experience, had another company look at it- they came and said the previous guys did a poor job last time and needed to remove their stuff, add new flashings etc. on roof / eves, secure the peer and beam foundation perimeter and crawlspace (inside which they found rat and racoon droppings, it seems). Their quote - 6.5k, plus 650 annually! The 2nd guys do appear more knowledgeable / professional...but is it typical to spend several thousands of $ every few years on rodent exclusion in DFW?!

We have no issues inside the house, and besides the recent noises, wouldn't have known there was so much activity. We have several mature trees on the property and a recent bird feeder we installed probably didn't help things. Never hear friends or neighbors talk about spending much on rodent exclusion. Or are we just unlucky to have this problem? I just want this problem solved but 6.5k sounds bit steep, esp. if there is no guarantee I will not have the same issue in another 3-5 years (like we just did).

Apologies for the long post and appreciate any advice on our situation and / or exclusion service recommendations, etc!

[wynnedutch]

No matter what measures you take, you're going to have rats. ESPECIALLY if you have a pier/beam foundation.

[MovingtoDFW]

Originally Posted by wynnedutch

No matter what measures you take, you're going to have rats. ESPECIALLY if you have a pier/beam foundation.

I guess expensive exclusions every few years is the only option then

[kitkatbar]

Someone I know has had raccoons get in repeatedly in the past few years. They live in a very nice neighborhood with lots of trees. They've had the damage completely repaired each time, but the raccoons damaged the roof and were able to get into the attic that way.

Have you trimmed back all your trees so that they are not touching or hanging over your house?

[Rakin]

It could be squirrels. But all attics get rodent droppings eventually. Put poison and some traps out and check it often. Get a shop Vac and suck up the droppings. Then watch it and see if you get more.

You are getting ripped off. Call other pest control people.

[MovingtoDFW]

Originally Posted by Rakin

It could be squirrels. But all attics get rodent droppings eventually. Put poison and some traps out and check it often. Get a shop Vac and suck up the droppings. Then watch it and see if you get more.

You are getting ripped off. Call other pest control people.

It is roof rats as the sounds are all at night...plus the droppings are also rats (per the inspectors). Getting other quotes...but yes, I could be getting ripped off.

Not very handy personally, but are there other options for this kind of work besides the established rodent control companies?

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Just set out kill traps (poison is unethical) for the rats, make sure entry points to the attic and crawlspace are secured and figure out if you have racoons anywhere. If you do have racoons, you need to get them eradicated because their feces can cause serious health issues. I've never understood why people spend thousands of dollars to get rid of run of the mill rat issues when traps are so cheap.

[MovingtoDFW]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

Just set out kill traps (poison is unethical) for the rats, make sure entry points to the attic and crawlspace are secured and figure out if you have racoons anywhere. If you do have racoons, you need to get them eradicated because their feces can cause serious health issues. I've never understood why people spend thousands of dollars to get rid of run of the mill rat issues when traps are so cheap.

I guess I can put in the rat traps, but how does one get the entry points to the attic in the roof and crawlspace closed without calling in the professionals? Apparently I also have raccoon poop in the crawlspace, per one of the inspectors. Honestly, sometimes I am not sure if I can believe all their reports because there is so obviously a conflict of interest.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by MovingtoDFW

I guess I can put in the rat traps, but how does one get the entry points to the attic in the roof and crawlspace closed without calling in the professionals? Apparently I also have raccoon poop in the crawlspace, per one of the inspectors. Honestly, sometimes I am not sure if I can believe all their reports because there is so obviously a conflict of interest.

You said you weren't handy. How unhandy are you? Sealing off entry points into an attic usually isn't that difficult, depending on what sorts of entry points you have. It might be repairing some fascia or putting mesh over a vent opening. If you don't feel up to it, any run of the mill handyman should be able to take care of it.

Raccoon poop looks distinctive. It's bigger than any rat or mouse poop and has a certain texture that is just different. You want to find out if you have raccoons in the attic. If it were me, I'd go up there and look around. Take a flash light and don't go on a 110 degree day. Attics can easily be 30+ degrees hotter than ambient temp. If you see raccoon poop, I'd focus on that and probably get a professional involved. If you don't, I'd set some rat traps and focus on fixing openings.

[wynnedutch]

Get an outdoor cat and don't feed it. Problem solved.