Rodent / Squirrel Control, Removal

 Do you hear scratching or running in the attic, ceilings, walls or under your home?

                Rat                           Mouse           Squirrel 

Rat, mice and squirrel find their way into our homes to eat, nest and breed. A rat can gnaw through wood, plaster, plastic, lead pipe, aluminum, cinder block, porous concrete, adobe brick, metal conduit, soft rubber, cardboard, paper and cloth materials. So when you hear that scratching, chewing, running in your attic's or walls. Call Gulf Coast Pest Control Today. We can help with your Houston, Texas rodent, rat, squirrel, removal, control, services.  Our rodent experts will inspect your property for signs of previous or current rodents in the attic, garage.

A Gulf Coast Pest Control rodent exterminator will develop a comprehensive rodent, squirrel, removal, service program for your situation. We offer a variety of extermination services for your varmint problems. From trapping, exclusion, to exterior baiting programs. In most cases a Warranty is included with a rodent exclusion service.

 How do I get rid of rats in my attic?

Trapping, exclusion / Building out” rodents are the most effective control methods.

 

 Truth about rat baits                                               

Rat baits do not cause rats to look for water, or dry them out so they do not stink.

 We do not recommend using rat baits or rodenticides for rodent removal indoors, unless absolutely necessary. If a rodent eats a rodenticide indoors, unless it can find its way out of the structure before the effects of the rodenticide sets in - usually 3 to 5 days, it / they can often die in your attic or fall down walls and die. More times then not you will have to live with the nasty smell, possibly for weeks.

Not to mention the flies.

• Peak breeding times for rats is February - March. Gestation is about 21 days. Litter 1-7. Young are weaned at about 3 weeks. They can begin breeding after 3 months. The average female can have four to six litters per year. Rats can live for up to 18 months, but most die before they are one year old.

 If you see rodents in the day time. That could indicate a larger infestation. Rats breed all year. Gulf Coast Pest Control offers excellent Rodent, Rat, Squirrel, trapping, control, extermination, service Houston, Texas

 Rat biology                                                           

  Rats are rodents of the genus Rattus who have been living closely with man (but usually unhappy about it)  for thousands of years. There are good reasons why people throughout human history have disliked rats:

 Truth about Sound Devices                                       

 Sound and Electronic Devices. Rats quickly become accustomed to regularly repeated sounds. Ultrasonic sounds, those above the range of human hearing, have very limited use because they are directional and do not penetrate behind objects. Also, they quickly lose their intensity with distance. There is little evidence that sound of any type will drive established rats from buildings or otherwise give adequate control.

 Truth about Cats as rat cathchers                               

Control by Cats and Dogs. Many rat problems around homes can be related to the keeping of pets. In fact, rats may live in very close association with cats and dogs. Rats frequently live beneath a doghouse, deck, thick vines around the house, or ground cover foliage. under cabinets, appliances, and soon learn they can feed on the dog / cat food when they are absent or asleep. Although house cats, some dogs and other predators kill rats, they do not usually provide effective rat control.

 

 Economic effects of Rats                                          

 Rats also cause considerable economic damage. Like all rodents, rats have sharp teeth and powerful jaws (they can chew through concrete), and can damage homes, barns, grain silos, and other buildings.

 Rats chewing through wires cause an untold number of fires every year. Rats also cause crop damage by their feeding activities, and contaminate millions of pounds of stored food and animal feed with their urine, droppings, and shed hairs.   In fact, rats contaminate more food with their filth than they actually consume.

 Health risks associated with rats                                

Rats in the wild are known to be involved in the transmission of many serious diseases including plague, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, murine typhus, rat-bite fever, salmonella, and leptospirosis. Rats also are involved in the transmission cycle of lyme disease, encephalitis, and other arboviral diseases vectored by their fleas, ticks, mites, and other parasites. Rodents have no bladder so they urinate every where they go.

 Rat species found in Texas                                        

                      
 There are 3 main species of rats and mice that are of significance in the United States and Texas. They are the Roof Rat (Rattus rattus) or tree Rat, the Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) or ground rat, and the House Mouse. Of course there are lots of other species such as field mice, field rats, wharf rats, sewer rats, etc.. but the Roof Rats and Norway Rats and the House Mouse are the ones of primary importance.  They are the species of commensally rodents that homeowners and building owners deal with 90% of the time.

 Roof rats live in trees in nature and are skilled aerialists. They are expert climbers and have excellent balance, and they often run along tree limbs, utility wires, and even clotheslines to get into attics, soffits, and other parts of buildings. Once inside, they run along hard-to-reach structural members such as beams, joists, and suspended pipes, making roof rat trapping a real challenge.

 Norway rats are burrowers by nature and usually stay close to the ground (although they can climb very well when necessary). They usually enter buildings through holes and other structural defects, utility and plumbing chase ways, crawl spaces, and through gaps under doors. Once inside, they can easily travel through walls, chase ways, and other structural voids.

 Squirrels                                                              

		Squirrel nest	Squirrel

 Squirrels are rodents with a furry tail and better PR, who survive mainly on nuts and grains. There are many species of squirrels, but the three most commonly found in Texas are the grey squirrel, the flying squirrel, and the Eastern chipmunk.

 Like all rodents, squirrels have sharp, strong teeth and powerful jaws that enable them to chew holes through most building materials to get into your home or business. Grey squirrels and flying squirrels often become a constant nuisance to homeowners and businesses, and cause damage when they get into attics or chew holes in roofs, eaves, gutters, and soffits or create a fire hazard when they chew or gnaw on electrical wiring, to homeowners or businesses. In addition, squirrels' urine, droppings, shed hairs, and parasites also create a health hazard when they move into buildings; and dead squirrels' bodies can cause odors and serve as a breeding medium for flies when squirrels die in wall and ceiling voids, soffits, and other inaccessible areas.

 That's why squirrel removal service is a job for professionals. Gulf Coast Pest Control is an expert at Houston, Texas, rodent, squirrel, control, removal services. Our animal control technicians not only have the skills, the tools, for squirrel exclusion of entry points. but also the know-how to humanly trap and remove squirrels. ( individual time and or  results may vary )

 Flying Squirrel                                                       

Northern Flying Squirrel    Southern Flying Squirrel

The Northern flying squirrel is found throughout most of the forested areas of Canada. They are active in all seasons, but they are not often seen by humans because of their nocturnal habits. They have large, dark eyes that are specially adapted for night vision; they can see as well at night as humans can see during the day.

The furry membrane connects the front and back legs. When stretched, it acts like a parachute, allowing the squirrel to glide from higher branches to lower ones.

Northern flying squirrels can glide from 10 to 164 ft. They can change direction mid-glide. This species averages about 30 cm (12 in.) long, including about 14 cm (5.5 in.) of tail.

Individuals and families will occupy several nests during the year. They nest in hollow trees or stumps lined with shredded tree bark, leaves, lichens and mosses, Attics of our homes.

Males and females frequently occupy separate nests in the summer. In the winter months they often live together in groups of 2 to 10 for warmth. Northern flying squirrels are sociable animals with strong maternal instincts. Breeding season runs from March to May. Gestation period of about days. They have one brood per year, averaging 2 to 4 young per litter. Capable of independent living after 88 days. Life expectancy  in the wild is about six years. Where as in captivating they can live to 10 - 15 years.

Their varied, omnivorous diet includes berries, nuts, lichens, fungi, seeds, tree buds, blossoms, insects, carrion and bird eggs. Their fondness for maple sap has often led to their tumbling into sap buckets in spring and drowning. An important prey animal, its principal enemies are owls, martens, fishers, weasels, raccoons, bobcats and domestic cats.

 Nutria Rat                                                             

The nutria, Myocastor coypus, ( mouse beaver ) is a large semi-aquatic rodent. First introduced in the 1930's. Released from fur farms by accident or intentionally. Soon Feral populations  were established along the gulf coast.

In most of the world the animal is called coypu, but in North America the animal is called nutria. In the rest of the world, nutria is the name of the fur of the animal.

 Males are slightly larger then females. Nutria weigh about 12 lbs. Nutria breed year round. Males reach puberty at between 4 - 9 months. Females between 3 - 9 months. Gestation period of  130 days. In 1 year a female can produce 2 liters and be pregnant with the third. 4 - 5 out of a possible 13 survive. Females can breed again with in a day of having a liter.

ARE  NUTRIA DIRTY ANIMALS?

NO! Quite the contrary. Nutria occurring in the wild are clean animals. Contrary to their look-alikes, rats, which are omnivores, nutria consume exclusively plant life.

Service areas:

West Houston, Southwest Houston, Houston, Fort bend County, Sugar land, Katy, Sugarland, Missouri City,  Richmond Texas,  Bellaire , Memorial,