I think you should also be concerned with how they are getting into the house. I know people who have had massive damage done in their homes from these guys and squirrels, attics and basements. Chimney? Screen torn? Did an outside vent wiggle out of place (the foam stuff works)? Did the grate for the dryer vent get pushed in?
Exactly. I was renting a house where the owner was one of the women who came from the era when being "dainty" was a positive thing. But, as a widow, alone and the landlady, being dainty and HELPLESS is not the thing to be when I had a couple RATS running around the house.
After weeks of her doing nothing except act like a victim when
I was the one with the rats, I ended up having to call the city's Department of Health to report her inability to do anything. The inspector came out, made a report noting how there were openings, high up on the roof, near the chimney and other places where the screens were ajar, that the rats could be climbing in.
She was ordered to have someone seal those off. Then she hired Terminex, which did nothing but put out sticky rat traps for mega-bucks, when the landlady could have bought them from a hardware store for a couple dollars each. Plus, they didn't help. Late at night, I heard one rat stuck itself to a trap, but after a couple hours was able to peel itself off the trap, leaving a patch of fur, in the same way a strip of hot wax treatment does hair removal.
Then ALL the rats knew to stay away from the traps.
One night, as they are nocturnal, I left the front door open, hoping they would get out that way. I took the chance that more wouldn't come in. I sat on the couch nearby, hoping to close the door if I heard them scurry out, but fell asleep. But it worked! They left while I was sleeping.
But, there was so much bad blood between me & my landlady over that, that I moved out after that.
