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Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 8:53 am
by shindig
This has been a crazy month. In the last month I have caught/killed at least 4 mice in my basement and this morning I found a freaking bat in a mouse trap still alive in my basement. I've spent a ton of time over the years sealing any gaps from the exterior, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how a bat got in my basement that has no entry points (I have glass block windows).
The fireplace flue is closed and I have vent covers on top of my chimney...this sucks, I'm so tired of it.
So, need to call in the experts I guess. I called Critter Control and it's $199 just for an inspection of the perimeter of my house, which includes the service call. Does that sound reasonable or anybody have someone they've used in the KC area?
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 8:58 am
by jhawks99
We had a possum on our attic at one point. You could hear the pitter patter of little feet running over your head. I think that's who we used.
$200 seems pretty standard for anyone coming out to your house.
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:12 am
by pdub
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:14 am
by pdub
I think a place we spoke with had a 149 fee for first visit so 199 seems in line.
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:25 am
by shindig
Yeah, I going to call them. My chimney is 30 + feet tall and I don't want to mess with it nor do I even have a ladder that tall. Just freaking annoying. Not sure if the bat will survive, its wing was caught in the mouse trap and it was very angry. I carried the trap out front with a pair of pliers and released the bat from the trap in the yard. He was hissing and not happy, oh well, stay the fvck out of my house.
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:53 am
by KUTradition
pdub wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:12 am
potd
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:54 am
by KUTradition
apt to this thread, the wife is on a rat eradication spree…not in the house, but in our backyard
i told her it’s a lost cause when the neighbors have chickens and aren’t doing any mitigation themselves, but whatever
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 10:48 am
by Qusdahl
Is a kitty cat an option?
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:16 am
by KUTradition
Qusdahl wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 10:48 am
Is a kitty cat an option?
for me?
the dogs are trying, but we’d rather them not get into a tussle with wild rats (hence the effort)
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:36 am
by TDub
chickens will usually kill mice if they get in their area the loose grain is a problem though
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:39 am
by Qusdahl
I like to put a bird feeder out in the winter months but yea it also attracts a lotta mice and voles and such
They build a little network of tunnels in the snow and can be just as entertaining as the birds. But also don’t really want so many rodents around
Of course, the rodents attract more yard visits from the neighborhood foxes too
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:56 am
by shindig
Qusdahl wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 10:48 am
Is a kitty cat an option?
I have one and she was more afraid of the bat than anything. Not sure I want my cat getting into it with a bat anyway. As far as mice, yeah, I don't think she has that "hunter" instinct.
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 2:31 pm
by 3rdGenJayhawk
shindig wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:25 am
Yeah, I going to call them. My chimney is 30 + feet tall and I don't want to mess with it nor do I even have a ladder that tall. Just freaking annoying. Not sure if the bat will survive, its wing was caught in the mouse trap and it was very angry. I carried the trap out front with a pair of pliers and released the bat from the trap in the yard. He was hissing and not happy, oh well, stay the fvck out of my house.
Nice of you to let the bat go - hopefully he doesn't try to find his way back "home." My mom was having a major problem with rats in her attic and crawl space. We used Critter Control and they came and did an inspection and found all kinds of entry points (both under the house and in the roof and ridge vents). There was even a hole in the wall behind her dishwasher and the rats had made a nice cozy nest in the insulation around the dishwasher!
Anyway, she paid for a full enclosure (sealing of the house). Here in Savannah they provide a 1 year warranty against any further incidences. Took them 2 days and it seems like they did a thorough job (I was there watching the whole time to see what they did). They closed in all the crawl space openings with mesh. She had a Ridge vent in her roof that has been compromised as well, so they covered that up with some wire mesh specifically designed for the vents.
Sure beats me setting traps in her attic and then having to come "remove" the occupants.
Re: Critter control
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 3:49 pm
by shindig
3rdGenJayhawk wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 2:31 pm
shindig wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:25 am
Yeah, I going to call them. My chimney is 30 + feet tall and I don't want to mess with it nor do I even have a ladder that tall. Just freaking annoying. Not sure if the bat will survive, its wing was caught in the mouse trap and it was very angry. I carried the trap out front with a pair of pliers and released the bat from the trap in the yard. He was hissing and not happy, oh well, stay the fvck out of my house.
Nice of you to let the bat go - hopefully he doesn't try to find his way back "home." My mom was having a major problem with rats in her attic and crawl space. We used Critter Control and they came and did an inspection and found all kinds of entry points (both under the house and in the roof and ridge vents). There was even a hole in the wall behind her dishwasher and the rats had made a nice cozy nest in the insulation around the dishwasher!
Anyway, she paid for a full enclosure (sealing of the house). Here in Savannah they provide a 1 year warranty against any further incidences. Took them 2 days and it seems like they did a thorough job (I was there watching the whole time to see what they did). They closed in all the crawl space openings with mesh. She had a Ridge vent in her roof that has been compromised as well, so they covered that up with some wire mesh specifically designed for the vents.
Sure beats me setting traps in her attic and then having to come "remove" the occupants.
oh yeah, I don't want to continue dealing with it. I just had a new roof put on 1.5 years ago, so I'm hoping it is not the roof. My guess is the chimney or some access point under the overhang of the roof that I haven't identified. The Critter guy is coming out next week to do a full inspection and see how it got in. I guess if it gets in the attic somehow, it can crawl down the walls into the basement, at least that is what I have read, especially in older homes like mine, built in 1928. Just not what I was expecting on a Monday morning as I walked downstairs to get a sweatshirt out of the dryer.
And I don't want to open the attic to peak in, I'm too nervous now, I'll let the expert deal with it.