Rats – Another Penticton Rental House Nightmare
The grandmother of two children moved out of the rental house last week after finding the property infested with rats. Previous tenants had moved out of the house because of rodents. There is a growing problem around the Thompson-Okanagan over the past five years and municipalities have so far done very little about the problem. Rodents are known to be carriers of many diseases and can cause damage and fire hazards by chewing wires and plastic water pipes. Removing them from one residence isn’t enough if neighbors also have them. Rats do chew on eaves, chewing holes to gain access into the soffit. Rats chew on security system wires, and set off the home alarm. Rats do often nest in car engines. If you are having automobile trouble, it’s possible that a rat nested in the engine and chewed some of the electrical system. An obvious solution is the park the car in a closed garage or drive it often, which will prevent rats and mice from nesting in the automobile. Also, try spraying super-hot habanero sauce, or a product called Ropel, on the wires, and that will discourage chewing. Of course, general rat prevention and rat trapping in the area will help as well.
