Mr. Pack Rat
Most pest control companies rely on poison baits intended for roof rats, Norway rats and/or mice in a futile attempt to control pack rats. Pack rats are very different creatures and poison bait is both dangerous and ineffective for pack rats.
Mr. Pack Rat never uses poison bait for pack rats. Poison bait can make a pack rat problem worse by attracting more rats and inadvertently killing the very predators that naturally control pack rats. See the Problems with Poison page for full details.
Many animals are attracted to the same foods as pack rats including birds, squirrels and lizards. Using snap traps, glue boards or poison baits can lead to the unintended death of non-target animals. Mr. Pack Rat uses live traps so non-target animals can be released if caught.
Live traps need to be checked daily, but most companies are simply not structured to be in the same areas everyday to check traps. Traps may go unchecked for days, or they may even ask the customer to check the traps for them.
Mr. Pack Rat checks all traps every day. We will not ask the customer to "call us when something is trapped." Daily checking is more humane for any trapped animals and ensures the proper function, baiting and placement of the traps.
Properly removing a pack rat nest requires skill and experience. Timing is critical. The nest needs to be removed as soon as the current resident rat has been trapped and before another rat can move in. You simply cannot trap one week and remove the nest another week. Trapping needs to be continuous until the nest has been removed.
There is often more to a pack rat nest than meets the eye. Part of the nest can be underground with several hidden chambers connected by tunnels. Failure to remove and destroy the nest completely may result in re-infestation, often within just a few days.
Instinctively, other rats will want to nest where a previous nest exists, so most locations require additional preventive work so that other rats will not feel secure enough to start a new nest. Once a nest is removed, the area should still look natural. Like pruning a tree, there is a right and a wrong way to trim and thin cactus. When done correctly, the cactus will look better, grow in a balanced manner and be altogether healthier.
Mr. Pack Rat is the Expert in nest removal. We know what, when, how and why to do just what needs to be done. Doing this correctly allows Mr. Pack Rat to provide a longer term guarantee on each nest removed than any other company.
Pack rats often infest attics, spas, garages, pool heaters, storage buildings and other areas. Removing and excluding rats from these areas is an art unto itself. A young rat can squeeze through a half-inch hole.
Mr. Pack Rat has developed and perfected trapping and specific exclusion methods for every situation.
Pack rats in a home's ceiling and wall voids can be particularly challenging. Every possible point of entry needs to be found and sealed. Rats are adept climbers and can easily scale the sides of most homes. Their entry points can be hidden in the most amazing places, high or low. Experience is critical.
At Mr. Pack Rat we inspect and rat-proof more homes in one week than most exterminators see in a year.
Because they cannot find and seal all entry points, other nuisance wildlife companies and exterminators may spend weeks trapping or poisoning in what becomes an ongoing, protracted and expensive process.
Mr. Pack Rat only needs 2-3 nights to trap and remove the rat(s) and rat-proof a home for a fixed price with a full guarantee.
Other companies even refer their pack rat "nightmare jobs" to Mr. Pack Rat for permanent resolution.
Nest removal is hard, dirty work. Other companies may claim to do nest removal, but leave the critical nest removal to subcontractors or even day laborers. Many smaller landscapers are not insured. If someone was to be hurt on the job the property owner could be liable.
Mr. Pack Rat uses only its own employees to do all work. Every employee is covered by worker's compensation insurance and a $1,000,000 general liability policy. The company uses its own vehicles, all fully insured.
What to do with over 4,000 live-trapped pack rats each year?
This was a tough question. The rats cannot simply be released. Like many wild animals, pack rats do not transplant well, and most die from exposure. Some companies choose to drown rats, but this process has been deemed cruel and inhumane.
After considerable research, Mr. Pack Rat chose to implement a true euthanasia process utilizing carbon dioxide per guidelines set by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA). The term euthanasia is derived from the Greek terms eu meaning good and thanatos meaning death. Per the AMVA, a “good death” is one that occurs with minimal pain and distress.
The AMVA recognizes the use of carbon dioxide gas as an effective and humane form of euthanasia. Carbon dioxide, not to be confused with carbon monoxide (like in car fumes), is the same gas we exhale and plants absorb. It is the gas in carbonated soda and dry ice. In high concentrations the gas produces a rapid anesthetic effect by first putting the rats into a deep sleep. Within five minutes a peaceful death occurs.
We are not an extermination company, nuisance wildlife company, or landscape company that occasionally deals with pack rats; we are the one and only Mr. Pack Rat. Pack rats are what we do day in and day out!
In a year we will:
• Trap over 4,000 rats
• Remove close to 400,000 pounds of cactus and debris from rat nests
• Use over 4,000 square-feet of heavy duty metal screen in rat exclusion
We know what we are doing and we do it very well. We know not to treat pack rats like roof rats or Norway rats. We have heard every myth and anecdote on pack rats and know the few that work and the many that don't. Our methods are tried and proven. If you need results, choose Mr. Pack Rat!
We do not just talk the talk. We back up our work with an unprecedented six-month guarantee on each nest removed and all exclusion work. This is in addition to our 100% total satisfaction money back guarantee. At Mr. Pack Rat our motto is RESULTS, NOT EXCUSES!
Mr. Pack Rat knows how to completely remove a nest in a neat, professional manner. Mr. Pack Rat uses only natural materials to treat nests.
Mr. Pack Rat provides prevention recommendations with each free inspection and also offers Deter-Scape, a natural landscaping nuisance wildlife prevention service.
Mr. Pack Rat knows the proper prevention techniques and provides a long term guarantee the nest location will remain rat-free!
