Mr. Pack Rat - Pack Rat Basics

Mr. Pack Rat, Inc.

Guaranteed Pack Rat Elimination & Prevention

Without Dangerous Poison Baits

Tucson, AZ (520) 529-9191

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Basic Behavior & Biology

Problems Created By

Prevention Tips

The Solution

#1 Consideration – The Nest!

Doing It Right – Step by Step

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Basic Behavior & Biology

	Properly called: White-throated Wood Rat (Neotoma albigula)
	Nocturnal; common in the southwest desert.

	Tail is thick, round, blunt-ended, covered with short hairs and is shorter than the body. Ears are large and almost naked. Fur is soft and dense.
	Coloration is dark gray-brown on top with a lighter underbelly.
	Size: up to fifteen inches & eight ounces.
	Adult pack rats are solitary. 1 adult per nest.
	Great diggers and adept climbers.
	Primary foods are cactus and mesquite beans, but will eat just about anything.
	Obtain moisture from what they eat and therefore do not need free-standing water.
	Mature in 30-60 days. Life expectancy: 2 years.
	Gives birth to 2-3 young every 45-60 days.
	Must have shelter! Cannot survive when exposed to extreme heat, cold or direct sunlight.
	Will reuse existing empty nests before starting new nests.
	Potential nesting area is any sheltered area including: cacti, bushes, trees, rock crevices, pool heaters, spas, car engines, ceiling voids, gas grills, under sheds, and wood piles.
	Will fortify the nest with additional material including cactus, rocks, sticks, dog droppings and just about anything else they can find.
	The presence of additional fortification material is the telltale sign that distinguishes a pack rat nest from that of a squirrel or other rodent.

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Problems Created By Pack Rats

Pack rats and people don’t go well together.

Nests harbor blood sucking kissing bugs (conenose bugs), fleas, lice, brown spiders, scorpions, and mice.

Damage and destroy landscaping from nesting and feeding.

Offspring seek nesting opportunities in cars, pool equipment and even get in to the ceiling voids of homes.

Avid chewers, often chewing on and through wires in cars, attics, spas and pool heaters.

Urine and fecal material become abundant.

Nests attract snakes, skunks, foxes, coyotes and bob cats.

Nests are vectors for disease including:

Allergic reactions from kissing bugs

Hantavirus from mice

Plague from fleas

Brown spider bites

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Prevention Tips

Deny shelter & pack rats will not stay!

	Keep bushes, trees and other plants trimmed so you can see the ground at the base of the plant.
	Ground cover should be kept low. Bushy ground cover, like Rosemary, are attractive to pack rats if they become overgrown.
	Thin out dense cactus. Trim off any paddles that turn sideways providing overhead shelter.
	Do not allow a skirt of dead branches to form on Desert Spoons, Agaves, and Yuccas. Keep the bases trimmed.
	Do not allow Agaves, Aloe, Yuccas and Desert Spoons and other cacti to grow in tight groups.
	Enclosed areas—a pack rat can squeeze through a half-inch hole. Be sure storage room doors fit correctly and all bird screens along the eaves are intact. Exhaust fans and ventilation vents on the roof should be screened.
	Keep carports clear of stored items to eliminate hiding places.
	If pack rats have been in a car engine compartment, have it steam cleaned to destroy the scent and leave the hood open at night. Leaving the carport light on at night will help, but use a yellow “bug bulb” to avoid attracting insects. See the Rats In Cars page for full details.
	Store fire wood at least twelve inches off the ground and at least twenty-four inches away from any wall or other obstruction.
	Avoid storage boxes and other items that may give shelter to pack rats on patios or along the sides of buildings and walls.

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The Solution

Prevent pack rat problems by creating and maintaining a pack rat-free “buffer zone” around your home. Eliminate existing nests and nesting opportunities within a 40-300-foot buffer zone around the home.

The ideal size of the buffer zone depends on:

Surrounding pack rat population.

Vegetation type & density

Cars being parked outside

Known allergies to kissing bugs

Terrain – hilly, flat, rocky, sandy

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#1 Consideration – The Nest!

The key to eliminating and preventing pack rats is addressing their use and need for shelter.

Eliminating only the rats creates vacant nests soon to be reoccupied in an unending cycle until the nests are located and properly removed.

Potential nesting sites also need to be addressed. Pack rats are opportunists and will take advantage of any sheltered area.

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Doing it Right – Step by Step

1. Inspection

Determine the buffer zone. Locate existing nests and potential nesting sites in the area.

Experience makes a difference. There is no cost or obligation for an inspection by Tucson’s expert - Mr. Pack Rat.

2. Live Trap at the nest sites

Nests should never be disturbed until the resident rat is caught and removed. A displaced pack rat must have shelter and may seek a car or your house for its new home.

Mr. Pack Rat is licensed by AZ Game & Fish to live trap pack rats and other nuisance animals – landscapers and typical exterminators are not.

3. Treat the Nest

Once the resident pack rat is removed, the parasites and other pests living in the nest may move outwards if the nest is not promptly treated.

Mr Pack Rat is also licensed and certified by the AZ Structural Pest Control Commission to apply pesticides. Mr. Pack Rat uses only natural materials to treat nests.

4. Remove the Nest

Within 24 hours of removing the resident rat the nest needs to be completely removed before another rat moves in. Proper thinning and trimming needs to be done in the immediate area to prevent new nesting. All debris should be removed. In some cases physical exclusion is needed to keep rats out.

Again, experience counts! Mr. Pack Rat knows how to do the job right so that the rats won’t be back!

5. Prevention

Pack rats need a sheltered area to feel secure enough to start a new nest. Deny them protection and they will move on. Refer to the Pack Rat Prevention Tips section for details. Homeowners in high risk areas may also want to consider Mr. Pack Rat’s “rat-proofing” to protect their home, garage, pool heater, spa and out buildings.

Mr. Pack Rat provides prevention recommendations with each free inspection and also offers Deter-Scape, a natural landscaping nuisance wildlife prevention service.

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The Wrong Way

Poison bait and random trapping are ineffective because they treat only the symptom and do not address the source of the problem. Poison is also dangerous and may kill the very predators that naturally control the pack rat population. When poison kills a rat, a vacant home is left behind to be quickly occupied by another. The cycle will repeat until the actual nest is removed. See the Problem with Poison page for full details.

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Send mail to kris@mrpackrat.net with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2006 Mr. PacK Rat, Inc. Last modified: January 25, 2008

Send mail to kris@mrpackrat.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2006 Mr. PacK Rat, Inc.
Last modified: January 25, 2008