Hugh Cairns: Pack rat

Pack rats are nest builders. They build great nests. They use all kinds of materials ranging from branches, foliage, debris to sofa stuffing. The nest in this attic measures five feet in diameter and almost three feet high. (I gotta tell ya, that on first sight during this home inspection, I thought that what I may have found was an alien pod that hadn’t reached full development - like the ones from the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers).

Photo: Contributed - (Photo: Hugh Cairns)

What's that? Well it's mostly the stuffing of what used to be a perfectly comfortable sofa that has been relocated to the attic.

Pack rat nests are recognizable by their composition. Pack rats gather twigs, foliage and debris from the outdoors, and items like shredded cloth and furniture stuffing from the indoors. The actual pack rat nest is located near the centre of this mound. The nest itself is fairly tidy, but the rest of the attic is the rat's biffy. In fact, the entire attic space of this home was littered with waste pellets and the distinct odour or rat urine was prevalent.

Pack rats earned their nickname because of the objects they collect to decorate their nests. Some nests can reach four feet high and eight feet wide because they are always adding to it. Pack rats love shiny decorative objects and have been known to take keys, jewelry and tin foil to their nest. Usually only one rat lives in the nest - if there is more than one, it is usually a mother with her offspring.

Pack rats can cause serious financial loss. They are avid chewers, often chewing on and through wires in attic because their urine and fecal matter are vectors for disease making removal mandatory.

Removal of pack rats isn’t just as easy as kill and remove. It’s kind of hard to believe that pack rats must be live trapped because they are a protected species. Once removed, a displaced pack rat seeks new shelter and may make a car or another home their new home. Once the pack rat is removed, parasites or other pests may be living in the nest. It’s important to remove the nest and treat it immediately after removal.

Just as important as removal, preventing another pack rat from taking over the space is necessary. That means the home needs to be buttoned up and rat-proofed. Rats like to go where other rats have been. After trapping the resident rat and removing the nest, other rats may try to rebuild in the same area. The scent of rat urine and pheromone can attract new rats and animals.

So, what’s the removal process here? Well, put on your hazmat suit to protect yourself from disease, then start with live trapping of the pack rat, remember, they are a protected species. Next, the nest and all of the soiled attic insulation materials should be bagged before leaving the attic space while wearing your respirator. Continue with vacuuming up the pack rat waste. In most cases a fogging of the attic using a commercial odour eliminator is required. Now, it’s time for rat-proofing and re-insulation. As I said before, pack rats can cause serious setback, in the case of this nest, the remediation was estimated to be about $8,000. Rats!

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.