On The Icky Side Of Things – Roof Rats

I’m on most of the email threads that make their way around many of the Vintage Vegas Neighborhoods. Usually the threads are about lost dogs, commercial development encroachment into the neighborhoods etc.

Occasionally a topic comes up where there’s information that needs to be spread even wider than the specific email list. This is one of those.

The ROOF RAT problem first surfaced 10 years ago in Scotch 80’s and was amusing at the time since that’s where the Mayor lives. There was a big infestation 3 or 4 years ago in the John S. Park, Southridge, and Beverly Green Neighborhoods.

This is the first time I’ve seen the subject raised in the last 3 or 4 years. The email got a quick response from none other than:

Chris Giunchigliani, who’s not only my client and friend, but also our County Commissioner gave a reply to the question. She  has a reputation for being one of the most accessible of all the politicians in Las Vegas. She’s a champion of the the rights of the homeowner over the developers. In this case, she responded to an email

Chris said:

Ahh, roof rats.  They have invaded the county and city for over 10 years.  They came in palm trees.  Luckily none are carrying any disease but they travel over electrical lines and eat mostly fruit or dog/cat food that is left outside. I have had two community meetings with neighborhoods along with Councilman Reese and the Health district.  They basically tell us to do the following:
don’t put pet food outside
block all openings that they can crawl thru.  (they can chew through a lot so we first wedged steel wool into holes and cracks then used  the spray insulation.
Pick up fallen fruit, nuts, etc
Cut back trees especially palms since they tend to live in them
Cut back fruit baring trees and again don’t let the fruit lay on the ground
Other than that it is a problem that the City, County and State can’t help with. Upon request, the Health District can set a few traps to monitor that they remain disease free.
There is rodent poison but be careful that birds and domestic animals can’t get into them.
If you have a neighbor that has a lot of trash and junk I can open a code enforcement case but that is about all I can do.
 
I share your concern since they got into a portion of my attic.  I don’t want to tell you how gross it was and how hard it was to get them out of the attic area!!
 
If there are green pools or empty ones then the health district needs to be called to check for mosquitoes. If you know of any address, including the golf course, let me know.
Chris

The important thing to remember is that the roof rats are an ANNOYANCE BUT NOT A HEALTH RISK!