How can you tell if that tapping on your walls is a rodent lurking or a spirit from the great beyond? Here are some of the signs of a haunting and rat infestation.
Particularly in the evening hours, you have been hearing heavy footsteps in the upstairs hallway when you are certain nobody is up there. Doors slam unexpectedly when the windows are all closed. Items disappear and reappear without cause. Lights flicker or turn on by themselves. There’s the unmistakable scent of death in the air that simply can not be ignored. These may be indications that your house is haunted – or they may simply indicate that you have a rodent problem. A real haunting is a rare occurrence, and it may be difficult to determine whether or not any paranormal phenomena you are experiencing in your home might be due to a haunting or just a simple infestation.
THE SIGNS OF A HAUNTING VS RODENT INFESTATION
The majority of signs of a haunting, thankfully have worldly explanations that have direct parallels with the signs of rodent infestation. For your convenience and comfort, they have been outlined below so that you may determine for yourself whether you need to call some ghost hunters or a priest or just a friendly local pest control company such as Rodent Proof L.L.C.
Unexplained noises- footsteps; knocks, banging, rapping; scratching sounds; sounds of something being dropped. Sometimes these noises can be subtle and other times they can be quite loud.
Worldly explanation: The noises people hear is movement of animals in the attic, within walls and within duct works and crawl spaces. Often rodents are small enough to enter the home through a hole smaller than an quarter or nickel. Their movement can be quite loud depending on the surfaces they are traveling on. Many rodents will carry nesting material, food, or just objects they want along with them in their travels throughout your house.
Doors, cabinets and cupboards opening and closing - most often, these phenomena are not actually seen directly. Those who experience the phenomena either hear the distinct sounds of the doors opening and closing or they will return to a room to find a door open or closed when they are certain that it was left in the opposite position. Sometimes furniture, like kitchen chairs, are perceived to have been moved. Only rarely will people actually witness the phenomenon taking place.
Worldly explanation: Mice in particular love to explore cabinets in search of food, making the kitchen a favorite “haunt” for them. Naturally, rodents will enter cabinets from behind, usually in any area possible. The plumbing beneath the kitchen sink is a common entry area due to open spaces left to the outside. Once inside a cabinet, any rodent will wander around, easily pushing open cabinet doors without ever closing them behind himself.
Lights turning off and on/Flickering Lights- As with the previous evidence, these events are seldom seen actually occurring, but the lights are switched on or off when a person knows they were not left that way. This can also happen with TVs, radios and other electrically powered items. Flickering light may actually be witnessed far more frequently.
Worldly explanation: This phenomena is also a warning to home owners that they may be in some very real danger. Rodents love to chew on electrical wiring which can cause the phenomena listed above. Within many types of electrical wiring inside of homes and in automobiles is an oil that rodents find delicious and irresistible. Once such wiring has been gnawed on, the risk of a house fire increases. Wiring that has been damaged must be replaced to avoid such events from occurring as a result of rodent infestation.
Items disappearing and reappearing- This has been called this “the borrowers” phenomenon, and it’s the familiar experience of not being able to find a regularly used item which you believe you placed in a spot you routinely place them. But they’re gone and you look high and low for them with no success. Some time later, the items are found – but not in exactly the place you normally put them. It’s as if the object was borrowed by someone or something for a short time, then returned. Sometimes they are not returned for days or even weeks, but when they are, it’s in an obvious place that could not have been missed by even a casual search.
Worldly explanation: The white throated wood rat or packrat is well known for collecting many types of objects. This particular species of rodent is especially attracted to shiny items and items such as keys, earrings and small toys are often found in their nests upon investigation. If you have had items go missing, one course of action you may consider is asking a local pest control company such as Rodent Proof L.L.C. to search within attic and crawl spaces as well as within any middens (rat nests) on or near the property for your missing pieces.
Strange animal behavior- pets behave strangely barking at something unseen or cowering without a reason. They may even refuse to enter a room they normally do. Cats may seem to be “watching” something cross a room. Animals have sharper senses than humans, and many people think their psychic abilities might be more finely tuned also.
Worldly explanation: It stands to reason that dogs and cats will be the first occupants of a home to notice a rodent infestation. The sense that these animals have that we humans can be lacking in is actually hearing – rather than psychic abilities. When you have a rodents lurking in the walls, attics and crawl spaces or even running rampant in your kitchen cabinets, it is only natural that the other animals present in your home will take notice and attempt to defend their territory.
A Horrible Smell -Suddenly, as if out of nowhere there is a smell in your house that seems to have no source. Occupants of the home have searched fruitlessly and cleaned without any improvement and the smell persists and even gets worse. This can seem like a paranormal warning from a restless spirit.
Worldly explanation: Very often a rodent may become trapped without food, water or a way to get out of an area of the home after he has found his way in somewhere. Without any escape, this critter dies and the smell of his rotting body is the only indication to you of his existence. Pest control professionals from companies such as Rodent Proof L.L.C. will seek out the body of the deceased and rotting critter, remove the carcass, and sanitize the area. A word of caution: attempting to deal with this particular issue yourself can be quite dangerous, particularly in the American Southwest where any number of diseases (such as HantaVirus, Arenavirus, Plague) may be present. For your own health and safety, please use the educated, licensed, and well prepared professionals at your service.
Now that you are aware of the similarities between a haunting and an infestation, please do yourself a favor and call Rodent Proof L.L.C. for a free inspection. Once a home has been inspected, you can be certain one way or another which type of creepy problem you have in your home. There may be no guarantees with ghost hunters, but Rodent Proof L.L.C. can offer a minimum of 2 years of protection from rodents of all kinds.
Call 1-800-627-3381 to schedule your inspection today.
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