Pack Rat and Woodrat Removal in Colorado Springs
Pack rats are woodrats, and Colorado has six species of them according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. CPW says they come in shades from gray to blackish brown to reddish tan, most with a pale belly. The bushy-tailed woodrat, the biggest of them, can run over 16 inches long.
They earn the name. CPW says woodrats collect rocks, bones, bits of wood and hardware and haul them back to the den, and they're especially fond of shiny things. Owners find keys, foil, screws and dog kibble packed into a nest of sticks in the corner of a shed.
Where they turn up
Woodrats like rough, broken ground: rock outcrops, canyon walls, talus. That describes a lot of the west side of the Pikes Peak region, from Manitou Springs to the homes up against the hills in Broadmoor and Rockrimmon. The Mexican woodrat, which ranges into Colorado, mostly lives in highlands with open conifer forest or woodland, and it dens in rock crevices and caves.
Around people, they move into anything quiet that looks like a rock pile with a roof. Sheds, garages, barns, crawl spaces, unused vehicles, the engine bay of a truck that sits for a week.
- Sheds and detached garages with stored gear
- Crawl spaces and under decks
- Engine bays and air filter boxes on parked vehicles
- Woodpiles and stacked lumber
- Attics on homes next to rocky slopes
Signs you have one
The nest is the giveaway. A pile of sticks, pine needles, cactus bits, paper and whatever else they've hauled in, often in a corner or on a shelf. CPW notes that many generations can use the same den and build up a latrine of urine and droppings, so there's often a strong smell and a dark, crusted area nearby. You may also find chewed wiring and small items gone missing from the bench.
How it gets handled
The provider traps the woodrat, removes the nest and cleans the latrine area, then closes the way in. Pack rats chew, so sealing should be metal: hardware cloth, sheet metal, mesh. Treat the nest and droppings with the same care as deer mouse droppings. Wet them with disinfectant and don't sweep them dry. Attic and nest cleanup has the steps.
If the woodrat is living in your truck or camper, see mice and pack rats in vehicles. If it's the barn or the hay shed, see barns, sheds and outbuildings.
Questions people ask
Will a pack rat really take my stuff?
Yes. CPW says they collect objects and like shiny ones. If one finds something it wants more, it may drop what it's carrying and take the new thing.
How many young do they have?
According to CPW, a female can have up to four litters of one to six young, and adults may live several years.
Available in Briargate, Rockrimmon, Black Forest, Monument and Tri-Lakes, Falcon and Peyton, Broadmoor and Cheyenne Cañon, Manitou Springs, Old Colorado City and the West Side, Fountain, Security-Widefield, Powers and Stetson Hills.