Pack Rat Removal and Control in Phoenix

Pack rats aren't roof rats, and getting rid of them is a different job. They're native desert woodrats: soft fur, big ears, a pale belly and a tail shorter than a roof rat's. Maricopa County Vector Control points to that shorter tail as the quickest way to tell them apart.

What they're famous for is the nest. A pack rat builds a midden out of sticks, cactus joints, leaves, dog toys and whatever else it can drag, and it keeps adding on. In the Valley you see them where the houses meet the desert: Ahwatukee along South Mountain, the streets in Sunnyslope that back onto the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, and newer lots up by Desert Ridge with open desert behind the wall.

Stick piles, missing stuff and a car that won't start

Pack rats like it low and cluttered. A woodpile against the block wall, a stack of leftover pavers, a prickly pear clump or a cholla in the front gravel all look like home to them. So do the space under the shed, the gap behind the AC unit and pool pump, and the corner of a garage packed with yard gear. These are the signs people usually notice first.

• A pile of sticks, cactus joints and junk that keeps getting bigger
• Small or shiny things going missing from the patio or garage
• Chewed wiring under the hood of a car that sits a lot
• Larger, rounded droppings near the pile
• Gnawed yard plants or chewed drip tubing
• Nest debris packed behind the AC unit or pool pump

Clearing a midden without making it worse

Most pack rat work is trapping and then taking the nest apart. The tech walks the yard looking for the midden and the trails between it and your house: under the shed, inside the cactus, behind the AC unit, along the bottom of the wall. They'll check the garage corners and the gap under the door, and look at any car, boat or RV that sits for long stretches. Traps go near the nest and along those paths, and they'll tell you when they're coming back to check.

Once the rats are caught, the nest gets wetted down and pulled apart with gloves on. Middens can hold a lot of droppings and urine, and the rat might still be home, so this isn't a job to rush at with a rake. If they got into a garage loft or storage room, ask about cleaning droppings out of storage spaces afterward. Then sealing the garage and shed keeps the next pack rat from moving into the same spot.

Hearing something in the attic instead? That's almost always a roof rat. See roof rat trapping and sealing, or read how to tell a pack rat from a roof rat.

Desert landscaping is half the problem

Prickly pear, cholla, rock piles and gravel beds look great and barely use any water. They also hand pack rats food and building material. You don't have to rip it all out. Keep cactus and woodpiles a few feet off the house, keep the AC pad clear, and don't let lumber or pavers sit against the wall for months.

It's the same story across the Valley, from north Scottsdale desert lots below the McDowells to east Mesa out toward the Usery Mountains. If you park a car for weeks at a time near open desert, pop the hood now and then. Chewed wires under there are a classic pack rat move, and the repair is your mechanic's job.

If bait gets used outdoors, it should be in locked, tamper-resistant stations placed by the technician, away from where kids and dogs play. Never spread loose poison.

Related: Rodent Exclusion, Roof Rat Control, Citrus Tree & Yard Rodent Control

Serving Arcadia, Ahwatukee Foothills, North Central & Sunnyslope, Encanto & Willo, Maryvale, Paradise Valley Village & Desert Ridge, Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Mesa.