See A Rat In Waltham? Report It Says The City

WALTHAM, MA — Rats. Just the word is enough to send chills down the back of some Waltham residents, who are reporting they're feeling overwhelmed and grossed out by the number of rats they're seeing this summer around the city. Rats near trash. Rats in clean yards, rats on the sidewalk, rats in their clean homes.

So what's a person to do? Well, the message out of City Hall is if you want to see the rats go away, clean up after yourselves and keep a tidy trash barrel. Rats often come around because of improper trash disposal or because of loss of habitat with the recent construction, and city officials are imploring residents to keep it clean.

"Try to put all trash in bags, and then into barrels with tight fitting lids. Barrels should be kept clean and intact (no holes). Trash can also be placed in dumpsters with closed lids," posted the City to Facebook recently.

Waltham's Board of Health said it is working with residents, business owners, and other City Departments to promote a better understanding of rodent behavior and how to minimize their presence and impact on the community but they encourage residents to report rodent sightings online and contact the Department of Health if you see any messy trash areas. : http://bit.ly/ReportASighting.

Rodents whose habitats have been destroyed by new developments and construction are known to move into neighborhoods in search of food. And this isn't the first time Waltham has seen an uptick in rats. Last June a number of reports came to the city as residents got grossed out by rats hanging out near the trash bins, holing up underground or under homes to nest (yep. rats make holes in the ground and burrow).

A well sealed trash container can be the best way to get rid of said rat. No snacks, no rats. But many residents insist they've been doing that and haven't seen any change.

The city does have an ordinance requiring that trash be placed in rodent-proof containers. The idea is the city will come out and give you a ticket for a messy trash area or force you to get pest control to come out and fix a rodent problem.

The Department of Public Health did not return multiple emailed request for comment.

We'll update when it does. In the mean time, take a look at the discussion on the Patch Facebook post when we reached out to folks to ask them what they've been seeing. Many say they're feeling frustrated that the city's response is just a about cleaning up and want more to be done. That story is coming.

This is part of a series on rodents in Waltham. This is the first in the series: the city's take. Send us your rat story at Jenna.Fisher@Patch.com

Here's what the city has to say:

When we reached out to readers, here's what they had to say.

And one reader sent us this and it turned out he wasn't alone:

Images via Patch readers on Facebook.

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Boston area listed as having one of the biggest rat problems in the country.