LITTLETON, Colo. — Pest control companies and several residents tell Denver7 that Littleton has a rat problem this winter.
“The rats have just flooded the neighborhood,” Shannan MacDonald said.
MacDonald lives near Broadway and Powers and says rats have taken over the back part of her apartment’s parking lot. She has seen five to seven different full grown rats and countless smaller ones running between the dumpster and back shed, and even up into cars.
“They’re trying to stay warm by the hot engine,” she said.
And in the process, the rats have chewed on her battery terminal, her engine belts, and her neighbor’s engine wires. She’s cleared rat nests several times from cars in her parking lot.
Several pest control companies reported higher-than-usual calls for rodents in the Littleton area. As for the reason behind the problem? One company owner agreed with MacDonald that development could partially be to blame.
“They tear the buildings down, and the sewage gets messed with, and they run they scatter to the next place they can find a home,” she said, describing the movement of area rats.
The City of Littleton dealt with a similar problem this time last year. Residents complained about rodents, and the local animal control officer blamed a decrease in predators like foxes or coyotes.
That animal control officer could not be reached for comment on the 2018 problem.
