Rat problem in town

[Mikeswave]

So far i have gotten 6 rats with my traps. The best was 2 on one trap it was like they both went for the peanut butter at the same time. I still have 2 traps set under the house. What gets me is when you hear them chewing on something inside the walls of your house that kinda gets to me.

[Stitches]

I've been here over 11 years and have not seen a rat yet.   Knock on wood.  Lots of squirrels, coyotes and feathered creatures, even a racoon and a deer.

[tallgal]

I was renting a house over Mockingbird for awhile and the former tenant said she had issues with rats under the house.  I didn't when I moved in until I had to put down my cat who was a great mouser, then like Mikeswave, I could hear them in the walls at night.  Major creep out, the scratching and clawing.  Could be the area of town where the rats like more than other parts. 

Now I am trying to help an elderly friend of mine with some kind of mouse/rat issue.  "Something" walked out of the sticky trap we set with the added peanut butter treat.  Yikes!!!! 

I really think that the presence of a cat in the house is a huge deterant to rodents. 

[lobo19]

I have had a rat problem this year too.  We had to buy a new fake Christmas tree because of them.  Last year while running in the gym at serrano one ran in front of me and some other coaches.  It looked like a small dog.  We caught it a few days later, nasty!

[angelwolf326]

I live in East Cyn, never had one in the house but I always have a few in the yard.  The dogs usually take care of them for me. 

Mogli is living on the deck during the day due to his leg injury and the other 2 dogs are there all day too and there was this rat that hung out with them.  I know because I always had 3 cats sitting at the sliding door watching him.  He would run around and the dogs ignored him.  Well the other day I found him dead so he must have pissed them off. 

I used traps last summer when I had a few in the garage.  I used cheese cubes with peanut butter it.

With 4 cats there has never been one in the house.

[snwbnny]

Wow, didn't realize this was a big problem. We had one small mouse back in 2002. And we had "something" making a noise under the old house last January, but only for a few days then it was gone. Haven't noticed anything except racoons at this house . . . . at least not yet.

[Nolena]

Norway rat




dusky-footed wood rat



Family CRICETIDAE
Neotoma fuscipes macrotis Thomas
Dusky-footed Woodrat
This subspecies was widely distributed along the coastal slope of the mountains from the coastal sage belt, at roughly 1600 feet, up to 6500 fet at the lower edge of the yellow pine forest and was most common in the chaparral association.

[ForestGal]

ForestGal some of those rats in town could take off with your little dog 

I don't know whether to say  ,  , or !  Eeeeeekkkkkk!!!

Nolena, what kind of rat was the one we saw over here that day?  I think it looked more like the wood rat......  I don't think I want my tiny Heidi to tangle with one of those, although dachshunds were bred to hunt badgers.  A rat couldn't be as nasty as a badger, could it?   

[angelwolf326]

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/roofrat.gif&imgrefurl=http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/rats.htm&usg=__AWZ0iy4SbOH-Dl-6r1QOU41_kqQ=&h=165&w=262&sz=19&hl=en&start=16&tbnid=d0qMLg6Cq3pfnM:&tbnh=71&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Droof%2Brat%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG

I had a roof rat, figured it out by the droppings.  The droppings on my deck were small...

We had one whitish one and one dark grey.

[Nolena]

"Nolena, what kind of rat was the one we saw over here that day?"

I think it was a wood rat.

Intro to Roof Rats

The roof rat's scientific name is Rattus rattus. Historically, they are associated with having spread the plague or black death during the Middle Ages. The roof rat is also known as the black rat, even though it is not necessarily black in color, but rather is usually dark brown. Your typical roof rat is between 13 to 18 inches long, including its tail. In fact, it is distinguished from other rats by that tail, which is longer than the rest of its body. Roof rats are sleek, slender, and agile. Their have large ears.

[angelwolf326]

Wow  , mine was not that big.  I would say he was about 6 inches and the tail was definitely longer that the body, it hung way off the shovel I picked him up with. 

[budnett]

I would like to see WW have a mandatory trash service for each resident...it would help limitate the rat population/diseases.

I know that one of my neighbors can not afford trash service...so i offered for her to use mine which she now does weekly.

I will never understand the mantality of why so many residents here in WW throw and leave their trash bags piled in the yard.

HELLO... wonder why we have RATS among us!
 

[Scout]

I and others have said it before,,,, Cats (and some dogs!) are great hunters but OWLS rule!  If you insist on lighting up (and thus polluting) the night sky with bright outdoor lighting, you are moving the owls further away and inviting the rats and mice in to party!
Keep it dark and keep it clean.

[free2bee]

The bright lighting is intended to keep the rats that steal cars and break into homes away...but if it keeps the owls from catching rats...what is a person to do??

We had a huge invasion of wood rats a few years ago. It was revenge because I ignorantly destroyed a condo of theirs that probably housed up to 20 of them. As my helpers were removing the last of their stack of sticks (5 fit high) ... the proprieter stood at the doorway staring me straight in the eyes. He might as well have said , "Lady, IT'S ON!"

He brought the whole family to the garage! And a few made it into the attic.

It took two years to discourage them... live traps, timber rattlers,
and I'm sorry to say we had to resort to poison
That was the only thing that worked.

Unfortunately, we wiped out some ground squirrels, but they are coming back and the rats (so far) have not. I also pray that we did not effect any domestic pets or coyotes or bobcats...

YIKES! O My Gosh...the OWLS!  O dear... 

[free2bee]

  There was an owl on our property last night!!!

[pinetrees]

Thanks Nolena for the photos - the dusky footed rat seems to have white feet - some WW folks have described to me rats they have seen in the wash - those have large white areas of fur on their chest and tummy - I thought maybe those were Norway rats but doubtful now that there is a photo of one which shows no white fur on it.

[Chuck]

I think I know why there seems to be a problem on the East side.  BBob didn't want to kill them so he has been catching them in a friendly squirrel cage, then transporting them over to Wright Mountain Road, releasing them there. 

Apple Street Norway Rat


I'm sure this is a county violation!   I guess we know who is the biggest RAT.

[Wrightwood]

A couple months back we had problems with rats. I attribute the problem to a suet bird feeder on the from porch hanging in a tree. The suet the birds would drop on the ground attracted the rats.

It took a while to get rid of them with aggressive trapping. (Glue traps, spring traps and rat zapper). Peanut butter and a single peanut in the shell worked best for bait. Caught 8-10 of them before it was over.

Here's the last one that was caught in early January.

[Chuck]

Norway Rats!

Look into the eye and see Wrightwood himself!

[ForestGal]

Dang, Chuck, do you have any friends at all?