Rat problem in town

[sharyn]

When we lived in Palmdale we'd get Kangaroo rats.  Usually because the cats would bring them in and let go.  They'd usually end up behind my dresser, we'd catch them and let them loose hopefully where the cats didn't notice.  First time I saw it I was a bit confused as to what the critter was.  Long skinny legs, no neck, pointy nose and 2 bulging eyes staring up at me.  I invented a kangaroo rat catcher...shoe box with the end cut off and a stick to guide the critter into it.  Works well for the ones behind the dresser but useless otherwise.

In that pic you can't see it, but they have very long back legs.  We also learned that they hop very high...and putting them for safekeeping in a bathroom trashcan does not work unless you cover it.

[jek134]

I'm freaked out. I went to clean my oven and found what looked like mouse droppings on a cake pan. I dismissed it thinking there was no way a mouse could have gotten in my oven. I then noticed the same droppings on my nightstand. I guess I'm going to Wrightwood Hardware tomorrow for some traps. It'll be another week before we come back. I'm not looking forward to what we'll find when we do.

[LovesAnimals]

> I don't have to worry about the dog eating a rat that was poisoned. The chickens seem to
Cheryl, if I have this right, the chickens eat the poisoned rats? Then do you eat the chicken eggs???
Plus, even if your dog doesn't eat the poisoned rats, other creatures might eat them if they wander off, like owls, or other critters that eat carrion.

>So,, what is more humane?
Electrocution is the most humane. The traps are easy to empty (place over trash can and invert). Have left them for awhile and then had to clean them out, but if you inspect them regularly you won't have that problem. Reusable and they won't take you thumb off. Least humane are the mouse sticky traps, imho.

Yes, the glue/sticky traps are horribly inhumane. There's no reason to make them suffer in pain for a week or longer.

[lagomorphmom]

Yes, the glue/sticky traps are horribly inhumane. There's no reason to make them suffer in pain for a week or longer.

Thanks for the quote!

Jek you are in a jam for this weekend if you are interested in the electric, *don't* get the Victor. Get the Rat Zapper (available on Amazon). Far better unit for less money. Also works for mice. They have a website.

Next thing you need to find entry point (often where pipes come in) and stuff it with steel wool.

Good luck!!!
Kerin

[cedar]

The new guidelines after the hantavirus outbreak in Yosemite says not to use glue traps.  The animal in the glue trap is traumatized and will pee and poop.  That is the carrier of the virus.  Snap traps or other quick kill devices are recommended.

[jek134]

I bought some quick kill traps this morning. I'll set them tonight before leaving. I thoroughly cleaned the cabin to look for entry points, but haven't found one. I did find more droppings here and there, however. Two or three in a bed. One on the couch. Five or six in the guest bathroom. One in the kids' bedroom. I'm hoping and praying there is only one (ha ha, right?) and that the infestation isn't too bad because we had not seen any droppings before this weekend. We hadn't been here in a couple of weeks so they couldn't have been here longer than that, I hope. I'll keep you posted. I'm afraid of what I'll find next week. 

[jek134]

Btw, Wrightwood doesn't have any confirmed cases of the hantavirus, right? I mean, just because you have rodent droppings and urine in your house doesn't mean the virus is in your house, right? I'm getting freaked out because I have kids. Just asking for peace of mind...

[TimG]

I'm pretty sure there haven't been any confirmed cases in WW, but last time I looked there were a few in every direction (Yosemite, of course, plus some east toward AZ, some south by San Diego).  We woke up to mice and droppings all over the kitchen earlier this fall, and no one got sick. 

You mentioned your droppings were in the stove -- ours, too, and we eventually found that they were coming in through a hole where the gas line comes in. The line itself was a perfect little bridge. Yuck. I still get nauseous thinking about it.

[YardBird]

A quick, cheap and effective way to close the holes around water and gas lines is to stuff them with steel wool.

[jek134]

How did you check behind the stove? Pull it out? Our water heater box recently flooded due to a burst pipe. I wonder if the mice were living there, but were forced out becsuse of the gushing water...

Yardbird, do you just buy steel wool and stuff it in any space? Duct tape or anything to keep it I'm place?

[jek134]

Okay, I think we just found their entrypoint. Our back mudroom had a lot of droppings...like 50 or so. There's also a bunch of stuff on the floor like sleds, snowboards, recycle bottles, Christmas tree, ornament boxes, etc. That back door leads to the backyard and is right next to our water heater enclosure. It is a bit drafty. You can see spaces and feel air coming through. When we bought the house in 2011, we thought of replacing the door, but didn't because remodeling costs were adding up. I guess we skimped on the wrong thing. For now, I'm going to stuff a towel between under the door between the mudroom and house. I'll decide what to do about the backdoor over the week. Sigh...

[TimG]

Yeah, just pull it out some and look behind.  They need about a nickel-sized hole to get through, and my hole was the size of a freaking electrical box. I looked all over the house at every pipe and crack before thinking to check behind the stove.  Never realized the pipe was coming out of a hole in the wall.  I stuffed the hole with steel wool, then duct taped over that temporarily, before eventually adding drywall patch. 

[Nolena]

Keep in mind that rats and mice have sliding skeletons, which means they can squish through spaces smaller than their actual girth.

[YardBird]

So that's how it happened!! I thought they were crazy!

I didn't know about the sliding skeletons but my hubby walked into his office one morning and found the secretary speechless and standing on her desk pointing at the floor.  They both watched as the mouse went UNDER a filing cabinet.