Author Topic: Rat problem in town (Read 264446 times)

SNOW · « **Reply #23 on:** Jul 29, 06, 05:02:46 PM »

Quote from: makgirl on Jul 29, 06, 03:34:43 PM

Ewww, all this rat talk is really nice in the am- "enjoy your eggs, everyone!"

I thought the 3 or 4 raccoons on our deck at once was a bit much. (They use our roof as a toliet/raceway on their neighborhood eating binges). But I'll take them anyday over these nasty rats you all are writing about!

[/]

You want to be very careful when dealing with racoons. They can be vicious.
Never try to catch one without a proper trap and avoid cornering one. They will fight and can tear you up pretty bad. If you have one in a trap, call Animal Control for pickup. A quote from someone who is very familiar with animal behavior, "THEY ARE QUICK AS LIGHTNING AND BITE LIKE AN ALLIGATOR".

ChrisLynnet · « **Reply #24 on:** Jul 29, 06, 05:33:05 PM »

lostkiwi, your rabbit count cracked me up.

I saw my first cottontail up here (Pinon Mesa) the other day. I love rabbits and that was a thrill. My dog thought it was a thrill too but for a different reason, it's a good thing I had a firm hold on his leash.

I know we have mice in the crawl space below the house but I haven't seen any rats. I hope not to, that's for sure. We have the occasional problem with chipmunks coming in the house, but my Lab/Sharpei X takes them out in short order. And what he doesn't get, the cats do.

But this was the first summer where one of my container plants on my deck got eaten down to the nubs. It's spent the last two summers outside without any gnawing. I thought it was the chipmunks or ground squirrels, but rats? Ewww!!

Mikeswave · « **Reply #25 on:** Jul 29, 06, 06:35:21 PM »

Hes backed up to a hill no homes behind him to worry about windows

lagomorphmom · « **Reply #26 on:** Jul 29, 06, 09:25:30 PM »

Since traps have been mentioned, I have two friends that have had great success with the Victor electric mouse traps (the electricity kills them quickly). Best thing is they re-use easily and all you do to get the mouse out is open the lid and turn it over the trash can. I thankfully don't know anyone who has used the rat trap, however. The mouse units are just under $20 and the rat units are more, I don't remember, around $30-something at HD & Lowes, batteries not included.

One thing about the sticky traps, aside from needing a never ending supply is that the buggers don't die anything near a quick death and if you don't catch all four feet, they can easily get to some place that you can't get to easily (like inside the wall) and then stink to high heaven. I'm just sayin'....

kew · « **Reply #27 on:** Jul 30, 06, 10:46:53 PM »

Quote from: Surfer_Dude on Jul 29, 06, 07:38:01 AM

It seems they have poisons now that won't secondary poison a pet.

Do you have any information on this subject?

Surfer_Dude · « **Reply #28 on:** Jul 31, 06, 03:27:46 AM »

BB,
Are you going to make bait stations out of pvc? Good luck and tell us how the war goes.
Surfer_Dude

lostkiwi · « **Reply #29 on:** Jul 31, 06, 05:01:53 AM »

Chesslike · « **Reply #30 on:** Jul 31, 06, 07:10:55 AM »

Quote from: Surfer_Dude on Jul 31, 06, 03:27:46 AM

BB,
Are you going to make bait stations out of pvc? Good luck and tell us how the war goes.
Surfer_Dude

Thanks but no, I don't like using poisons and or chemicals because I don't want my dog finding the dead ones and I don't want them crawling into some part of the house and dying. One of Wrightwood's neighbors was telling me about a trap that was suppose to be very effective. You take a five gallon bucket, drill holes into it, near the top and put a rod with a plastic bottle or aluminum can mounted on it, that can spin freely. You fill the bucket part way with water and then smear peanut butter on the bottle or can. When the rat goes after the peanut butter, it spins and the rat falls in the water and drowns. I guess that is a better way to go than having a trap snap on your neck. Has anyone tried this kind of trap or heard anything about it?

ForestGal · « **Reply #31 on:** Jul 31, 06, 07:21:14 AM »

No, and I'm so UN-mechanically inclined that it's hard for me to picture what you are describing, but if this would work for ground squirrels, I'd be happy to learn this! Seems to me that a snap on the neck would be more humane than drowning, but hey - we are trying to eradicate these dang pests! Grrrrrrrrrrrr......

Surfer_Dude · « **Reply #32 on:** Jul 31, 06, 01:39:19 PM »

Quote from: BostonBob on Jul 31, 06, 07:10:55 AM

Quote from: Surfer_Dude on Jul 31, 06, 03:27:46 AM
BB,
Are you going to make bait stations out of pvc? Good luck and tell us how the war goes.
Surfer_Dude

Thanks but no, I don't like using poisons and or chemicals because I don't want my dog finding the dead ones and I don't want them crawling into some part of the house and dying.

Rodetrol might be a good answer if you combine it with glue traps. You might be able to get most of them. Good luck and take picks of this contraption you might build. You know what Ralph Waldo Emerson always said, "If you build a better mouse trap the world will beat a path to your door."

Here is a corn cob version of your trap BB: http://journeytoforever.org/at_rattrap3.html

Here is an interesting anti-freeze mix version: http://ratkill.com/test.html
Scroll down a few stories to THE BUCKET AND ANTI-FREEZE TRICK FROM SWEDEN

Wrightwood · « **Reply #33 on:** Jul 31, 06, 02:51:38 PM »

I'm going to try this for ground squirrels.

Set up a half to three-quarters full 5 gallon bucket with water and squirt some dishwashing soap in the water.

You can also float a bunch of corks on top of the water, it masks the water and won't support them when they fall in. (The corks are an old exterminator's trick)

michael · « **Reply #34 on:** Jul 31, 06, 03:35:04 PM »

One thing about the sticky traps, aside from needing a never ending supply is that the buggers don't die anything near a quick death and if you don't catch all four feet, they can easily get to some place that you can't get to easily (like inside the wall) and then stink to high heaven. I'm just sayin'....[/quote]

My crawl space was simply full of fun little creatures. Being the environentally sensitive guy that I am, I went out and located some arsenic pot roast. Yummm! Then I had a crawl space that smelled like a morgue that had lost its cooling.

I want to buy a couple of Jack Russel Terriers. They are unrepentant killing machines when it comes to rats.

Chesslike · « **Reply #35 on:** Jul 31, 06, 04:03:03 PM »

Thanks, S_D and Wrightwood. Boy this link that was on one of the other links you listed had some amazing statistics. I never knew they ate so much of the world's food:

http://journeytoforever.org/at_rats.html

Wrightwood · « **Reply #36 on:** Jul 31, 06, 04:05:19 PM »

So what kind of rats are they BB?

Chesslike · « **Reply #37 on:** Jul 31, 06, 04:08:37 PM »

My guess is the roof rat (Rattus rattus).

Hillbillies · « **Reply #38 on:** Jul 31, 06, 04:20:41 PM »

Wanna buy an owl?

Surfer_Dude · « **Reply #39 on:** Jul 31, 06, 06:45:00 PM »

The owls are of limited supply, partly due to the poisoned rats. But you are right about the owls/raptors as efficent in controlling mice and rats. If we can make a community effort to bring back the owls the rat problem will decrease dramatically. Owls are much more efficent than any creative trap. However, combining several efforts should help. Rats are a community problem so when your neighbor gets rid of his guess what? Tag you are it!

Now, we need a few houses to make an owl community and public awareness not to use d-con and other rat killers that contain poison that spreads to the owls .

Good thing BB ,WW are experts at making bird houses and gadgets. http://www.rain.org/~sals/barnowl.html
Look at fig5 and tell me what you think. Can you design an asthetically pleasing one or better one?

Author Topic: Rat problem in town (Read 264446 times)

makgirl

ezzpete

Hillbillies

kew

lostkiwi

Chesslike

michael

Chesslike

Chesslike

Hillbillies