Posted on 08/16/2017 6:24:37 AM PDT by logi_cal869
Neither a joke nor metaphor, I have a rat problem and seek learned wisdom from others who've combatted these cunning creatures.
I have a lone rat (I believe) lurking somewhere in my house. Without regard to the accuracy of that statement or my seeming inability to find its lair, this smart SOB freed itself from a sticky trap and has been Ninja ever since, sometimes not taking my popcorn bait for days (there are NO other food sources other than our occasional lapse in leaving the dog's food out).
Spring traps don't work; it's too smart. Or, to be more accurate, they don't work with the bait I've been using. I prefer not to use poison, as my neighbor has incurred significant expense in tearing into walls to remove decomposing flesh.
I'm hopeful for meritorious advice, as all of my requests to borrow/rent a farm cat have fallen on deaf ears...
Use a ramp to allow them to get to the maw of the trash can, so they can compete in the Swimming Forever Olympics...
But honestly, a cat now keeps all those critters away, and I highly recommend having a cat for this purpose.
I used to catch speckled kingsnakes in the woods and release them under the house for this type of problem. Obviously that only works with a pier and beam home.
I know way more than other Freepers about this topic. I am busy at work but I will get back to you.
I hear they like Chipotle.
pellet gun and snap rat traps
Finally dispose of any carcass well away from where you place the trap”
Mr Mercat gave it an air burial. Threw it on top of the roof.
I have a little mouse that lives under my stove and I rather like the little guy.
Why he would choose to live in a house full of cats, I'll never know.
I bought an electric trap at Lowe’s or Home Depot. It uses 4 D batteries. Smear some peanut butter on the bait end, turn it on, and wait for the rat to get electrocuted. Sometimes I have to place it up against a wall so they don’t get the PB without going inside the electrocution tube, but once I do that I can continue getting them until I have to replace the batteries.
Peanut butter is good bait in a spring trap or havahart. On a spring trap smear it over the top and bottom of trigger. Here is an important tip, block access to the sides of the trap by putting it against the wall or using a piece of wood. If he has to approach from the front your chances of catching it improve greatly.
Outlander fans will get the reference :-)
forget the cat. Find a rat terrier dog! Seriously tho, if the large glue traps aren’t working, there’s a gopher trap called a black box, under $20 at the hardware store. Wide opening one side, small hole the other side. It’s a spring latch that catches them under the armpits and there’s no chewing off a foot to escape. Use a shovel to pick the sprung trap up and dump trap and all into a 10gal bucket of water to make sure the job is finished. (you might want to check under the base kitchen or bathroom cabinets and see if you find a hole where the base meets the facing board, especially at a corner where the rat can get into a dead spot or the back of a long cabinet - a kangaroo mouse taught me that trick)
Get a flute and play a song. It will come out and dance with you out the door.
A feral house cat has begun visiting my rural house. I can see his paw prints on the seat of my garden tractor.
Not sure if he is a problem or a blessing. He probably eats birds but also gets the rats and mice. Living in the woods, you will have rats no matter what you do.
At least the cat keeps them down.
The best trap I have used is the glue traps. Are you using a large one?
I would be surprised if you just have one. After you catch it keep setting up your trap. Water bucket has worked well for friends of ours.
+1
I have had rats in the house twice. The first time I got a tom cat who quickly ended the problem. The second time I also acquired a female cat who stunned and caught a mouse and then presented it to my 10 year old daughter. She did it again. I swapped her out for another and the problem was dealt with in a day and a night. Female cats stun mice to train their young and sometimes other critters’ young in catching mice.
Havahearts are wonderful when you owe some maliciousness to a neighbor.
Several years ago I lived next to a farm. The farmer used a backhoe to clean the barn which disrupted rats. They ended up in my walls. I tried all kinds of traps but nothing was very effective.
My brother in law used my garage to do some radiator work. He left a 5 gallon plastic pail with anti freeze in the garage. The next morning I had two dead rats in the bucket. So I put a ramp there so they could get in easier. During the next couple days I removed about a dozen dead rats. Seems they can’t resist the taste so they climb in and get drunk pass out and die. Obviously if you have pets you need to be careful but it seemed pretty effective to me.
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