I wonder if it would be worth trying baiting a trap with scratch feed on the outside of the feeder, outside the pen?
Oh, Rats!
- Thread starter plantdude
- Start date
- Status
Yep, I've tried the chicken feed with the snap trap in the woodpile a few times. I seem to have better luck with honey roasted peanuts over there. Now that something is brave enough to enter the live catch trap I'll probably try something a little stickier on the trigger so they are more likely to set it off and eventually move that out next to the pen. Peanut butter, cracked corn, and chicken feed sounds like a good combo to me. I might even set the trap up in the pen a few nights next to the feeder for fun. It's nice not having to worry about hurting my animals when using those.
Ok, got the holes filled with some wood and a lot of expanding foam. I added the expanding foam and got busy moving all the crap back into the garage. When I looked back at the holes it looked like I had snow piles on each side of the garage, that stuff really expands
I think my house now consists of approximately 30 percent spackle, 40 percent expanding foam and a little wood and drywall - glad we have a brick exterior
Rats and mice aren't supposed to like pepermint so I mixed some pepermint oil extract and water and doused the garage floor with that. No idea if it works or not but the garage smells kinda pretty now anyway
I think my house now consists of approximately 30 percent spackle, 40 percent expanding foam and a little wood and drywall - glad we have a brick exteriorRats and mice aren't supposed to like pepermint so I mixed some pepermint oil extract and water and doused the garage floor with that. No idea if it works or not but the garage smells kinda pretty now anyway
@Knucklehead your chikcen feed suggestion (along with a little peanut butter and peanuts) worked for the rat on the back porch, caught him in the live catch trap. There was also a mangled mouse on the way to the chicken pen this morning, probably one of the neighbors cats killed it. That brings the total of known deaths to 6 rats and 3 mice in about the last month. Apparently I have quite the rodent farm out there.
The wife mentioned the rodent control section of Walmart was pretty picked over the other day so I guess maybe the town has a worse problem than normal this year. Hard to say though since our Walmart currently has a lot of items missing lately. We have reached over 210 recorded corona cases in our small county of 17,700 people and I think people have gone back into panic buying mode around here again. At least there are tobacco leaves if toilet paper becomes too hard to come by
The wife mentioned the rodent control section of Walmart was pretty picked over the other day so I guess maybe the town has a worse problem than normal this year. Hard to say though since our Walmart currently has a lot of items missing lately. We have reached over 210 recorded corona cases in our small county of 17,700 people and I think people have gone back into panic buying mode around here again. At least there are tobacco leaves if toilet paper becomes too hard to come by
Ifyougotem
Active Member
It occurs that there are probably forums where pest-control pros post rodent-kill porn and vie with one another good-naturedly to see who can solve the toughest rat-Columbo cases, etc. Do you think it's a sign I've become too emotionally invested in your pest problems if I want a poster of each of your wicked-witch shots? :- ) Hardware store's closed, it being Sunday, but tomorrow should be able to test the trigger of a promising DIY trap. If it's good I'll try to post pics. Seems clear that rats are prolific and will keep coming so long as there's food avail. and they have access to it. Do your chix free-range around the property during daylight, then stay in a coop/pen at night, plantdude? How are you feeding 'em? One would think it essential to devise a feeding area w an absolutely rat-secure perimeter- otherwise you're bailing the boat w/out plugging the holes, no?
The chickens are too destructive in the garden to free range in the summer, but they get to in the winter. Their feeder hangs below their raised chicken coop and is not rat proof. The alternative is putting the feeder in the coop but that would bring its own set of issues. I would very likely end up with a possum, coon, or large rat trying to get into the coop and causing more damage. Plus the feeder would become soiled and they would end up with chicken droppings in their food.
Went outside around 1 pm today and found a mouse trying to make its way into the side door of the garage in broad daylight. Guess it didn't realize I had reinforced the bottom of that door as well. After a short chase I got him with the shovel. 6 rats 4 mice down now. Man, they just keep coming...
Went outside around 1 pm today and found a mouse trying to make its way into the side door of the garage in broad daylight. Guess it didn't realize I had reinforced the bottom of that door as well. After a short chase I got him with the shovel. 6 rats 4 mice down now. Man, they just keep coming...
Just got in from chasing another mouse trying to get into the side door of the garage. My dog was trying to help. The tobaco plants in the small pots and the 120 pound cane corso going after the mouse was not a good combination... Not to much damage done though. The mouse made it to safety under the airconditiong unit. I'm grateful the dog didn't see him going under there or we would probably be without air conditioning right now
How close is your home to closed restaurants?
Bob
Bob
Not very close. I think the chicken food and 5 bags of cans that need recycled are drawing them in. Trying to be a good citizen and recycle but our recycling center in town closed months ago and I haven't made the hour drive to take them into the city (which probably has their recycling center closed as well). The cans may be going out to the curb soon for trash pickup.
We are also surrounded by miles of rice and soybeans fields a block or two away from our house which probably doesn't help. This is the first year I've ever noticed it being so bad and we have had the chickens for about 3 years now. Some years we are overwhelmed with frogs, some years with toads, other years with ribbon snakes and some years with tent caterpillars. Things seem to cycle down here so I guess this may just be a better year than most for rodents.
Oldfella
Well-Known Member
I have good success with crunchy peanut butter. It works great for me I get em every time. In rural areas where I live the majority of our mice are field mice and only move in for the winter, so if it doesn't cause a problem leave them alone and they'll move out come summer. However our rate are river rats and come only for the food, so no food, no rats.
Oldfella
Did the past midnight nightly patrol and have a mouse just outside the garage door sitting in a live catch trap. Plenty of food in there for the night so I'll leave him be for the morning. He should be relatively comfortable for a few more hours. If he doesn't work his way out or one of my kind hearted daughters doesn't see it and set it free I'll deal with it latter in the morning. Curious to see how escape proof those traps are since a few have sprung with no critters the following day.
davek14
Well-Known Member
I have never had any luck getting rid of mice or rats with anything but poison, which has been extremely effective.
I had rats outside (only) just a few years ago. Then you have the problem of your neighbor's pets when it comes to poison. I tried traps, eliminating all my compost heaps, etc., etc..
I finally settled on making a wooden box with a small entrance for the poison. It disallowed entrance for any dog, but a cat could have gotten in. Not a perfect solution, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Solved the rat problem.
I had rats outside (only) just a few years ago. Then you have the problem of your neighbor's pets when it comes to poison. I tried traps, eliminating all my compost heaps, etc., etc..
I finally settled on making a wooden box with a small entrance for the poison. It disallowed entrance for any dog, but a cat could have gotten in. Not a perfect solution, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Solved the rat problem.
I noticed in my garage that they would often take pieces of the poison bait and squirrel it away in a sheltered spot to eat it. I found more than a few pieces and some big chunks of bar bait hauled back to the opening of their holes. One of them even took 5 pieces of the marble sized bait and hid it between a trunk and box. Just something to keep in mind for people with pets, particularly small pets were a few pieces of poison might be bad. The main source might be contained in a box but they will move it around.
The mouse I had in the live catch trap outside last night was dead when I went out to check on it this morning. That makes me think he got some poison (very likely from my garage a few days before) and just got around to dying. I don't know how toxic he would be to other critters eating him, but I imagine like Bob was pointing out before it could be a hazard to secondary predators. Sometimes the use of poison is the most effective way and I'm not against using it, but I'm planning on sticking to trapping as much as possible, especially now that they are outside of the garage.
Kind of off topic but last night around 3AM I heard what sounded like a gun shot or explosion. A few minutes later I heard a lady yelling. I got up to look out the window about the time I heard sirens coming and saw the two story house behind us burning pretty good. It looks like it burned out a good part of the first floor and part of the wall going up to the second story to the roof. I haven't heard what caused it but everyone made it out safely. No one was hurt but the house sure looks like a mess from my view in the backyard.
I think I'll be adding another smoke detector in my house.
Careful with those homemade kilns and other potential fie hazards.
I think I'll be adding another smoke detector in my house.
Careful with those homemade kilns and other potential fie hazards.
Their mice will be looking for a new home. Just sayin’.
We live in a decent neighborhood with mostly pretty good people. It's not nice of me to say this since I never met those neighbors and just have observed numerous shady looking characters always and coming and going from their house, but they seem a bit "not so good". Part of me can't help but wonder if the explosion I heard might have been from them cooking up something they shouldn't have. Regardless of how it started I still hate to see that happen to people.Their mice will be looking for a new home. Just sayin’.
It still smells smoky outside.
Oldfella
Well-Known Member
Do they have mice insurance?Their mice will be looking for a new home. Just sayin’.
Oldfella
Maybe a rat chewed up their wiring... or knocked over a Bunsen burnerDo they have mice insurance?
Oldfella
GreenDragon
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a meth lab accident to me.
Oldfella
Well-Known Member
Could be.Maybe a rat chewed up their wiring... or knocked over a Bunsen burner
A certain girl was caught doing something with butane. Not here now. Didn't burn up, Just moved out.
Old not amused fella
- Status