Rats! (of the rodent kind)

[ohyes]

This is what I saw when I looked out the kitchen window this morning.



The bush needs a good pruning, but can you see the rat?!?! It's rather small and I called it a mouse, but DH promises it is a rat. He also says it is a cute rat that makes good eye contact.

We thought we heard squirrels in the attic, but now are thinking along different lines. DH purchased a Have-a-Heart trap and put it right near the attic entry.

He also took down all the bird feeders. We have one of those Droll Yankee feeders near this particular bush that squirrels can't use.

Guess what. Rats can.

[W2R]

Is it a rat? I can't see it very well at all. I would have thought it was probably a squirrel.

Whatever it is, I wouldn't want it in my house...

[grasshopper]

I walked out to the barn this morning, and had a full grown Black Bear, sitting by a hay bale eating wild bird seed.

[MichaelB]

Good luck with the rats.

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grasshopper I walked out to the barn this morning, and had a full grown Black Bear, sitting by a hay bale eating wild bird seed.

Send the bear over to Ohyes's house to eat some rats.

[freebird5825]

All I see is a red X in a box. Is it my browser (IE 8 on Windows XP) ?

[packrat44]

I use a RatZapper 2000 on my rodents. Works great. Make sure you purchase the one that uses D cell batteries.

[easysurfer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 All I see is a red X in a box. Is it my browser (IE 8 on Windows XP) ?

Similar setup for me (Win XP, IE8). I can't see the rat either. Probably a good thing

[Tyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by packrat44 I use a RatZapper 2000 on my rodents. Works great. Make sure you purchase the one that uses D cell batteries.

If I had rats, I'd prefer the 220 model.

[Tyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 All I see is a red X in a box.

Likewise. It may be some obscure browser security setting.

[Tyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohyes We thought we heard squirrels in the attic, but now are thinking along different lines. DH purchased a Have-a-Heart trap and put it right near the attic entry.

I wouldn't be so humane. Those buggers (roof/black rats) carry all kinds of diseases. Despite the range maps, they're common in (at least) Sun City West, feeding on all the fruit trees.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_rat

[Lsbcal]

Rats outside are no problem for me but when they are inside that's a problem. It's a good idea to take down the bird feeders unless one can set up a way to catch the seeds that are pushed out by the birds.

I've had a problem with rats and mice in my crawl space over the years. Never could get the area completely sealed off.

Current solution is to use those plastic spring loaded traps with peanut butter bait. I went to them after snapping an old wooden type on my thumb, ouch! I check them about every 3 or 4 weeks. If I've caught a rodent it goes out into the open space to be recycled into nature. Vultures, foxes, raccoons like a treat once in awhile.

[killingme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal Rats outside are no problem for me but when they are inside that's a problem. It's a good idea to take down the bird feeders unless one can set up a way to catch the seeds that are pushed out by the birds. I've had a problem with rats and mice in my crawl space over the years. Never could get the area completely sealed off. Current solution is to use those plastic spring loaded traps with peanut butter bait. I went to them after snapping an old wooden type on my thumb, ouch! I check them about every 3 or 4 weeks. If I've caught a rodent it goes out into the open space to be recycled into nature. Vultures, foxes, raccoons like a treat once in awhile.

Might want to check them more frequently because the phermones released when they die attracts others. Also, any rodent which lives outside the home is tryng to FIND a home, so limiting their habitat around the house will make them less likely to come in. When you have a crawlspace, that itself is like a motel 6 sign. Hey and at least you are completing the circle of life

[packrat44]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohyes We thought we heard squirrels in the attic, but now are thinking along different lines. DH purchased a Have-a-Heart trap and put it right near the attic entry. .

IMHO catch and release is not the way to go. If you release them near other houses, you create a problem for those people. Not very neighborly. Those critters removed into the wild seldom survive. Better to terminate.

[Chuckanut]

Removing bird feeders got rid of the rats in back of my home.

[misanman]

I couldn't view the picture so am flying blind on this but is there a chance it could be a vole? We have just discovered that we have voles in our yard - first time I've encountered them (that I know of).

[veremchuka]

There isn't a box with a red x, just a blank space.

[REWahoo]

I see this:

[Lsbcal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by killingme Might want to check them more frequently because the phermones released when they die attracts others. Also, any rodent which lives outside the home is tryng to FIND a home, so limiting their habitat around the house will make them less likely to come in. When you have a crawlspace, that itself is like a motel 6 sign. Hey and at least you are completing the circle of life

I understand rats are good cannibals. You know that you have a really bad problem if the one you caught is gnawed on. I've caught 18 rats + mice in the last 3 years.

Once I opened the crawl space to see a quite decomposed rat. Vultures were circling our house in minutes. Those guys have wonderful smellers. I threw the rat out in the field for their pleasure.

[Tyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal If I've caught a rodent it goes out into the open space to be recycled into nature. Vultures, foxes, raccoons like a treat once in awhile.

That's one way rabies (and other nasties) are spread that aren't to healthy for the good li'l woodland creatures. I used to bury em (when I could) to protect the other critters, but lately I've had to put the corpses in a plastic bag headed for the landfill.