JPatrick
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2005
- Messages
- 2,610
OK, I had to google little johnny cuss word joke. Rats.
I googled as well....Not just any rats
OK, I had to google little johnny cuss word joke. Rats.
Describing those rats, concurrent with behaving, is way beyond my capabilitySize?
Type?
Now behave....
Last year we had a family of possums under the barn. Caught one of the little ones in a have-a-heart trap only to have DW tell me to let it go. Watched it run back under the barn.
Many folks around here swear by mothballs tossed under decks and such.
I've got acres of woods for them to live in, (and most do) but I've got one skunk that did not get the memo---hoping mothballs help.
I googled as well....Not just any rats
All have food and are not set
My rat experience comes from a two-week epic ratto a mano battle with a rat that our cat brought in through the cat door (the cat lost interest).
When setting traps it can be useful to put two head to head or side to side. It helps get them even if there would otherwise be a miss or a trap that fails to spring but bait is taken.
Two weeks? I am going to double check with my wife, but I think she would have checked into a motel for those 2 weeks and would not come home until I present the captured rat as evidence that it is no longer loose inside the house.
And ah, you have or had a cat! It is the first time I see you mention a pet.
I have heard of this strategy, and professionals use it, but I don't really get it. If the trap is going to catch the rat the first time he tastes the food, you're better off setting it. You can find out which food is preferred by which traps catch rats.
Once they are used to the traps, the first time that one goes off but fails to catch the rat (or goes off while other rats are nearby), they will be fearful of them.
The kind of bait used for the trap is important. Nut meat, dried fruit, or bacon make excellent baits for rats. The bait should be fastened securely to the trigger of the trap with light string, thread, or fine wire so the rodent will spring the trap in attempting to remove the food. Even glue can be used to secure the bait to the trigger. Soft baits such as peanut butter and cheese can be used, but rats sometimes take soft baits without setting off the trap. Leaving traps baited but unset until the bait has been taken at least once improves trapping success by making the rodents more accustomed to the traps. Set traps so the trigger is sensitive and will spring easily. Rat Management Guidelines--UC IPM
Yeah, right. MichaelB, great hunter of palm beach county ... . Really, my hunter/gatherer instincts were predominant and effective in youth, but have since been overtaken by the "life is too short and there's far too many wines, beers and good food not yet tasted to worry about this crap" instinct. I have overcome my instinct to just ponder this over a glass of fermented beverage over dinner to take action...Do you feel your hunter instincts being awakened?
This is what the CDC says as well. Tough in our situation because the problem is in the attic and the walls are very hard to reach. Still, this may be part of phase two.For mice, (and I'm assuming the same for rats), it's a good idea to set the traps perpendicular to the wall and a few feet apart. The rats/mice like to crawl around the edges of the walls, so traps there are a good way for the rats to meet their fate with the traps.
In otherwords, if you just set a trap in the middle of the room, they would be less likely encounter the trap.
It was a real ordeal. DW says she was close to going to a motel.
Uh .. no. Worse. How much detail do you want?Squealing rats?
Uh .. no. Worse. How much detail do you want?
All night they heard little voices saying "Help me.. Help me..."