Rats an More Rats

rickpaul · #1 02/18/15, 01:02 PM

Not sure where to put this post so I`ll try here; Can someone help me with some advice on how to get rid of rats that won`t eat poison an will not take the bait in a rat trap. I have a few in my home I just can`t get rid of, hopefully some one had had this experience an know what to do. Thanks a lot........rick

FarmboyBill · #2 02/18/15, 01:30 PM

U got house rats. How bout some house CATS.

WirePaladin · #3 02/18/15, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickpaul

Not sure where to put this post so I`ll try here; Can someone help me with some advice on how to get rid of rats that won`t eat poison an will not take the bait in a rat trap. I have a few in my home I just can`t get rid of, hopefully some one had had this experience an know what to do. Thanks a lot........rick

I stumbled across this a while back and your post brought it to mind. I haven't tried this myself, but poison and traps aren't working so it's worth a shot.

Simple Mouse Trap

It's a pretty simple premise: a tall bucket or trash can, an empty paper towel tube, some peanut butter (or something else they'll eat). Put the tube with the food end hanging over the end of a table or counter with the bucket/trash can under it. When they try to get the food the tube tips over and it all falls into the container. If it works you'll probably need to keep doing it for a while. If you've seen one....

rickpaul · #4 02/18/15, 02:02 PM

Thanks Wire...

big rockpile · #5 02/18/15, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmboyBill

U got house rats. How bout some house CATS.

Rats will kill Cats. Rat Terrier might be better.

big rockpile

Horseyrider · #6 02/18/15, 03:43 PM

The farm ground to the northeast of me was sold some years back, and the new owner decided to rent out the house. He picked some real losers. The old turn-of-the-(last) century barn had been left full of old hay for decades, and one fourth of July these folks thought bottle rockets would be a good idea. I watched that grand old barn burn from my drylot.

Within a short time, all the rats that had previously occupied their place exited for the neighbors'. I got my share, in the barn and crib.

I tried EVERYTHING. But rats are extremely intelligent, and also rather suspicious. I put out every conceivable type of bait. I had loads of cats. I got peppermint oil and spread it on cotton balls everywhere, spread dog hair around the perimeter, stopped up holes with steel wool, and sent my little PBGV digging. These things messed with them briefly, but made no lasting difference.

Then I decided to string lights. Their mischief was mostly in the barn loft at that time. So we put up seven 100 watt lights in there, arranged so there were no shadowy places to hide. Rats like to creep around in secret. I tried to create an environment where they couldn't get comfortable.

I only saw rats once or twice. But wow, you couldn't miss the droppings! After adding the lights, I realized they were moving out to someplace else.

So I strung lights in the crawlspace of the house, as well as the root cellar.

Thank goodness it's worked well for us. The cost is negligible, and it's safe for our critters. I still put out some stinky menthol stuff and have bait around. Only mice will eat it, but it makes me feel better.

I wish you luck! Rats are hard to get rid of.

FarmboyBill · #7 02/18/15, 04:18 PM

I have had 4 cats for a few years. Don't see a rat a year, and only maybe a 1/2 doz or less mice a year.

werb2008 · #8 02/18/15, 06:00 PM

Stickey traps along the wall,sooner or later you will get one or two.

Ozarks Tom · #9 02/18/15, 06:25 PM

I guess a 12 gauge it out of the question, so I'd mix some peanut butter in with the poison pellets.

ct01r · #10 02/18/15, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Horseyrider

The farm ground to the northeast of me was sold some years back, and the new owner decided to rent out the house. He picked some real losers. The old turn-of-the-(last) century barn had been left full of old hay for decades, and one fourth of July these folks thought bottle rockets would be a good idea. I watched that grand old barn burn from my drylot.

Within a short time, all the rats that had previously occupied their place exited for the neighbors'. I got my share, in the barn and crib.

I tried EVERYTHING. But rats are extremely intelligent, and also rather suspicious. I put out every conceivable type of bait. I had loads of cats. I got peppermint oil and spread it on cotton balls everywhere, spread dog hair around the perimeter, stopped up holes with steel wool, and sent my little PBGV digging. These things messed with them briefly, but made no lasting difference.

Then I decided to string lights. Their mischief was mostly in the barn loft at that time. So we put up seven 100 watt lights in there, arranged so there were no shadowy places to hide. Rats like to creep around in secret. I tried to create an environment where they couldn't get comfortable.

I only saw rats once or twice. But wow, you couldn't miss the droppings! After adding the lights, I realized they were moving out to someplace else.

So I strung lights in the crawlspace of the house, as well as the root cellar.

Thank goodness it's worked well for us. The cost is negligible, and it's safe for our critters. I still put out some stinky menthol stuff and have bait around. Only mice will eat it, but it makes me feel better.

I wish you luck! Rats are hard to get rid of.

Horseyrider, this is a GREAT idea! When I was a kid, a friend and I used to go to his uncle's farm at night to shoot rats. We'd go to the corn crib, barn, where he kept his feed, etc. We'd turn the lights on, and have about 5 seconds to shhot at as many rats as we could. We'd probably see a dozen or more at each spot. Once we turn the lights on, they'd scatter. After shooting, we'd go to the next spot. We sometimes made 3 or 4 rounds before running out of ammo. It's amazing that no one got hurt. They'd only come out in the dark.

We've always had cats on our farm, and don't see many signs of rats. We find a dead one every 5 years or so, thanks to the cats. We've never had a problem with the rats going after the cats. With that many rats, though, you'll need a lot of cats. Good luck! Curt

FarmboyBill · #11 02/18/15, 08:38 PM

First place I bought was overrun with rats. Don't know why I never got any rats, but I had my first pk, a 47 Chevy. Id drive it up to the back of the grainery shed which was a combo of one grain bin, one corn crib, with a lean to attached garage. I knew there were rats working back there. Id stand on the running board and lean over the fender and shoot them with a 22. Cheap kinda fun.

Wyobuckaroo · #12 02/18/15, 08:54 PM

I never had a rat problem... Not even a single rat on the old farm place here..
But I had a ton of chipmunks... They are very destructive in there own way and get about the size of a big rat...

I had my best results with a wood base Victor rat trap, baited with a salted in the shell peanut tied to the trip pan with a bread wrapper twist tie... I also tied a short length of brick layers string to tether the trap so something that wants to consume the contents of the trap doesn't drag the trap away where I can't find it...

My neighbor says an unwrapped mini Tootsie Roll tied to the trip pan works well.... I have yet to try it myself...

Good luck....

secuono · #13 02/18/15, 09:23 PM

Chop up some of the rat poison with a good amount of peanut butter.
Toss the knife away after or seal it in with the bait in the big pouch for future use.
Worked great for our mice that got too smart about traps and regular bait alone and the one rat outside.

poppy · #14 02/18/15, 11:23 PM

Don't set the traps, just bait them unset for awhile until the rats get used to eating there. Then bait and set them in the same spot. Rats are known to be Leary of anything new in their area. Another tip: Use a piece of raw fish for bait. Tie it on with string.

1shotwade · #15 02/19/15, 06:32 AM

Think food,water,shelter. TOTALLY eliminate one of these three and the rats will leave!
If you do NOT have chickens or rabbit etc you can make your property "mink and weasel friendly" or purchase a ferret. Any of the three will end your rat problem.

Wade

Phil V. · #16 02/19/15, 08:27 AM

Put pepsi or some kind of pop out. Put in a place your pets can't get at and it will take care of the rats and mice.

MH8675309 · #17 02/19/15, 08:39 AM

I have heard that pop - since it is carbonated will give rats gas and they cant get rid of gas so they "gasphixiate". The water trap will work but you need something round on a pole that will spin coated with peanut butter and suspended over the water. They jump on it and it rolls dumping them into the water. Cats and terriors will help too. An Amish neighbor of mine had a pig operation and eventually he got rats so bad you'd see them in broad daylight scurrying out of the large gravity feeder. He tried all sorts of poison and nothing would work and then one Sunday he went out to chore and a skunk had been in the barn - he never had a rat after that. Rats are scared of skunks since they'll raid the nests and eat baby rats. Rats are gross - good luck with them. Make sure you're cleaning up food/ grain/ dog food - anything left around for them, to eat.

big rockpile · #18 02/19/15, 01:52 PM

Use to have a Neighbor Woman years ago would shoot Rats from her Bed at night. One night she accidently shot herself in the foot

big rockpile

SueMc · #19 02/20/15, 09:19 AM

My sister lives close to a river in CA and used to have rats come up under and onto her deck. She read that rodents don't like peppermint so she soaked cotton balls with peppermint essential oil and put them all around her house and deck. The rats disappeared. She keeps peppermint growing around her deck now.
We have had mice problems in our camper in the winter. I now put soaked cotton balls in the camper and the storage areas that are accessed from the outside. We don't have mice in the camper since we started doing that.
I think real essential oil is required.

I used to have a small dog that someone dumped out. That dog killed anything and everything, mice, shrews, moles as soon as she found one. I don't know if she ever killed a rat though.

CIW · #20 02/20/15, 08:04 PM

Take a pie pan and with several pieces of bread in it (Setting on the floor). Pour anti-freeze over the bread. Cover the pan with a milk crate and put a very large weight on top like a five gallon bucket of dirt. The milk crate will keep dogs and cats out but the rats will crawl in and out of the handle holes to get the bait.
They will eat the bread and go off somewhere and die. I've even seen other rats eating on thier buddies then go off and die as they ran across the yard.
Once the rats find out that its there, they will clean up everything in the pan very quickly.
Make sure that you don't disturb them while they are around the milk crate. You want them to be as comfortable as possible around it. Repeat as needed.
You'll pick up a few mice also.
My neighbor used to feed old bread products to his hogs and the rats capitalized on the food source. This is how he kept them in check. He actually used on of these setups out in the middle of his car yard under the yard light. (He could watch it from his house.)
Make sure that you don't leave any dead animals laying around, as they are poison to other animals.