Got a rodent problem?

[midnight rambler]

I had been using Tomcat brand bait blocks with limited success, the rats just didn’t seem to be all that enthused about the Tomcat bait blocks. And those are expensive at retail where you only get 16 oz. for about $16 plus tax. So I searched on feebay and found a much better deal - 144 ozs. for less than $30 shipped (double plus good when I can avoid going to the store).

https://m.ebay.com/itm/JT-Eaton-709PN-Bait-Block-Rodenticide-Anticoagulant-Bait-Peanut-Butter-Flavor/252656469436?hash=item3ad37fc5bc:g:TpsAAOSwiONYOyn a

WOW! The rats LOVE this stuff! It’s touted as having peanut butter in it. I know it works ‘cause I find the occasional dead rat. At first I was replenishing at the rate of about ten blocks per day in a known heavily infested area but after about 7-10 days I haven’t needed to replenish for that storage area. I even saw one near death (it was unconcerned I was four feet from it making noise in plain sight that’s how hosed it was) STILL feeding on the bait block. I recently discovered evidence of rats at home so I started putting out the bait blocks - tonight they took NINE bait blocks out of ONE location! (so far at least)

If you have a rodent problem I highly recommend this J.T. Eaton product.

[cheka.]

thanks for the tip. we have a cat that looks exactly like this. it takes care of rodents for us and the houses on each side of us. it is a mousing machine -- dedicated to his craft


http://www.catfinders.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Portsmouth-Barney-gray-and-white.jpg

[Dogman]

Those critter's large and small love peanut butter! But need to keep away from pet's. Bait works well , no fuss and helps keep the smell down for behind the walls kills.

Dam man !

Sounds like you live in/at rodent Central! Peanut butter and spring trap's work very well together.

Ongoing debate , crunchy or smooth which is better ;D

[Hitch]

Ongoing debate , crunchy or smooth which is better ;D

I used snap traps and reeses peanut butter cups, then left for the night. It was an absolute slaughter the next morning, after setting up the traps. They just couldn't resist the peanut butter and chocolate combo!

[midnight rambler]

Success rate not so good here for spring traps, this bait works like gang busters.

I did try the Reese’s only nailed one rat and it was on the smaller side, i.e. either sickly or not mature.

[midnight rambler]

thanks for the tip. we have a cat that looks exactly like this. it takes care of rodents for us and the houses on each side of us. it is a mousing machine -- dedicated to his craft


http://www.catfinders.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Portsmouth-Barney-gray-and-white.jpg


Your kitty must be really quick, when I see rats in the daytime all I see is a dark flash.

[monty]

http://jteaton.com/productinfo/sellsheets/BaitSellSheet.pdf

[cheka.]

Your kitty must be really quick, when I see rats in the daytime all I see is a dark flash.

yup. he's got those skills. and his determination is off the charts. spends every night hunting the things. and when he finds one hiding somewhere, he'll spend days out there laying in wait. we know when we dont see him for a while that he's got some poor sucker cornered. one track mind

[Hitch]

Success rate not so good here for spring traps, this bait works like gang busters.

I did try the Reese’s only nailed one rat and it was on the smaller side, i.e. either sickly or not mature.

The spring traps worked great in my case because the rats got inside. I read a very good article that explained once they get in, you've got to find out how, then seal the place up. Then kill them. If you don't seal it up and stop them from getting in, more rats will come. They smell each other, and it attracts them.

I'm kicking the thought about getting some of that bait though. To put different places on the dock to try and stop them from getting on the boats. But, not sure if that would just attract more of them.

A cat is ideal, because the rats can smell a predator like that and stay away.

[midnight rambler]

The spring traps worked great in my case because the rats got inside. I read a very good article that explained once they get in, you've got to find out how, then seal the place up. Then kill them. If you don't seal it up and stop them from getting in, more rats will come. They smell each other, and it attracts them.

I'm kicking the thought about getting some of that bait though. To put different places on the dock to try and stop them from getting on the boats. But, not sure if that would just attract more of them.

A cat is ideal, because the rats can smell a predator like that and stay away.

I've observed rats have interesting behaviors. I've been concerned about the Hantavirus for some time so a few years ago I went to 'the source', i.e. the Texas Dept. of Health and had a couple of conversations with a RKI there. He advised me of the following: if one contracts the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) one has a 50% chance of survival IF one gets hospitalized at the onset(!), a mouse can enter through a hole as small as 1/4" and a rat can enter through a hole as small as 3/8" - he said if they are able to squeeze their head through a hole their bodies are built such that they can contort themselves through the hole, rodents leave a urine trail showing others 'the way in' and even if you wipe out an entire (current) population the urine trail remains UNLESS you find the point of egress and douse it with a bleach solution (of course it helps to close off all points of egress), he also advised me that despite his personnel going out into the field suited up with Bio-safety Level Three gear they still managed to have HPS anitbodies in their blood (he said they didn't understand how this happened and none of them had contracted HPS).

My own observations: The urine trails seem to also be a means of communication, as in "The clubhouse is this way!" or "THERE'S FOOD IN THE CLUBHOUSE!!!" Don't ask me how, this is something I picked up on from plenty of exposure/experience. Additionally, I've noted they can become VERY comfortable in their environment and lose their shyness of people where they really don't give a fuck if you see them up close, as in their behavior can change over time. I was recently talking to someone who served a stretch in prison and he told me about how rats would come into his cell and when he tried to shoo them away the rat would raise up sitting on it's hind legs and raise it's front legs like it wanted to duke it out, as in being very confrontational not the least bit concerned this hulking, towering human was hovering over him - he said he literally how to kick the rats out of his cell with his foot.

And FYI, never put bait out where cats, dogs or other animals you don't want poisoned getting into it, always use bait stations which you can also find on feebay.

[midnight rambler]

yup. he's got those skills. and his determination is off the charts. spends every night hunting the things. and when he finds one hiding somewhere, he'll spend days out there laying in wait. we know when we dont see him for a while that he's got some poor sucker cornered. one track mind

Like Carlos Hathcock, huh?

[Hitch]

Thanks midnight, very helpful info you posted there. The thing I've learned, with rats, is to keep them out. If they get in, you are fucked. Screwed trying to stop attracting more, the damage, killing them because they ain't leaving, hanta virus....it really is a nightmare.

I found this product, and was thinking I might spray it on any place they might try to get in, when I leave the boat for a few days. Spray the decks, and make other boats more attractive. Yes, it seems you can actually buy coyote piss, and they guarantee it works great at deterring rats.

https://www.predatorpeestore.com/repel-rats-rat-problems-coyote-urine.html

[ziero0]

you can actually buy coyote piss

Or you could just wander the hills with a quart jar hoping to catch one in the act.

[midnight rambler]

If they get in, you are fucked.

Indeed. If the rats get in and establish a beachhead it's a full on assault by the rats from there, they will be EVERYWHERE, there will be NO PLACE they won't go. You WILL be overrun. Which is why I'm so giddy about this bait, the rats keep taking it and soon there won't be any left to take the bait. Currently seeking out all the points of egress and solving those problems.

[midnight rambler]

Betcha didn't know that rats are able to bound onto a kitchen counter from the floor.

Additionally, having clutter around your house or storage area essentially equals building superhighways for rats.

[Hitch]

Betcha didn't know that rats are able to bound onto a kitchen counter from the floor.

Additionally, having clutter around your house or storage area essentially equals building superhighways for rats.

When they got into the old boat, I swear they must have been swinging from the oil lamps on the ceiling in joy. I had about a years worth of food preps on that boat....I learned, they can not get into canned stuffed. My canned bacon was saved, as well as my mountain house cans. All else was eaten by them. I did have some vacuum sealed rice and other stuff spared, only because they were stored in a container the rats can't get into.

I think you gotta live through what they can do, to really learn. The other thing as well, rats, their teeth never stop growing. So, they chew on things, wood, wires, and such to keep their teeth sharp, filed down, ready to go. I think God created rats to humble men, sometimes I think that.

[midnight rambler]

Yeah, they will chew up anything, they gnawed into a fresh roll of 3 mil trash bags

[midnight rambler]

Ha! Wiped out all those fucking rats. No bait blocks taken the last two nights. A total of 37 bait blocks taken in the last week. Went around the house and closed off all points of entry (now that there’s an indication no more are in the crawl space - I wanted to allow the dying rats a means of leaving) but will continue to monitor for any changes in exterior plus I’ve ordered some bait stations for around the house perimeter. Also no bait blocks taken from storage space for weeks now.

BE ADVISED, I’ve been going through my storage space and there is NO spot in this storage space untouched by those fucking rats. So if you get an infestation and the rats get established you WILL be TOTALLY overrun.

[midnight rambler]

I was just telling a friend about my new favorite bait and he told me about his discovery of how much rats love Cheerios. He said they tried peanut butter, cheese, even Reese’s in spring traps then they tried Cheerios. He said the rats loved Cheerios so much they found a single spring trap with TWO dead rats. He advised attaching a single Cheerios to a spring trap with a paper clip.

[hoarder]

Thanks for the tip, just ordered some bait. You're right Tomcat and other big box store brands are useless unless you can hold the rat in one hand and force it down his throat with the other. Around here Victor traps only work 1/3 of the time.

[Dogman]

Rat and roddent wars, rats are smart and adapt, one reason the dam rodents still sorta rule!

Kill one and 20 (very low number I suspect) will show up at the funeral! And by the time it is over the females will have birthed and are pregnant again! More extream than cat breeding by far!

Kill a few the others learn and then avoid the hazord!

Truth!

[Cebu_4_2]

thanks for the tip. we have a cat that looks exactly like this. it takes care of rodents for us and the houses on each side of us. it is a mousing machine -- dedicated to his craft


http://www.catfinders.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Portsmouth-Barney-gray-and-white.jpg


I had a cat that looked like that, do you know what breed/mix they are? By far my favorite cat ever, one day it just went missing...


http://gold-silver.us/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9549&d=1422334026










9549

[monty]

Golden head centipede mouser

http://movie-usa.glencoesoftware.com/video/10.1073/pnas.1714760115/video-1

[latemetal1]

http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pACE3-4819501enh-z8.jpg Just add chunky peanut butter, warehouse at work has rats occasionally and I like this better than glue boards...OO)~

[midnight rambler]

Golden head centipede mouser

http://movie-usa.glencoesoftware.com/video/10.1073/pnas.1714760115/video-1

So what does it do from there? Devour it?

Wondering if it will work on rats.

[cheka.]

I had a cat that looked like that, do you know what breed/mix they are? By far my favorite cat ever, one day it just went missing...



best i can tell is mix of snowshoe and american short hair

[monty]

So what does it do from there? Devour it?

Wondering if it will work on rats.
No idea. It might take longer for the venom to kill a rat.

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/01/12/1714760115

[Hitch]

http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pACE3-4819501enh-z8.jpg Just add chunky peanut butter, warehouse at work has rats occasionally and I like this better than glue boards...OO)~

I'm going to pick up some of those, thanks for the recommendation. The old wooden snap traps work, but I hate setting them....keep thinking they are going to catch a finger of mine. Plus, I've found glue boards don't work well. The rats, if they die, really suffer. Snap traps are a quick death for the most part. I had one rat though that the trap caught a leg, and he chewed through the leg to get away. Rats are hard core about survival, for sure.

[latemetal1]

With glue boards, you end up having to kill the rat, which means picking up the live rat by the board, taking it outside and whacking it with a shovel. I like the traps.

[Neuro]

A bucket of antifreeze works fine, it needs a plank that the rat/mouse walks up on attracted by the sweet smell of antifreeze, at the end there is a wiping mechanism that makes the rat fall down in the antifreeze and drown. Great for summer houses where you don’t go for long times, as there is no smell from dead rats

[hoarder]

You have to use several different tricks to kill rodents. One trick will kill a few and the rest know what to avoid. That wisdom lasts a few generations somehow. Rotate your methods.