RATS!!!!!

I've just discovered a rat running across my kitchen floor! I need the collective wisdom of the group! How do I get rid of these critters....Any and all help greatly appreciated!!!!

Art

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art
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Rat or "Healthy Mouse"?

Find ANY point of entry. It's amazing what they will fit through. I found a hole the size if my little finger that mice were using. I borrowed a smoke tester from a friend who used it to sell replacement windows. I turned off the boiler and covered the damper, then turned on the bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans to create negative pressure in the house. Then I was able to use the smoker to find air leaks. (Gotta work on a few more this fall.....)

Good luck.

Brad Bruce

Reply to
Brad Bruce

"art" wrote

Did it look like this?

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Reply to
Charlie Moons

Hopefully he'll look like this shortly....

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If you find any access holes in your kitchen, you can plug them up with steel wool. They wont chew through that.

Mike

Reply to
oo Mike oo

I had a bout with rats and the real trick is stopping them from coming in. Once you do that, trap them out. Don't use poison unless you like the smell of rotting flesh.

My first uneducated guess is roof rats (rattus rattus) AKA fruit rats, tree rats or "palmetto squirrels" around here. (SW Fla) They are brown to silver colored with a white belly and a very long tail. I have a live trap (with peanut butter) and I also used glue traps. Just be sure to tywrap the trap to something heavy or staple it to a big enough piece of cardboard so they can't get to the edge and drag it away. I used some 1/8" plate steel about the size of the glue trap because I had it. They set up quite a rattle on the tile floor when you catch one. Try to find out where they go and put the glue trap on their path. They tend to follow walls.

When you are looking for the entry holes look around the eaves, attic vents and soffits along with the normal places close to the ground. Roof rats can climb better than a squirrel and they will come in a smaller hole. Also be sure you have screens on your plumbing stacks. If one falls down the pipe he will come up in the toilet looking for daylight. I really think that is the source of most of the rat in the crapper stories. The good news is if you are not in the city, the chances are the rat is not going to be any more disease carrying than the other furry critters in your yard. They just have a "yuck" factor and nobody really wants critters in the house. BTW don't be surprised if you have several but it will be at least two. Hope one didn't just have a litter of pups. (think rotting flesh again) If they can crawl they will come out tho.

Reply to
Greg

:) I've just discovered a rat running across my kitchen floor! I need the :) collective wisdom of the group! How do I get rid of these critters....Any :) and all help greatly appreciated!!!! :) :) Art

Try to figure out where the entry point in the kitchen is...corner of the cabinets...bottom of the dishwasher, around the stove gas line maybe. Place a rat sized snap or glue trap at the point of entry (on the floor under the entry point). After you are satisfied you have caught it/them try to close the openings they are using to get inside the kitchen. Along with where they are entering in from the outside. If you go with a bait, there is a chance of one dying in the attic or under the crawlspace, but since the rats are more than likely living away from the home and coming in exploring, it isn't a sure thing.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

It is said that the early bird gets the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

Reply to
Lar

I used to get citrus rats in the garage from time to time. Would tie an empty Budweiser can to a rat trap with a foot or so of leader/fishing line. Sometimes you'd hear a can clunk clunk clunking over the attic rafters at 3AM. Tended to make an angry wife though. Quite funny, watching a rat flopping around attached to those traps dragging a dangling beer can down the cable tv line headed home or aimed for another neighbors house. Lost an awful lot of traps until I started tying them to big heavy things.

Reply to
bumtracks

Wanna rent our cat? He increases his productivity fivefold by using traps.

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Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

critters....Any

...only without the guitar...

;o)

Reply to
Les Nessman

Think cat.

"The world's best mouser was tortoiseshell moggy Towser, April 21st, 1963 to 20th March 1987. In her lifetime she caught 28,899 mice, plus numerous other unfortunate creatures such as rats & rabbits. Towser worked for the Glenturret Distillery. A statue has been erected in the distillery grounds to honour Towser."

You can borrow one for a few days. Put up a note at your local pet store.

Reply to
JerryMouse

A l This site has a pretty thorough discussion of the house mouse and control methods.

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HTH Geo

Reply to
"GEO" Me

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