The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => Totally Off-Topic Discussions, Rants, Tire & Oil Threads, Etc. => Topic started by: Bob_Roller on March 16, 2009, 05:56:12 PM
-
The homeowners association for my neighborhood notified the residents about 2 months ago that roof rats had been found in the area.
I didn't think too much about it at the time, last Thursday morning just before leaving for work, I heard a dull thud in the attic, like someone had dropped a hammer.
When I got home from work Thursday afternoon, I went up into the attic, and found rat droppings.
I proceeded to get a couple of rat traps, and Decon rat bait.
I put the traps and the bait next to the access door in the attic, checked the traps yesterday afternoon, got one rat with a spring trap, and all 2 pounds ( 1 kg.) of rat bait had been consumed.
Today is the first day of my weekend, and I went around the house, and found ventilation holes in the boards between the roof rafters where they exit the house in the eave area, were missing about 20 pieces of screening covering the holes.
Got some heavy steel screen, and cut it to about 3 inch squares, and used heavy staples and secured them over the holes.
I got up on the roof and started looking at how I can cover the 6 exhaust fan vents on the roof.
Need to get a different screen material, as it's quite difficult get this cut in anything other than a straight line.
It's true, that a house is a bottomless pit to pound money into !!!!!
Hey Mr Ridden / Rich, it was reported about 3 weeks ago that roof rats were found in traps in the 48th St. and Warner Rd. area.
That's only about 4 miles from you, check out the exterior of your home, before hot weather sets in !!!
If you want to learn a little more about these 'wonderful' creatures, do a search for : Roof Rats Tempe, Arizona.
-
I lived in the valley for years and found the best solution to be a large, mean cat. My dear departed Dusty was 12 lbs. of mouse and rat hatred. Cleared out my home just over the line from you in Mesa, then cleaned up the houses on either side.
Try to look on the bright side, at least they don't ride Hardleys!
-
Did a little more 'research' on the rats, and it is estimated that about 25% of attic fires, are the result of rats gnawing and chewing on electrical wiring in the attic.
These rats love citrus fruit, and taking a cruise through the neighborhood over the weekend, I counted about 250 citrus trees covered with overripe fruit.
Looks like these little 'effers' are here to stay.
They also can be carriers of the hanta virus, and plague/black death.
-
I love being a tenant. (with a conscientious landlord...;))
-
I've seen lots O roof rats. Look for any open entry to the attic. Look close and if you see what looks like chew marks you've got 'em. I've seen where electrical conduit entrances for outdoor flood lights were enlarged by the little buggers to gain entry. Wear a mask when up in the attic & handling traps so you don't contract hantavirus. They like fruit trees and scavenge the fallen fruit so pick up those lemons, grapefruit, oranges & olives. If your neighbor has these on the ground get up his @$$ 'bout it.
Fast Cat has a good idea in introducing a predator. If your not a cat person then you want a Terrier as a rat hunter. A side note on those ultrasonic pest eliminators, forgetaboutit they don't werk.
good luck Bob
rich
Who has a cat and no fruit trees
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi101.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm70%2Fmrridden%2Fsqurrel.jpg&hash=68ebba7a54a1beba59571081e8f3fbe9a378ae7b)
-
I guess another thing to be grateful for living up north - we can get mice, but not rats, in the attic. Though we also get red squirrels, which can be very damaging - fortunately they are smaller than that one in MrRiden's pic...
-
Dang, Rich, y'all need to start feeding y'alls squirrels better so they'll grow a bit more... ;D
-
No rats in the roof at the moment - though I have one living outside my back door - this bugger just wont take the bait - unlike it's mum, dad and sibling. I also have a flat roof - and a possum that uses it at night for it's own personal runway. The house is on three levels so I hear this:
thump (tree to house)
clunk, clunk, clunk etc to the next level
thump as it jumps down
clunk, clunk, clunk etc to the next level
thump as it jumps down
clunk, clunk, clunk etc to the next level
and then it disappears into another tree.
In the morning I hear it returning.... >:( Not happy Jan.
-
If I had roof rats, I'd have to be a roof plinker too.
What do you reckon the local police would think about a person sitting on their roof with a .22 rifle, or maybe a .410 shotgun? :-?
It would be real tempting to find out...
-
A neighbor on the next block had pigeon problems on his roof, starting using a .177 caliber air rifle to eliminate them.
Wasn't using common sense, and was shooting them in the middle of the day where anyone driving by could see him.
Someone in the area turned him into the local county sheriff, and he was arrested, charged with discharging a weapon within a city limit, and animal abuse.
Got a 6 month suspended sentence , and 2 years probation.
I don't think I'll push my luck!!!
-
With Joke Arpisser running the show down there I am surprised the SWAT guys didn't show up.
-
If I had roof rats, I'd have to be a roof plinker too.
What do you reckon the local police would think about a person sitting on their roof with a .22 rifle, or maybe a .410 shotgun? :-?
It would be real tempting to find out...
.22 rat shot works fine in a bolt action rifle. Gotta get close. Not too loud either.
I off the squirrels that raid our bird feeders with a .177 pellet rifle and a small scope. I have a known distance to target, scope sighted for same and shoot from inside the house, through the open patio door and into the varmit. Big fun. BTW, I live next door to a cop!
[smiley=rifle.gif] ;D
-
Try this solution my freind "henry" has the answer
<embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i278.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid278.photobucket.com/albums/kk113/luckyloudiamond/100_1156.flv">
Lou
-
I'm pretty much left with spring traps , and poisoned bait.
If by chance you've wondered how the rat bait works, it contains an anti-coagulant chemical, after eating the bait the rat gets severely de-hydrated, and then usually leaves the structure it uses as it's home, and looks for water.
The rat then starts to hemorrhage internally, then goes into shock.
With the rat severely dehydrated upon death, it usually does not get a foul decaying smell, they usually go into a mummified state shortly after death.
-
Dang, Rich, y'all need to start feeding y'alls squirrels better so they'll grow a bit more... ;D
Spoken like a true Texan!! ;D
-
It does sound like a decently powered air rifle is what ya need, Rich!
I'd send ya mine, but I've got to repel a new red squirrel invasion this month.
-
I bought a .22 cal Gamo air rifle with a, pay attention now, combination scope, spotlight, and laser sight! I think the scope combo is called a "Varmint Special", or something like that. All pieces are separate but the scope mounts have all the rings incorporated for the spot and laser. This is without a doubt the most expensive pellet gun I've ever bought (cost more than some "real" rifles I've got) but it's a real tack-driver and groups very tightly with it's preferred pellets.
But, as far as roof rats go, one place I worked had 'em real bad and the maintenance guys used traps baited with grapefruit slices. We had rats in our attic a few years ago (hence my buying the Gamo Hunter) and finally got rid of 'em with poison cubes called "Havoc". I just tossed them into the corners of the attic and after aa week and a half (at most) they were all gone. The guy at the feed store said this stuff would make 'em thirsty, they would depart in search of water, drink, and die before they could make it back.
The little ba$tards chewed through the discharge line for our water softener causing the ceiling to cave in in our living room right over the couch!!! Needless to say I wanted them to die a very slow and painful death and I think this particular poison cheated me out of that... >:(
-
We had rats and possums (Aussie ones) in our roof when we lived in the bush.We would hear the possums thumping around as they went out at night and back in the morning.We would see the rats run out along the powerline and into the trees.Bush rats are not as bad as city rats.
A mate across the road used to put a cat up in the roof for a few days to sort the rats out.If he had no cat at the time,he'd grab any one he could find.When a neighbour asked if he'd seen their lost cat,he'd say - ''No,I haven't seen him around lately,but I expect he's having a good time somewhere.''
A cheap poison can be made out of flour and cement - it makes them thirsty and they run outside for water.Tell tale signs are small concrete intestines.....
-
We had rats and possums (Aussie ones) in our roof when we lived in the bush.We would hear the possums thumping around as they went out at night and back in the morning.
.
Just wait till youve got teenagers
[smiley=beerchug.gif]
Lou
-
Here in peaceful jolly old Bali, we do not have access to all those wonderful aforementioned weapons, so when charged by a dastardly roof rat, I resorted to more traditional methods - Yes, its a homemade blowgun!
-
Three darts!!?? Ain't you got any of them poison suckers the headhunters use?
Quite a blowgun you have there. I remember years ago a store was selling blowguns and had a "demo" unit with a dart boarde in their sporting goods section. I was totally surprised at how accurate one could get with a small amount of practice.
-
You wouldn't want to poison them, they taste just like chicken !!
-
I knew that "mystery meat" on a skewer at local chinese joints was "rat-on-a-stick"!!! :o
-
Rat, the other white meat !!!!!
I don't think it would be much different than eating a squirrel.
-
Outstanding! [smiley=thumbsup.gif] Them be stew pot size!
In SE Asia -Vietnam, rice farmers trap rats, and I mean BIG rats, that feed on the ol' boys rice crop. They are sold at market as consumable meat products! There was even a canned rat meat on store shelves branded as STAR... that's rats spelled backasswards. Probably an acquired taste. ;D
Monte
-
Balibeemer,
Now you won't take any offense if by fate we meet somewhere and I refuse your kind offer of biltong will ya? Looks like ya have good aim! Just the kind of eye required for one of our more exciting hunting seasons. Bow and Arrow for mountain lion. Unforgiving of poor marksmanship.
rich
http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/game_lion.shtml
-
Oh, I'd eat an acorn, seed, and bird-egg fed squirrel anyday before I'd eat any rat or muskrat that I'd find round these parts !
-
Balibeemer...that is great!
-
Well the little 'M-effers' are back , they never really went away in reality, had a professional company come out on Tuesday, and in 25 minutes, found how they were getting into my attic .
"Treatment" starts tomorrow .
If you have any rodent problems, this includes squirrels, I found a product called the 'RatZapper', looks like a great product .
Also tried 'Just One Bite II' bait bar, the rats devoured it, and left the De-con bait next to it alone .
http://www.ratzapper.com/
-
I have one of those ratzappers (the classic) and it worked fine for smaller pack rats (wood rats, to be precise) but the bigger ones can't fit into it to get the bait. I hate poison, but I used it for them.
-
I'm not fond of using poisons either, I found a rat on the driveway this morning, looks like in his death throes, on the concrete tile roof, he fell off sometime last night .
The extermination company placed 15 spring type rat traps on the roof last Friday, not one has been tripped so far .
-
When I worked for AST Research we had roof rats real bad at the manufacturing facility and the exterminators used traps baited with slices of grapefruit. It seems the little buggers just love grapefruit and sometimes you could hear 'em snapping only minutes after they were unloaded and re-baited!
-
They love citrus fruit, you can walk around the neighborhood here when the fruit is ripe, around mid December to the end of January, and see the fruit that was eaten while still on the tree .
With the temperatures being so high here this time of year, they need to use a prepared bait in the trap, made of cheese and peanut butter .
Once the fruit goes away, their next favorite food is dry dog food left outside, that is what is recommended used for bait for use in a lot of electric type traps .
-
Montmil: < I off the squirrels that raid our bird feeders with a .177 pellet rifle and a small scope. >
+1, Monte! I've concluded that a pellet gun, while unlawful in many jurisdictions, is a better alternative than a .22. Depending upon the statutory definition of a "firearm" in your jurisdiction, getting caught plinking with a pellgun isn't as serious an offense as crittering with a powder weapon. When I ease up on feeding my R65 habit, I intend to begin researching precision air rifles to control (or at least bother) the rodents (some as big as 150 pounds) that are making spouse's veggie garden the county's most expensive animal feeding station. >:( Pellguns are quiet, and the good ones, I'm told, produce muzzle velocities that push 900 fps. That should be lethal to small critters, a significant sting to larger ones, but insufficient mass and range to be a threat to life forms beyond the boundaries of a large yard.
-
Altritter, I've got a Gamo Hunter 440 .22 cal pellet rifle and it'll really smoke 'em! It was around $200 a couple years ago (now discontinued) and the "Varmint Combo" scope was about another $70. The advertised MV was 722 fps but the .177 models are advertised at 1200 fps!
A couple of sources are www.airgundepot.com and www.airgunexpress.com
Just added:
Although somewhat pricey this one looks like it would really knock the snot out of the little buggers...
http://www.airgundepot.com/gamo-hunter-extreme-air-rifle-22.html
-
Wow! Sure beats the Daisy Pump that my parents never let me buy!
-
A lot of the really serious pellet rifles cost as much as a "real gun"! European pellet rifles are very good performers as a lot of the countries ban conventional arms so they take air rifle performance to unbelievable heights...
The scope I mounted on it is this one:
http://www.airgundepot.com/varmint-hunter-kit.html
There are switches that you stick to the fore-stock to activate the laser or flashlight. Unlike some of the reviews my flashlight has always worked fine...
-
Wow! Sure beats the Daisy Pump...
As a youngster, I had a Benjamin pump .177 that was quite powerful after you pumped about 10-12 strokes. Shot down many 1/48 scale plastic aircraft hung from the clothesline pole. Remember clotheslines?
Remembering the old Benjamin and the physical effort required to get one shot off prompted me to buy a CO2-powered long gun with a scope. Those critters robbing my bird feeders wouldn't wait for me to get pumped up.
Only later did I discover the high tech, barrel-breakover single-stroke air rifles. Gamo and others produce muzzle velocities that are amazing.
Recently picked up a new Cabela's catalog and saw some high end air rifles advertised as being even quieter for "city use".
Monte
-
Monte, I can see you now doing your very best Carl Spackler (Caddy Shack) imitation as you sight in on the little gopher cong..." In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, 'Au revoir, gopher'. Now let's mix up some napalm for those blasted fire ants.
-
Justin: <<A lot of the really serious pellet rifles cost as much as a "real gun"! European pellet rifles are very good performers as a lot of the countries ban conventional arms so they take air rifle performance to unbelievable heights...>>
Precisely! I lived in West Germany (not yet unified) & remember a bit of it. To become certified to shoot a powder firearm was both arduous & expensive. I remember reading about air rifle enthusiasts (a cult?) and became interested, but never followed up. There have been periodic articles regarding the popularity of air rifles & their high level of sophistication. Other reports have appeared about the effect of China's entry into the market.
What intrigues me in my urban setting is the Gramo "Whisper" line of quiet air rifles, apparently equipped with what, if affixed to a powder firearm, would be a highly illegal silencer. (Yes, I note the sales pitch that the Gramo merely diverts the sonic report backward toward the shooter & and really doesn't "muffle" it. A distinction without a difference?)
For my part, I'm interested in hearing the muzzle report of a 1200-fps air rifle. I suspect it might approach that of the old .22 short, though perhaps not as percussive.
-
My Hunter 440 is actually quite quiet, but with a MV of just over 700 fps I guess it should be. I'll drag mine out tomorrow and take a pic of it with scop and switches mounted... I'm sure you can work the "saving the little Missus' garden" angle and get a hearty blessing to buy one of these! 8-)
-
...For my part, I'm interested in hearing the muzzle report of a 1200-fps air rifle. I suspect it might approach that of the old .22 short, though perhaps not as percussive.
My squirrel-getter is a Chinese copy of a popular Crossman CO2 air rifle. It is not the quietest air rifle on the market but with two CO2 cartridges in the air chamber it'll pop a hi-perf (read expensive) .177 pellet clean through a squirel's head... when I can steady my aim. Around 1000-1100 FPS.
Having tried a subsonic .22 short in the backyard I can say that both are similar. The air rifle having a slightly quicker/shorter report. If that makes sense...
Now that there are no longer dairy cattle on the farm, there's minimal danger of cows ingesting spent pellets while eating hay... from the barn where I now stalk stew pot-sized rats.
Monte
-
Now that there are no longer dairy cattle on the farm, there's minimal danger of cows ingesting spent pellets while eating hay... from the barn where I now stalk stew pot-sized rats.
Remind me to bring the bbq if I ever get invited to dine at your palace. I think that I'll stick with my Mathews compound bow. I can usually put the point in a 2" circle at 20 yards and it doesn't make any noise at all. [smiley=beerchug.gif]
-
Now that there are no longer dairy cattle on the farm, there's minimal danger of cows ingesting spent pellets while eating hay... from the barn where I now stalk stew pot-sized rats.
Remind me to bring the bbq if I ever get invited to dine at your palace. I think that I'll stick with my Mathews compound bow. I can usually put the point in a 2" circle at 20 yards and it doesn't make any noise at all. [smiley=beerchug.gif]
Yeah, Mike. You'll be like the Lone Ranger. Few people knew that he made poor ol' Tonto hike downrange to recover all those expensive silver bullets he popped off.
"Hey, Theresa. Sweetie, would you mind shaggin' my shafts?" That's ARROW shafts, lads! Austin Powers is the man...
Monte
-
I would poison as a last resort. Maybe our roof (norway?) rats in Savannah were bigger than yourn but our landlord bait the hell out of the four story old railroad depot that we lived in and for the rest of that long hot summer the smell of fat rats dying behind the walls was enough to go to court over to break the lease. As they dehydrate they desperately seek water in the form of any dripping pipes they can locate behind your walls - too often in places that are extremely difficult for us to get at without taking shit apart.)
Mice will dry out in a day or two but these norway rats took a few weeks each to stop putrefying and they just kept coming in and kept finding the bait (he'd put it everywhere and it couldn't just be collected again. Putrefying rat is perhaps the most depressing and disturbing smell you can imagine.
Best is to trap the ones that are already inside with baited accessible traps and then find out how to keep them out.
-
The extermination company got out here today to seal up the exterior entrance points.
They've had 15 rat traps on the roof for the last 5 weeks, got a total of 12 rats .
They found 4 additional entry points, that the inspector didn't find 6 weeks ago .
Cleaned up all of the droppings they could get to, replaced about 100 sq/ft of insulation that was 'fouled' by the rats .
Hopefully this will be the end of this problem .
I also ordered a Rat Zapper, it will be here by the end of the week .
The crew that did the work, said that in residential usage, this 'trap' works quite well, in a protected environment .
The rats are spreading in the local area, they think they being 'dispersed' by these storage 'pods' that so popular here, they look like a small fiberglass paneled truck trailer, you put your belongings into them, and then they are stored at an indoor facility, that's where they think the rats are gaining access into the storage 'pods' .
-
Latest update on the rat situation .
I been up in the attic a few times in the last couple of weeks, no sign of rat activity .
I placed four 'bait stations' in the backyard in late August .
They amount to a 1 foot (30cm) section of 3 inch (7.5cm) diameter PVC pipe with caps on each end, one cap has a 1.25 inch (3cm) diameter hole to allow access to the bait bar .
I had no activity until this week, I checked the bait stations this morning, and about 2 pounds (1kg) of bait is gone .
The rats are feasting well, on the ripe citrus fruit on the trees in the neighborhood .
-
Sorry you still have a problem the Rat Zapper didn't work then?? what was that?? i believe they do some ultrasonic stuff now that you cannot hear but drives off rodents and mice (rap music presumably) worth looking into.
http://www.electronicpestcontrol.net/
Lou
-
I've got the RatZapper in the attic, and it's obvious now, that I need to place it outside, but it can't be exposed to moisture .
When it activates, it sends out an electrical charge of 10-12,000 volts, if it was wet, it wouldn't operate correctly . .
I may have to wait a day or two, as we're having a bit of wet weather here in the northern Sonoran desert, of south central Arizona .
Don't get me wrong, it's welcomed wet weather, as we've been into a drought here for about the last 15 years !!!!!!
-
this may come in handy :-)
http://blog.serialcooking.com/2009/01/23/friday-weird-recipes-series-lets-cook-rat-like-chicken/
-
Hmmm, that's just wrong on so many levels - especially the list of pics that are linked to it... [smiley=puke2.gif]
-
Another update on the rat situation in the neighborhood .
About 11 days ago, I was cutting up some local hardwood, mesquite, for the gas grille, one of the pieces flew off into a flower bed, a roof rat ran up the concrete block wall and into the next door neighbors yard .
I got the Decon pellet type bait tray out of the garage, weighed the tray, 7 ounces, placed it under some plants and covered it up .
Next morning all of the bait was gone .
Placed the PVC pipe bait stations with the 'Just One Bite' bait bars in the flower bed, and about 1 pound (.5 kilos) of bait has been consumed so far .
Placed the Rat Zapper out there a few days ago, no dead rats there so far, may take a week or two for the rats to get used to something new in the area .
Good thing though, is that I have not found any evidence of rats in my attic in the last year .
-
My house was infested with mice during the early months.
I got a pet cat. Problem solved.
-
Recently, A client had a problem with monkeys and a few rabid dogs. We sprinkled tiger poo ( really ! ) around the area. No monkeys, no dogs, the hens stopped laying, the cows stopped giving milk! however, there are certain risks in collecting the poo!
-
That Tiger poo is very effective stuff - it may even keep burglars away - at least any burglars who can identify Tiger poo..
-
I am amazed at the longevity of this thread! 8-)
-
I am amazed at the longevity of this thread! 8-)
Semper roof rats?
I got one last night with my new Rat Zapper. Mine are wood rats, aka pack rats. They like to make smelly nests in my shop and attic. If I don't get any more in the shop I'll move the trap to my attic, as I can hear one up there sometimes.
-
Ed, which model of the 'Rat Zapper' do you have ?
I just saw the newest one, it has a motion detector to sense the 'victim' inside the trap, not using the metal plate that gives them the 10-12,000 volt 'sleep aid' .
Here in the dusty desert region, airborne dust settles on the plate and greatly reduces it's effectiveness on detection and shock transmission .
You need to clean the metal plate at the front of the trap every few weeks .
-
I got another one last night! They like cat food. Bob, I bought the new one as it's bigger. Some of my wood rats barely fit in my old blue one which quit working (probably because I need to clean the plates -- I'll try that).
-
A friend had a ferret as a pet, it died about 6 weeks ago .
I asked him if he was going to do anything with the ferret food he had left, he was just going to throw it out .
The ferret food looked like it had your typical pet food content, beef,chicken byproducts with vegetable filler, it has a distinct smell, like 'old' meat and is in a pelletized form .
I placed some of the food next to the bait bars that I had bolted to a board, they ate the bait bar and left the ferret food alone .
These 'roof rats' seem to have an extreme liking for peanut butter .
The bait bars are about 30% peanut butter product .
I think the original blue Rat Zapper had AA batteries, the newer ones have D cell batteries .
Ed if I'm not mistaken there is a modification for the blue traps, to convert them to 4 D cell batteries, if you are interested .
-
Bob - can you post a link to your rat zapper? I think I may need one. >:(
-
Bill this is the latest version of the Zapper .
http://www.ratmousezapper.com/_inv/ultra-rat-zapper.html
Depending on what kind of rodent problem you have, I've used this bait bar (Just One Bite) and it works no question about it .
I think it is available at Ace Hardware, or True Value Hardware stores .
http://www.nextag.com/just-one-bite/products-html
-
Thanks. Rats engarde!