I've Got Roof Rats !!!!

[Bob_Roller]

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' .

[Bob_Roller]

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 .

[Lucky_Lou]

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

[Bob_Roller]

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 !!!!!!

[MrRiden]

this may come in handy :-)
http://blog.serialcooking.com/2009/01/23/friday-weird-recipes-series-lets-cook-rat-like-chicken/

[Justin B.]

Hmmm, that's just wrong on so many levels - especially the list of pics that are linked to it...  [smiley=puke2.gif]

[Bob_Roller]

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 .

[Julio A.]

My house was infested with mice during the early months.
I got a pet cat. Problem solved.

[balibeemer]

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!

[nhmaf]

That Tiger poo is very effective stuff - it may even keep burglars away - at least any burglars who can identify Tiger poo..

[Semper Gumby]

I am amazed at the longevity of this thread!   8-)

[Ed Miller]

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.  

[Bob_Roller]

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 .

[Ed Miller]

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).  

[Bob_Roller]

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 .