Roofrats that keeps eating my stuff

This is a photo of a roof rat that we caught (so far about 7 of them) they ate my gourd crop this year, and started in on my Epiphyliums.. I almost cried. They just eat everything in their path, my passion vines too. They say they even eat wires..so we have traps everywhere, they are very destructive and very intelligent. We super glue the dog food on the traps and they still manage to take it off without snapping it. Also, if they see one dead rat, they will not go to the traps, so we have to remove the (caught ones) as soon as possible. Can you believe that? The came down from the hills after the fires here. They are almost 14 inches from tail to head. I am sure there are bigger ones than that, but these are the biggest I have seen. (besides the darned gopher's), the teeth are just like the gopher teeth too. Yuck. I hope I did not make anyone sick.

Gross!! They will indeed eat everything. Put steel wool any place you think they even MIGHT be able to get into your house or roof. Make sure all of the vents are tight around the garage. They even ate our pet rat to get his food!! Had to break into the cage to do it too.

I hope the when the greenery comes back, they will go home.

They ATE your pet rat????? I will never complain about our squirrels eating the bird food again! Nat

It was one of those mornings that I was grateful to be an early riser so that I could take care of the mess before the kids got up! It was all out war after that. I was worried about them deciding to take a bite out of the family.

frogsrus, how did you get rid of them.. sorry about your pet. Have to go find some steel wool, only thing is we have a doggie door in the Garage and one into the Laundry room that accesses the inside. We are using those king sized traps. They do love the dog food.

Vigilance and patience mostly. Ca is full of the nasty things. I expect we will all see alot more of them near the fire areas this year. If you have palms or juniper they will take up residence so keep them trimmed. Keep any orange, avocados, etc off of the ground because they think it is a smorgasbord.

You have to get bins for anything they will eat. Sturdy ones. Especially for dog food and bird seed. We had to feed the dogs at specific times and wash the bowls afterward. Joy.

Look for any little hole around hoses etc that will give them access to your house. I wonder if fox urine would work for them. The squirrels sure do not like it. (Organic folks do not look... they do not seem to be too crazy about deadline put out for snails. Must bother their ittle tootsies.)

right on with the steel wool, I have a tack room in my barn, my hubby completely sealed every crack in it with calking, except one hole where the electric wire is, that's where they come in, I shoved it full of steel wool, they eventually ate through it but were laying there dead when they finally got through and I stuffed more steel wool in the hole.

kathy

Do they eat the steel wool and it kills them?

I can't imagine having to fight those things off.

Don't have roof rats here but do have rats that come for my quail and I wage a sucessful war on them with poison called Just One Bite. Rats are sneaky critters that like to travel at night and near cover of any type. They also like getting into things with holes . I buillt a dog and cat proff box that has a screwed on lid with two holes on opposite sides near the edge then place it near the wall with the holes parallel with the wall.
I put a bar of the j o b inside and refill as needed within a week of the last filling no more rats. Don't know how big yours get but a two inch hole should do place the holes low with the lower edge 1/2 inch above the bottom floor of the box.

The poison box protects my Goldens and my cats and even my quail from harm. The rats get sick then leave to find water so you don't need to worry about disposing of them. Over the years I have only found a couple that just got under something in the garden shed and died there but have seen several blood trails. Ernie

Rats will generally nest within 100 ft of their food source.They are omniverous (will eat anything),chew constantly to keep their teeth in shape,can climb vertical walls, pipes and wires, can fall great distances and survive, harbor fleas and other nasty things, and fortunately are unable to vomit. They are very intelligent and will avoid things where they have had a sub lethal dose or a trap which is shown to be lethal. The variety of rat and mouse baits on the market available to the public are primarily warfarin based or a similar product which is cumulative and breaks down the clotting ability of the blood causing them to hemorrhage and bleed to death. The advantage of these baits is the fact that they contain an emetic which is supposed to cause vomiting in case of a accidental ingestion by other animals or children, still something to be cautious in where and how they are placed. A heavy pet and/or child proof box is really necessary as eweed stated.It is critical that the baits are checked regularly and kept in place till there is no sign of any gnawing. Licensed Exterminators probably have a menu of more powerful poisons, but they charge a lot more than the local hardware store. If the rats have made it into the house there will probably be a smell for a while, but since a lot of the body fluids have already been lost (the blood trails Ernie mentioned) it shouldn't last too long. Most Health Districts or Departments can offer some help too. Practically any of the baits will work. I use the paraffin blocks with seeds and attractants and toss in a few of the packs of loose granular stuff. Hope this helps. robert

Certainly no expert on this topic (Thank you God). We have to deal with armadillos, etc.

But, it occurs to me, you said they will avoid a trap with a dead rat in it.

This is really gross, but what about placing the dead rats you do catch in the areas where they are being really destructive, or entering your home? Maybe over time, they will decide to move on and leave you alone. This seems to be the only deterrant you have found to keep them away.

Just a thought.

Judith

eweed and Balvenie, I printed out everything you all said and will go get some of that posion.. one of the goldens caught a rat, It looked like a rat missing half it's tail. She didn't want to give it up to the other two dogs, but I was able to trade a snack for the dead rat.

Thank you for the name of that (Just one Bite), do they sell that at a Lowes/HD, or do I need to go to a farm supply place? They are still here and on top of that, the gophers are multiplying again..

Judith, the rats will just avoid the traps if they see a dead rat on one, they will still do damage and stick around, only they won't eat off the traps.. I cannot let the dead ones stick around they make me nervous..lol..

I can certainly understand that!

Wish I could help.

Judith

don't know about lowes and those I get it at farm stores. Ernie

JUST A FEW ADD-ONS. WE WERE INFESTED BY SEWER RATS THIS FALL AND HAD TO RESORT TO USING THE PROFESSIONALS AND THIS IS WHAT I LEARNED. IN ADDITION TO INFO BELVANIE SHARED ABOUT THEM, THEY ARE WHICH MEANS THEY ARE AFRAID OF NEW THINGS (FORGET THE WORD) SO THE OLDER, WISER ONES WILL AVOID A NEW SOURCE OF FOOD (TRAP) FOR 10-14 DAYS. OUR EXPERIENCE WAS HORRIFIC AND TOOK TIME. I LIVE ABOVE MY ELDERLY AUNT. ONE DAY HER WASHING MACHINE FLOODED THE KITCHEN. SUBSEQUENTLY, I NOTICED THINGS LIKE ALL THE PAPER TOWELS THAT HUNG UNDER THE CABINETS WERE IN A PILE AND LARGE DROPPINGS THAT I THOUGHT MUST BE FROM SQUIRRELS. BEFORE THE PROS GOT THERE, I FOUND TWO IN THE WASHING MACHINE. THEY HAD EATEN THE RUBBER PIPING THAT WENT FROM WASHER THROUGH FLOOR TO BASEMENT. WE HAD HAD SOME WORK DONE IN THE BASEMENT WHERE HOLDS WERE MADE. IT IS AN OLD HOUSE AND I DON'T GO DOWN THERE A LOT. THE AMOUNT OF FESCES AND URINE WERE UNBELIEVABLE. WE COULDN'T USE OUR HEAT FOR 6 WEEKS BECAUSE THE ORDOR WAS SO FOWL AND WE HAVE FORCED HOT AIR. WE FOUND EVIDENCE OF THEM THROUGHOUT THE FIRST FLOOR AND HAD MY ELDERLY AUNT HAD TO GO INTO ASSISTED LIVING FOR A MONTH. THEN THE SEWER BACKED UP ADDING TO THE MIX. THEY HAD BUILT A NEST IN THE SEWER! ULTIMATELY, WE HAD A VERY EXPENSIVE SWAT TEAM CLEAN THE BASEMENT AND DISPOSE OF MOST THINGS WHICH REPRESENTED MORE $.

SORRY FOR RAMBLING, I'M STILL WACKED FROM IT. THERE ARE VARIOUS STRENGTHS OF POISON AND OUR GUY USED A SLOWER KILER. I GOT RID OF MY COMPOST HEAP. CALLED THE CITY WHICH SETS BAIT IN THE SEWERS TWICE A YEAR AND REQUESTED ANOTHER BAITING. WHEN THE SEWER MAN CHECKED TO SEE IF THE BAIT HAD BEEN EATEN, COULDN'T
GET OVER THE STRENGTH OF CURRENT AND YET, THEY HAD MANAGED TO GET THE BAIT.

AND TO THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE IN INDIA WHO WORSHIP THE RAT!

sweetsisterandi,

Good to hear your story, let me tell you that I have an awful feeling now, (our sinkfaucet in the bathroom is very slow) something is clogging the incoming water.. this is so scarey for me.

Today, one was caught on another snap trap. One of our dogs caught one (or it looked like one) maybe could have been a gopher, a couple of weeks ago.

Today the dogs caught another gopher.

I haven't made it to the farm supply yet, this week that is what we plan to do.

I know that smell only too well. Everytime I water my Epies, you can smell that odor. It is disgusting. They will be building 140 homes behind my house this coming year and I am really considering asking the builders and City Hall if they intend to do anything about the (rats, squirrels, and gophers) that they will be driving into our homes. I feel like giving up sometimes.

When the builders get to the point of putting up "for sale" signs on the new homes, find the perfect entry site and put up a sign, similar to the one in our area. I don't recall the exact wording, but it has rustic outlined figures of a deer, squirrel, & bird. The sign says, "Welcome, you'll love your new neighbors."

Now yours will show the rustic outline of large rats, squirrels, and gophers. You will need to make, or buy a lot of these signs, as they will be taken down repeatedly by the builders. But be persistent. Get neighbors to join you in consistently re-installing the signs, or moving them to another equally well-seen site.

Now a sweet deer with a cute squirrel and a pretty bird carry a totally different connotation than a big toothy snarly rat, a menacingly posed squirrel, and a bunch of gophers popping up out of your lawn!

It could work, if you and your neighbors are careful and persistent. Better yet, is there a sympathetic neighbor who happens to own the property fronting the road leading into the new subdivision?
They could put the sign on their property, facing incoming or outgoing traffic. No could legally remove it!

Sneaky little devil aren't I? No, just realistic.

Anyway, I've been through a few "plagues of Egypt" in my life, and I am so sorry you are having to deal with all this. I can think of a few people, some neighbors described by others on this site for instance, who deserve this ordeal and more. But certainly not someone who has done nothing to deserve this experience.

Good luck dear, and try to hold on to the belief that, "this too shall eventually pass," even though it doesn't seem like it now.

Judith

Gourd- I don't know how far Moreno valley is from Los Angeles, but another thought came up. When I worked for LA Co. Health Dept in Rodent Control we would check out citizen complaints and recommend control methods for specific problems. If you are in LA County that may be a place to try.

I live on an island off Sarasota and everyone has rats. My house is very old and I fought them for years with traps. by the way...if you scorch the blood on the traps you can resue them...like with a barbecue lighter. I finally got a good pest control company to "rat proof" my house and have not had a problem since, but of course they are outside. They were eating my oranges and potted bulbs. I filled plastic sandwich bags with the hair I brushed form my dog and hung them all around and no more! They and racoons were getting in the garbage bags I out out to be taken and I know this is going to sound weird but it WORKS!!! I put them out and then pee in a cup and pour it around the bags...no more problems! So...also trim all the trees that can be a "ladder" to your roof. Good luck...I'd spring for the money and get some professional help if it were I.

Gourd (and everyone having had this type of problem for that matter),

I feel for you all and can only imagine what it must be like to have to deal with this type of thing. I saw a special on either National Geographics or Animal Planet on sewer rats. I think it was in New York or another large city somewhere in that area. These things were coming into houses through the toilet bowles. Once inside they were climbing all over stove tops, counter tops, dishes and pantries. Can you imagine. These filthy things all over your food areas. There is just no way to absolutely rat proof a house I guess. I bow to those of you who have come out on top in these battles. It sounds like there are many options for anyone facing these types of issues. The biggest things I think I may have to deal with are squirrles and mosquitoes but I'll not complain after reading all this. On thing that would worry me about the "Just One Bite" is the fact that the dogs get a hold of these rats after or while they are dieing from the poison. I too have dogs so I can't help but wonder how this might affect them. Reading all this has given me ideas on how to fight my problems. I also get moles on occassion but they sound like a walk in the park compared to these roof rats. I had better examine all of my walls and seal up any holes around the house if there are any.

Well, I hung all the epi baskets under this tree about three weeks ago and they have not been botherd so far. They just haven't found them yet probably. But, I have to start worrying about the gourds again this year. Last year they ate my only two or three gourds I managed to get growing. I posted pictures of those in the Gourd Forum somewhere. Here are my epie's and they are starting to finally grow some, I even got about three buds on them. I am using these hooks that have swivels on them and when they are touched they turn.. maybe the darned rats will fall off.