Got to move some rats

[Turbo_pro]

Has any one had any experience with electronic rodent repellants?
If so, did it work, what kind to buy, what should they cost?
Will they bother the cats and dogs in the house?

[Evans, Marv]

If you're referring to those ultrasonic devises you plug in, don't waste your time. I've been suckered into trying those & haven't noticed any deterrent. They won't bother anything as far as I know. I still have one on my patio. Bats try to sleep there & the only deterrent I've found was whacking them with a stick. The other night I had a bob cat peering into the back bedroom through the french door right next to where the thing is plugged in.

[Cajundaddy]

No joy. My wife loves to feed wild birds and we have a lot of ivy. Our house is an all-inclusive vacation destination for rats in the area and the only thing that keeps them in check is several commercial type bait boxes loaded with time-delay rat bait seasoned with their favorite bird seed. I check the boxes and re-bait monthly and rarely see or hear the little varmints.

[Don Ro]

A wolverine? Will deter burglars as well.
Never mind.
.
Had Norway rats tear through my shake roof in CA just about the time I replaced the roof. Filthy beasts!
I could hear them run across the attic at night when I was in my bedroom.
Must have been a family of them...lots of traffic.
Nailed plywood across the hole one day...following morning, another hole big enough for a dog to go through. Filthy beasts!
A new plywood/composite shingle roof cured it.

[scottmandue]

Ivy is (literally) a breeding ground for rats...

[gamin]

Don't work. Total rip off. Bait some rat size glue boards and check them often or safely place toxic bait. Big hungry cat works too.

[gearya]

Send them to PARF.

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by gearya

Send them to PARF.

Not good. They will interbreed and a new deadly strain will follow.....

[porsche4life]

Hard to go wrong with big azz snap traps baited with peanut butter.

[911boost]

+1 to Sid.

Why get fancy, the snap traps with PB always work for me with mice. Always.

[GWN7]

A buddy has a small restaurant. He swears by them (for keeping them away), but poison and sticky traps solve the problem permanent. He uses all three.

[JavaBrewer]

+2 to Sid.

Another benefit is the carcass will be in the trap waiting for you to dispose of. Putting out poison will net you a dead rat somewhere in a wall or ceiling. An entirely different but equally horrible situation to be in.

[scottmandue]

You are missing out on great free supply of protein!

Recipes for the Post-Apocalypse: How and why to eat rat meat

[bignut]

this really works, uses 4 x D cell batteries

[Baz]

Ha.....read the thread title and for a second there I thought it was another Fast Fred thread about some of his choice tenants....

[Jeff Higgins]

The Death Toll Continues to Climb

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

The Death Toll Continues to Climb

Haha, that was my first attempt at vector control when we moved into this house. The scoreboard is on the inside of a garage cupboard and shows the actual body count for the first two years. Over time the rats learned the game and became more elusive and in the summer they could breed faster than I could shoot. My wife also grew tired of the squeaking when a shot didn't kill instantly. It was fun sport for a while but bait boxes are more certain.

[MikeSid]

First, know your enemy, are they black rats or Norway rats? Are they in your attic or on the ground floor/basement?

Step one is contain the perimeter. Find all access points and seal with hardware cloth.

Step two, use snap traps to eliminate any trapped occupants.

Step three, spray an enzyme cleaner on any access points. Rats excrete something like pheremones through their fur and anyplace the fur rubs will likely have a black streak from the oils in the fur. Other rats will locate this smell and attempt to follow in the path of your prior house guests. You want to eliminate this smell.

Step four, clean up any feces. Use caution doing so. Gloves, and a virus blocking respirator. Pick them with tissue - don't sweep or vacuum.

Read up on the Hanta virus - don't read an exterminator's website - because most just monger fear. But the viruses and diseases in rat feces should not be taken lightly. They can cause life threatening illness.

The CDC has reliable information, and for example, you'll find that the Hanta Virus won't live for more than about 5 days. So if you delay your cleaning a bit, there is significantly less risk. No exterminator website will volunteer that information.

I'd avoid glue traps and bait. FDA just restricted certain bait systems based on danger to children and animals. It's nasty stuff and I don't want to see in out in the world, in the water, etc. A snap trap is your best bet. Glue traps...well without being overly gross, a rat will gnaw off it's own leg to get free - or just rip itself free at whatever cost. Trust me...just use multiple snap traps.

Good luck.

[Turbo_pro]

Thanks for all the helpful advise. I was hoping to persuade them to leave but the consensus seems to be, kill the little bastards. Oh well......

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

Haha, that was my first attempt at vector control when we moved into this house. The scoreboard is on the inside of a garage cupboard and shows the actual body count for the first two years. Over time the rats learned the game and became more elusive and in the summer they could breed faster than I could shoot. My wife also grew tired of the squeaking when a shot didn't kill instantly. It was fun sport for a while but bait boxes are more certain.

Holy rat carcass, daddy - pretty darn impressive.

I know what you mean about the little buggers learning the game - I progressed from shooting them in broad daylight, to only at night, to having to go to the green LED light so as not to alert them. I even have to cycle the baits from peanut butter, to cream cheese, to canned dog food, and whatever else I can come up with that's smelly enough. I went from an easy 3-6 or more any day I felt like going after them to some days where I won't get any. I suppose that's good news, with the real goal being to eliminate them entirely (fat chance, surrounded by a good deal of undeveloped land and wetlands). My wife is very happy, but it was nice when there were a few more to "play" with...