Oh, Rats!

[plantdude]

Sounds like a meth lab accident to me.

I wouldn't be shocked.
I don't know if the explosion or the fire came first though. It was about 7 minutes from the time I heard a boom to when I looked out the window and saw the house burning pretty badly. Guess it could have just been an aerosol can, small propane tank, or something innocent that exploded from the heat of the fire after it was already going.

 

[plantdude]

Could be.
A certain girl was caught doing something with butane. Not here now. Didn't burn up, Just moved out.
Old not amused fella

Sorry to hear that.
My dad once gave ten bucks to a scummy looking panhandler. I gave him a hard time about it as soon as we were out of earshot. He just said, "if not for the grace of God there goes I".
The older I get the more I understand that.

 

[plantdude]

Tomcat makes a decent rat trap (found at Walmart and many other stores) that is easier to set than traditional rat traps. It also has a smaller foot print for tight spaces and is easy to empty (no rat touching involved). The only downside is they are a few bucks more than traditional wood snap traps and they seem slightly harder to set off.

I had a rat stealing food from one of these in my wood pile the last few days. He got a little careless last night and got his foot stuck in it and drug it further into the wood pile. A shot from the pellet rifle made his foot stop hurting. Another rat down. I still can't believe I had so many back there.

Just for fun here's a pic of the expanding foam in one of the corners of the garage that was used to fill in the rat damage. Think I need to remove the excess

 

[Oldfella]

Tomcat makes a decent rat trap (found at Walmart and many other stores) that is easier to set than traditional rat traps. It also has a smaller foot print for tight spaces and is easy to empty (no rat touching involved). The only downside is they are a few bucks more than traditional wood snap traps and they seem slightly harder to set off.
View attachment 32374
I had a rat stealing food from one of these in my wood pile the last few days. He got a little careless last night and got his foot stuck in it and drug it further into the wood pile. A shot from the pellet rifle made his foot stop hurting. Another rat down. I still can't believe I had so many back there.

Just for fun here's a pic of the expanding foam in one of the corners of the garage that was used to fill in the rat damage. Think I need to remove the excess
View attachment 32373

Oh I dun know. Leave the excess foam there. It'll give the little beasties something to chew and scitch at while they figure out how to get back in. In perhaps a wee drop of poison may help as well. They'll have it tidied up in no time.
Old bright ideas fella

 

[GreenDragon]

Tomcat makes a decent rat trap (found at Walmart and many other stores) that is easier to set than traditional rat traps. It also has a smaller foot print for tight spaces and is easy to empty (no rat touching involved). The only downside is they are a few bucks more than traditional wood snap traps and they seem slightly harder to set off.
View attachment 32374

I've used these are they work well for smaller rats / mice. The big ones just drag them around the yard (everything is bigger in Texas )! If you spray the hinge & spring with some non-stick cooking spray the trigger will be feather light. Also, make sure there is no food sticking above the central hole - you want them to have to stick their head down into the hole, and to do that they have to step on the trigger.

 

[plantdude]

I've used these are they work well for smaller rats / mice. The big ones just drag them around the yard (everything is bigger in Texas )! If you spray the hinge & spring with some non-stick cooking spray the trigger will be feather light. Also, make sure there is no food sticking above the central hole - you want them to have to stick their head down into the hole, and to do that they have to step on the trigger.

Good tips, thanks. The cooking spray should help keep the springs from rusting as well.
Yeah, I've seen your pictures, it looks like you've got some pretty good sized ones. To bad rat pelts don't sell for cash, you could have a side business going

 

[deluxestogie]

To bad rat pelts don't sell for cash

You could stitch them into gloves, worn for setting rat traps.

Bob

 

[ArizonaDave]

There's one of those big horned owls, that circles a neighborhood about three miles from here (where my brother-in-law lives). Too bad you can't buy one and release it. It lives at the airpark. Saw it once here, I think it ate our local squirrel, then left. We don't have rats here, so it didn't stick around.

 

[plantdude]

There's one of those big horned owls, that circles a neighborhood about three miles from here (where my brother-in-law lives). Too bad you can't buy one and release it. It lives at the airpark. Saw it once here, I think it ate our local squirrel, then left. We don't have rats here, so it didn't stick around.

Funny you said that. I heard an owl hooting outside a few minutes ago in the backyard. I haven't heard one in a while. I saw a small hawk circling this afternoon as well for the first time in weeks. I imagine we will be getting more rodents soon enough with harvest time not far off for the thousands of acres of rice and soybeans that surround our town.

 

[Ifyougotem]

That's good info to keep in mind about the poison bait, plantdude- that the rats move it around and stash it where it could affect other critters. I wasn't aware of that- a useful factoid to "squirrel away" for posbl future use (assuming I can remember where it's stashed if & when needed). After plenty of overexpansions just like yours, what I do now when using urethane foam for home repairs is tape over the cavity w wide blue painter's tape, leaving a sm, coin-sized hole at top. Then insert spray tube and fill about 1/4 of cavity at the bottom. Wait for maybe 20-30 min before adding a little more as nec. After foam hardens overnight the tape peels right off. Our small-town hardware store is experiencing some shortages, but I'm going to the "big city" (a modest-sized municipality about an hour's drive away) tomorrow, and should find the few items needed to prototype the trap idea. Can't fins isopropyl alc anywhere. They keep waiting for shipment but it never shows. If there's none tomorrow I'm gonna have to spend $16 for a 750 of Everclear. Btw, at our hardware store they get a lot of feedback on pest prevention- what does & doesn't work. Word is the ultrasonic emmitters are useless.

 

[plantdude]

I'm beginning to realize just how prevalent the rat population is down here. I've left a live catch trap set up outside our side garage door in the backyard and am averaging about 1 rat a week now. One was a particularly large and ugly rat.
The backyard is turning into the wild kingdom. Walked out back a few nights ago and a skunk went strolling by about 20 feet away. Glad the dogs weren't with me. Something put a hole in our chicken coop roof but didn't harm the chickens. I'm thinking possibly a curious skunk or possum.
Went out back two days ago and my wife said you just stepped on a snake and it bit your shoe. Got to looking around and found a little baby Nerodia rhombifer (AKA diamond back water snake). They are pretty common around here and look very similar to cottonmouths in the both the juvenile and adult stage. They are non venomous but tend to be grouchy ill tempered snakes that don't hesitate to bite repeatedly and crap all over if they are handled. First time I've ever found one of those in the backyard - I let him go in the field down the road from our house. Too bad they are fish eaters instead of rat eaters.

 

[Ruffseas]

It is absolutely amazing the variety and density of wildlife that moves around us, no matter where we are, city, suburbs, country. I live in a semi-rural suburb of Seattle and some days are worthy of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdome. My rat tale continues similarly to yours, as of late discovered a very cool automatic emptying rat trap. Noticed a lot of traffic around a very large Japanese Maple that overlaps a row of Cedars and decided to tie a few traps in the crotches to see what goes there. Only set em at night sos not to catch birds n squirrels. For a few days it was at least one a night, nice varety too, pack rat, norway rat, mostly black rats though... Then nothing, empty traps every morning, no bait and sprung. This turn of events awakened the Sherlock Holmes in me, pipe clenched firmly in teeth, consternation dripping from a furrowed brow I began to search the duff below, buzzing flies were the overt clue to look there. Heh, small tufts of fur all over the place, little shreds and strips of hide, it appears I had set up a raccoon feeding station. The trap would catch a rat and raccoons would come and empty it for me. At first it seemed to be a pretty cool commensal relationship until it dawned on me, the tree shades the duck house, not so cool, I had led the raccoons right to the quacker box! Hardware cloth covers all openings but it is still a bit disconcerting to have them so close to my girls. Good news is the rat plague seems to have ended, been a week now, no rats, no tripped traps, no pelts.
Ruff

 

[plantdude]

It is absolutely amazing the variety and density of wildlife that moves around us, no matter where we are, city, suburbs, country. I live in a semi-rural suburb of Seattle and some days are worthy of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdome. My rat tale continues similarly to yours, as of late discovered a very cool automatic emptying rat trap. Noticed a lot of traffic around a very large Japanese Maple that overlaps a row of Cedars and decided to tie a few traps in the crotches to see what goes there. Only set em at night sos not to catch birds n squirrels. For a few days it was at least one a night, nice varety too, pack rat, norway rat, mostly black rats though... Then nothing, empty traps every morning, no bait and sprung. This turn of events awakened the Sherlock Holmes in me, pipe clenched firmly in teeth, consternation dripping from a furrowed brow I began to search the duff below, buzzing flies were the overt clue to look there. Heh, small tufts of fur all over the place, little shreds and strips of hide, it appears I had set up a raccoon feeding station. The trap would catch a rat and raccoons would come and empty it for me. At first it seemed to be a pretty cool commensal relationship until it dawned on me, the tree shades the duck house, not so cool, I had led the raccoons right to the quacker box! Hardware cloth covers all openings but it is still a bit disconcerting to have them so close to my girls. Good news is the rat plague seems to have ended, been a week now, no rats, no tripped traps, no pelts.
Ruff

If you have the duck food outside that's most likely what is bringing the rats in. I know that is what is going on with my chickens. I'm afraid the rat issue is going to be a fact of life for some time to come - as long as there is an all you can eat buffet out there anyway. I'm just trying to keep it to manageable levels and the little buggers out of my garage without having to resort to poison again.
The live catch traps are a little more expensive but seem to be a nice option. You can set them, check them in the morning, and not have to mess with them if there is nothing in them. I have yet to catch a bird or squirel in mine, but if I did I have the option of letting them go unharmed and possibly a little wiser. The only thing that sucks is when you do catch a rat you have to decide how to dispose of them and the killing becomes a lot more personal. I usually shoot them with the pellet gun. Most rats are ugly enough I don't have an issue with it, but every now and then you get a semi cute one that looks up with pleading eyes and that's a little harder - cause then you got to figure out how to release the little fellow in your annoying coworkers vehicle without getting caught

The raccoons will eat ducks but probably are fairly unlikely to bother them unless they get pretty desperate. I do understand the concern though, I'm the same way with the chickens. Best to play it safe when your pets are a tasty snack

 

[deluxestogie]

Have you thought about possibly learning to play a flute? Or maybe just hire a flutist--so long as you pay them.

Bob

 

[plantdude]

Have you thought about possibly learning to play a flute? Or maybe just hire a flutist--so long as you pay them.

Bob

You might be on to something. My daughter has a flute. The problem is she thinks the rats are cute. Maybe I should go have a talk with her...

 

[skychaser]

Raccoons will eat anything and everything. They kill my ducks and chickens and even geese that are bigger than they are. I've had more problems with them over the years than coyotes. And I have no problem with shooting either of them. At least coyote pelts are worth something in the winter time.

This will solve your rat problems https://www.acehardware.com/departm...VExx9Ch2rSQNMEAQYASABEgI_q_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Just be VERY careful where you set them. They will instantly kill anything that sticks it head through. I used this small size for muskrat and mink back when I was younger and ran a trap line in winter. And one size up for racoon.

For that annoying coworker, try freezing a potato and then toss it in their car. When it thaws it will create a stink from straight out of hell. lol

 

[plantdude]

Wow, you must have some hungry coons in your area if they are taking out geese.

For my situation I'm limited to pretty much live catch traps in the yard, too many non target species and pets. Raccoons are pretty uncommon where I am in town (people eat them down here) but we get plenty of possums and the occasional skunk. Never did hear or see any coyotes in the area until about six years ago. Now there a few and they stay well out of town, people shoot them on general principle in this area. Come to think of it there are not many critters people don't shoot on general principle in this area...

 

[Ruffseas]

Ya plantdude, Raccoons are baaad news. Wish people over here ate em. Folks who don't have to deal with them just think they are cute. Skychaser, how big are the rats in E.Wa!?
Food is locked up in a galvanized bin, only fed during the day with waste cleaned up before duck bed time. I even dump out their various watering basins so critters don't have access at night, prolly still not cleanining up enough though.
Time to find that piper...

 

[plantdude]

The annual coon supper is a big political event in one of the small towns south of us
This is a pretty impoverished area, part of the Mississippi delta region. Not much doesn't get eaten around here. My wife was a school teacher for about 4-5 years. More than one student would tell her about grandma (a lot of the kids are raised by "grandma" in this area because the parents are in jail or not around) fixing them up rats or snakes for supper on different occasions - they were not making it up.
Most roadkill doesn't last wrong around here either. I took my son to the city once and as we were driving there I saw a dead beaver on the side of the road (we had been getting a lot of flooding and the water level wasn't much below the road). I told my son that's like a twenty dollar bill laying on the side of the road, that won't be there when we come home. Came back two hours latter and it was gone. That's pretty common with deer around here too if they are not to mangled. At least it doesn't get wasted I guess.
Sounds like you are cleaner than I am with the feed, that should help. I guess I'm fortunate to not have to deal with raccoons in my yard. I'm surprised they are such a problem. I've had raccoons come up to about a foot away from me when I've been out deer hunting on numerous occasions. I just quietly shoo them away if they get too curious, I think it's funny as hell how brave they are and figure if nothing else it's a good cover scent

 

[skychaser]

.....people shoot them on general principle in this area. Come to think of it there are not many critters people don't shoot on general principle in this area...

Works for me. lol

Actually I really don't like shooting anything now days that I don't plan on inviting to dinner. Sure would like to come do some duck hunting with you and that lab someday. Mine is gone now, but he was the best damn duck dog you ever saw in his day!

Ya plantdude, Raccoons are baaad news. Wish people over here ate em. Folks who don't have to deal with them just think they are cute. Skychaser, how big are the rats in E.Wa!?

I've gotten males that were 40 lbs and females that went 35 lbs. I chased a yearling off the porch last night. He got the cat dish once last spring and has come back almost every night since to see if I left it out again. There is plenty for them to eat around here. They just find things belonging to humans easier to get and tasty. Sometimes they get really defensive. Usually it's a mama with kids. The kids will scamper up a tree like squirrels and mama will stand there on her hind legs and snarl and growl at you. Those mama coons mean business too and they let you know it! When they do that you can really see that they are in the bear family. Two of my dogs tangled with one once. They both looked like they lost a fight with a chainsaw. Racoons really aren't the cute Disney creatures they are made out to be.

It was illegal to pick up road kill here until a few years ago. Although a couple deer did manage to bounce all the way into my garage somehow before they changed the law. Now they disappear from the roadside quick if they aren't mangled to badly. It always seemed such a waste of good meat to me just leaving them there until the road people finally came along and hauled them to the dump.

I never tried eating a Racoon. They are known to carry rabies here on occasion so that put me off. And they are hard to skin and were worth about $5 back in the 80's and early 90's when I was trapping. So I never went after them on purpose. Usually caught them in a set intended for mink. Minks were worth $25 and up and are easy to skin. Beavers would get me $25 to $40 depending on the size. And you get some really good meat off them. I've eaten lots of beaver. (insert your own joke here) Muskrats were easy to catch through the ice on the frozen lakes in winter and really easy to skin. I'd get $4-5 for them and they are as plentiful as perch. They look like a rabbit when skinned but I never did eat one. Something about the "rat" in the name I guess. Coyotes are extremely difficult to trap because they are freekin' smart. I caught a few but got more with my .243. $30-40 was average but the market varied wildly from year to year. One season they were going as high as $150 for a large prime winter coyote. Some guys would blast them with their 30.06 or .308 and then wonder why they didn't get much from the fur buyers for a coyote pelt with a 6" hole in it. lol They have amazingly thick and beautiful fur in Dec and Jan here. Not like those skinny scruffy looking dogs you see during summer.