My neighbor wasn't joking.

[marydaniellesantos]

Originally Posted by mspatt

Best to do it yourself--The other night a friend of ours caught a skunk in the Hav-a-Hart trap. The animal control people wanted $85 to remove and/or relocate the critter. Personally, I would have just released it back into the yard again. CAREFULLY!!
We have a family of raccoons that visit our back deck for birdseed and the "fast food" in my husband's two ponds. I plan on using the trap on them and dropping them off somewhere else. But rats are a different story--get rid of them ASAP. The babies may be cute now, but soon they will be of breeding age and you don't want them in your back yard

Lol. They might have just been charging the amount for tomato soup they would need to wash off the stink. But you could always drop them off in the next unsuspecting town.

[Triffid]

Ex-Pet Rat Owner here Fancy Rats as they are called make great pets that can be taught tricks Short life span though so they are some what heartbreaking to keep

But Wild Rats can be a nuisance.... Also depends on which type you are dealing with.

Yes and No, to the Rats are disease carriers. The Rats themselves (wild ones at least) have an incredible immune system and it is the parasites that hitch a ride on them that carry most of the nasty things. The rats usually do not catch the disease because of the natural defences.

Rats themselves prefer clean environment and try their best to replace old bedding as it were - yes even wild ones. So they will seek out potential clean bedding where ever the can get it. As well as good food sources, they can also chew through almost anything bar metal (and even then they will have a go).
Sewer rats are some what of an exception, but even then.

Once a female rat has had her litter of potentially 10+ babies the mum is fertile (receptive to impregnation) again with 24 hours. And young rats become fertile within about 4-6 weeks (if I remember correctly). In other words, if you don't sort out the problem you can have a severe population problem within a few months.

Best pest control for rats (in my opinion) a few big mean Cats or Terrier type dogs. Or decorative Carnivores as we like to call them. If you do have a decorative Carnivore to do the job for you remember to "De-Worm" it regularly!
Traps? Well depends on the trap, but these rats can be devious and unless the trap kills them outright (please note if it can kill a rat it can kill other small animals too) they are likely to find a way out unless the trap is checked frequently.

Just some pointers.

I like rats, but there are rats out there that can be .... Troublesome shall we say

[cb977]

I just never know what I'm gonna learn here on any given day

[marydaniellesantos]

Wow, so I'm going to put rats up there with guppies in the means of reprodution. LOL!

[Junebug]

Much thanks for all the helpful hints.

Killing things is not my style. Those critters were just foraging for food and they meant no harm.

That chewed up milk jug probably has potential as a trap. It could be baited, monitored and rapidly collected in another lidded container. The contents could then be relocated. Those guys never noticed me until the camera flashed and I was holding the lens right above their entry. Hmmm...I think this idea has potential but I still need to work out details of how this should go down. This trapping idea definitely wouldn't work for the larger rats.

The neighbor told me she disturbed 2 nests and that babies were running everywhere. OMG.

[susiep]

Those rats are so cute! But they need to go. I try to never kill anything so I always catch alive and release in the woods or glades. I don't mind oppossums. They are just looking for bugs (they eat slugs and snails!) so they can stay. Raccoons leave muddy footprints but haven't done any damage. I love all snakes but the poisonous ones gotta go to the glades (moccasins). Only had 2 of those in 17 years. But they eat rats! We live on a lake so .... they are both around. Still, they gotta go. The rats are attracted to my neighbor's huge Bird of Paradise tree. They knaw on the flowers which are very sweet and actually drip sugar. Nothing I can do about that tree. I see them up there at night with the flashlight. So until they come over and mess with my orchid house they can stay too.

I must share one of the reasons I never trap with glue or snap traps. My neighbor put out a snap trap and when she checked it (days later apparently) she found a mama duck with her leg trapped and broken. The duck had died a horrible dead and so did all of her approx 10 ducklings. I told my neighbor she was an irresponsible dumb ass. So don't forget when you put out traps that they don't snap just for rats but will maim possums, raccoons, ducks, cats, dogs, and even snakes that happen to trip them. The Have a Heart is best even if you plan to kill the rats later. Just my

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by susiep

Those rats are so cute! But they need to go. I try to never kill anything so I always catch alive and release in the woods or glades. I don't mind oppossums. They are just looking for bugs (they eat slugs and snails!) so they can stay. Raccoons leave muddy footprints but haven't done any damage. I love all snakes but the poisonous ones gotta go to the glades (moccasins). Only had 2 of those in 17 years. But they eat rats! We live on a lake so .... they are both around. Still, they gotta go. The rats are attracted to my neighbor's huge Bird of Paradise tree. They knaw on the flowers which are very sweet and actually drip sugar. Nothing I can do about that tree. I see them up there at night with the flashlight. So until they come over and mess with my orchid house they can stay too.

I must share one of the reasons I never trap with glue or snap traps. My neighbor put out a snap trap and when she checked it (days later apparently) she found a mama duck with her leg trapped and broken. The duck had died a horrible dead and so did all of her approx 10 ducklings. I told my neighbor she was an irresponsible dumb ass. So don't forget when you put out traps that they don't snap just for rats but will maim possums, raccoons, ducks, cats, dogs, and even snakes that happen to trip them. The Have a Heart is best even if you plan to kill the rats later. Just my

I'd prefer to relocate them for all the reasons you stated.

I discovered a large dispensing container in my garage that will probably do the job. It's rectangular and about 2 1/2 feet long with a large hinged door on one end for loading and a smaller sliding door on the opposite side for dispensing. The loading door could be secured with duct tape prior to baiting. The sliding door can be closed in one quick motion and then secured for a quick trip to somewhere else. It's sure to catch something...

[marydaniellesantos]

Lol. That sounds like a good plan. Good luck!

[susiep]

Good luck, Junebug! I know you won't be able to relax until they are gone.

[Triffid]

Junebug,
I understand perfectly the desire to relocate them and even admire you for it. It's just not always that easy with rats, because of how fast the multiply. That's why I prefer the decorative carnivore method, they tend to get the hint and move else where of their own accord when confronted with a resident predator.

Though I must add, after reading that your neighbour found two nests... Regarding their gnawing habit, it's because their teeth constantly grow and gnawing keeps the teeth in check. (I had to take mine to the vets to get her teeth trimmed)
This being said they will gnaw through anything to keep their teeth in check, and that includes Electronic Cables!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND both you and your neighbour check your electronics out! You don't want any nasty surprises.
Some people don't know they have a rat problem till all the lights go out!... Or someone/something gets electrocuted!