RATS!! CHEWING MY CHIDS!!

[Jkelee]

& HELP, Plz !!

I am dying here, and so are my Chids

Every morning, I go outside to see my babies that have been destroyed by Rats!! At least that's what I think they are? Fruit rats I've been told, because of the all the fruit trees around me.

Any Ideas on how to stop this??

Every day, I got out there to find MORE and more leaves on the ground, chewed off at the base!! They don't seem to eat anything? Just chew it off to kill ME!!

They Love my Tolumnias, and Oncis. That's the root of their fun! They've gotton a few baby catts too.

I even have large rat traps, with peanut butter, and they are always empty-no P/B left!! And 90% all still set!
How can they lick off that P/B, and not set off the traps??

Any ideas on how/what to use, as they are doing soooo much damage, every night

The 1st pic, is the close-up of some damage.
The 2nd pic, is the last week from Sunday-Friday.
In the last pic, that is just last nights/Sat night, damage alone.

Plz Help me!!
I'm in desperate need here.

[Gin]

I am so sorry if the P butter is gone and the trap not tripped I would try a regular mouse trap could be what ever is doing this is not large enough to trip the larger rat traps . I would resort to the bar baits if they can be kept away from your pets if that didn't work , a lawn chair and a pellet gun . Gin

[gmdiaz]

I guess I would cage off the hotels with chicken wire or something hard to chew through. . .put your husband back to work, to design something attractive.

The punk rats are doing this at night, aren't they?

I'd lock the orchids up in the evening. . .to stop the damage. . .and then mull over my choices.

I am so sorry. . .

[cb977]

Wow Jackie! That s***ks!!!

I agree with Gin...if the peanut butter is gone but the traps are still set, whatever is doing that is small. I'd try smaller traps, maybe some glue traps (as nasty as they are, it might be what works ) I hope you are able to put a stop to it, that must be such horrible to find every morning

Gin..."lawn chair and pellet gun"...

[Sandy4453]

My heart sank when I read this. I wish I could offer some advice Jackie. I'm hurting for you.

[Uechi]

I respectfully don't agree that if the bait is gone and the trap hasn't snapped it must be small, not so. I live in Florida and had quite a time dealing with rats getting in my attic until I replaced the soffit and fascia. I got rid of them by using snap traps, "Have a Hart" traps, poison bait, and glue boards. Rats and squirrels especially rats are smart and quickly learn to avoid snap traps and or how to steal the food. The best method is to bait the trap with peanut butter but don't set it. Feed them for several days for free. Many of them will lose their fear of the trap,that's when you set them. You will catch a few but the others will learn to avoid them. I had much better success with " Have a Hart " traps which catch them alive. What you do with them is up to you. Leave those traps unset too for a few days. Posion bait works but watch out for other wildlife, pets and kids. The other problem is that if they get in you attic, gargage etc they will die there and whew what a smell. Glue traps work quite well but I won't use them I think they are a very cruel way to kill an animal. They now make a trap that runs off of batteries that will electrocute them. Your choice and good luck. Rats have been around a lot longer than man.

[Jkelee]

Thank you all for the great ideas!! I will try them all!!
Only, I WISH I had that Pellet Gun!! As that's what I feeling!!!!! They are costing my soooo much $, and giving me soooo much pain!!!! I think I owe them a bit of pain!!

[cowboy51278]

Your husband is so handy Im sure you can devise some sliding doors with hardware cloth to keep the little buggers out. Also when you set the trap my dad swears by half cooked bacon wired into the trap. They really have to work to get that off and the bacon has such a pungent aroma that it'll draw them right too it. just pull the paper off some twist ties and use the wire inside and snug it right down on the trap. My father has an extreme fear of rats and has spent years trying to rid the world of them. We used to get them in the basement of the old farmhouse I grew up in. It wasn't unusual for him to go put wood in the boiler and see a rat. Which in turn would end in a hunt at 2 am with traps and bacon in one hand, the 22 rifle in the other hand and dad charging around in his tighties whities......used to call him the great white hunter .................... but give the bacon a whirl, and if you cant trap em out start picking up some nasty smelling bulbophyllums and stink them out!

[cb977]

Paul, I now have a mental picture of your Dad in his tight whities hunting in the middle of the night!!!

The bacon idea makes great sense to me! It definitely wouldn't be a quick grab and run job for them to get it! Brilliant!

[cloudswinger]

Get a cat? Preferably a good mouser.

Maybe change where the vulnerable orchids are hanging from? You had them hanging on a wall, right? You could try hanging them from the top for a little while. Or bring them in.

I was annoyed by my pest, and it didn't even destroy my plants, just dug them up.