Rats

[Silver Hand]

Don't laugh at this one, it works. Have a little time on your hands? Use a small sharp treble hook baited with your choice of bait, set it in a likely location, string out your line and get ready to set the hook and reel the varmint in. Its a kick in the arse and works. Helps to have a six pack of your favorite beer on hand to pass the time until the bites on!

Just now got back from the wood shop basement, I was checking my trot lines!
Silver Hand

 

[kickstart my heart]

I'm having issues with a rat, or rats at my place. About 2 months ago, went to get gas in my '12 Challenger R/T. Popped the hood to check fluids and noticed a nest of leaves and foam. Cleaned it out. It gotten under the top plastic cover for the motor and burrowed out a spot. Decided to junk that cover. I got poison and traps. Put these along routes I'm assuming the rats would travel. Nothing appears to have touched the poison, the traps (baited with peanut butter) are untouched. I was hoping maybe the rat died. Checked a few days ago, and there's fresh rat poop in my engine compartment. Poured some vinegar diluted with water on top of the motor to try to kill the rat piss/poop smell. I drive the car 2-3 times a week. Most it's ever sat unattended is maybe 5 days. It's frustrating to say the least. I'm going to flip out if it chews threw a wire or something. Any good suggestions for killing these stubborn nasty vermin?

 

[Silver Hand]

I'm having issues with a rat, or rats at my place. About 2 months ago, went to get gas in my '12 Challenger R/T. Popped the hood to check fluids and noticed a nest of leaves and foam. Cleaned it out. It gotten under the top plastic cover for the motor and burrowed out a spot. Decided to junk that cover. I got poison and traps. Put these along routes I'm assuming the rats would travel. Nothing appears to have touched the poison, the traps (baited with peanut butter) are untouched. I was hoping maybe the rat died. Checked a few days ago, and there's fresh rat poop in my engine compartment. Poured some vinegar diluted with water on top of the motor to try to kill the rat piss/poop smell. I drive the car 2-3 times a week. Most it's ever sat unattended is maybe 5 days. It's frustrating to say the least. I'm going to flip out if it chews threw a wire or something. Any good suggestions for killing these stubborn nasty vermin?

You removed the nest and changed the environment vinegar, they may not return for a wile. Keep them in mind the next time you park your rig for a wile place 1/2 tray of de-con inside the car like on the floor front passenger and if you can be reminded by that getting in, place another in the motor compartment. Winter is the worst time of the year for us. I did a tune up on the wife's car last summer failed to put the poison in place this winter the car sat for two weeks they ate the spark plug wires and some places in the wire harness I have a parasitic draw problem I have spent months trying to find.
Silver Hand

 

[kickstart my heart]

You removed the nest and changed the environment vinegar, they may not return for a wile. Keep them in mind the next time you park your rig for a wile place 1/2 tray of de-con inside the car like on the floor front passenger and if you can be reminded by that getting in, place another in the motor compartment. Winter is the worst time of the year for us. I did a tune up on the wife's car last summer failed to put the poison in place this winter the car sat for two weeks they ate the spark plug wires and some places in the wire harness I have a parasitic draw problem I have spent months trying to find.
Silver Hand

I haven't seen any evidence of them getting inside the car yet. I park the car under a car port, it like 5 feet from our garbage/recycling cans which show no signs of being chewed on, they haven't touched the traps or bait, and I randomly found a dead one in my driveway a month ago (yet there was no sign of them eating any of the poison/bait (it's in a big green block). I may have to try putting poison in the engine compartment at the beginning of the week. Does anti-freeze really work on rats? I'm worried about attracting someone in the neighborhoods cat. Guess I could make the opening of the container too small for a cat/dog to get into. Is there anything that repeals rats (like smell or plants)?

I just don't get why they picked the brand new car. My other car is an early '90s honda with 260k miles on it, has easier access to everything, I park it next to a bunch of bushes (which are next to the entrance to the house crawl space). They haven't gone in there. It's weird to that they'd invade after only a few days left unattended. I've had mice get into a camaro I used to own when I was in high school, but it sat for almost 6 months before mice got into it. No rats, and we had a composed bin about 20 feet away full of rats.

 

[Kid@Heart]

I'm having issues with a rat, or rats at my place. About 2 months ago, went to get gas in my '12 Challenger R/T. Popped the hood to check fluids and noticed a nest of leaves and foam. Cleaned it out. It gotten under the top plastic cover for the motor and burrowed out a spot. Decided to junk that cover. I got poison and traps. Put these along routes I'm assuming the rats would travel. Nothing appears to have touched the poison, the traps (baited with peanut butter) are untouched. I was hoping maybe the rat died. Checked a few days ago, and there's fresh rat poop in my engine compartment. Poured some vinegar diluted with water on top of the motor to try to kill the rat piss/poop smell. I drive the car 2-3 times a week. Most it's ever sat unattended is maybe 5 days. It's frustrating to say the least. I'm going to flip out if it chews threw a wire or something. Any good suggestions for killing these stubborn nasty vermin?

Buy a Ford?

 

[kickstart my heart]

Buy a Ford?

I used to be a chevy guy when I was in high school. Then I got into fords for many many years. Finally decided to be an adult and own a real car. Bought mopar.

 

[Silver Hand]

I used to be a chevy guy when I was in high school. Then I got into fords for many many years. Finally decided to be an adult and own a real car. Bought mopar.

They like my Fords also, pick up, Dump truck don't matter. The De-con pellets you buy at the Grange, Bi mart or Walmart work well.
That is probably where the dead ones you see around are coming from. Someones else is bating them.
The stuff works, Period.
Silver Hand

 

[BigStrapper66]

Ok find the tunnel where they are coming out and put a piece of plywood over it and let them burrow out from under it.
Next feed them under it with chicken feed or corn or what have you for a few days. Now when you notice that they a eating
it all up replace it with poisen. you will get a mass die off. remember there is food and water available to them thats why they
are there.

 

[Bigfoot]

Ratzapper!

I built one once in the 80s. Had a kitchen mouse so I got a lamp cord and wired one end to a pie plate and put peanut butter on the other end inches above the plate. Plugged it in, sat watching from the living room couch and the mouse jumps on the pie tin, nibbles at the bait and the shock launches him across the kitchen and bounced him off the oven. Then he comes back for another try, he did this a half dozen times that night, funny as hell but it didn't work. I figured only his whiskers or fur got the amps.

So the next night I'm drinking beer (remember that part) contemplating my opponent and I said 'I'm gonna get that mouse' so I set up some phonebooks and wood for a backstop, sat in the living room with the 22 rifle handy, here comes that mouse, careful not quite steady aim and ... DONE!! I high fived myself right up until I went into the kitchen and looked around, mouse parts everywhere. A foot in the sink, guts on the stove, guts on the cutting table, hanging off the fridge, ceiling and walls.

Girlfriend wouldn't clean it either, something about me being an idiot..

 

[dolooper]

Did Pest Control In Suburban SF area California 3 years in the early 90's.


2. If you have not tried peanut butter try it, I kept a jar in my truck Crunchy works best and will stick
better when it warmer. The creamy will run more if it is over 70F.

I was never a professional, but I was the go-to mouser and shrew-shredder in our house. Peanut butter rocks. I found that Adams All Natural peanut butter had some advantages.

1. It kinda sucks in the taste department in my mind.
2. Mice and shrews aren't as discerning as me.
3. It's natural, so the oil naturally separates, forcing you to re-blend it for human consumption. I don't like the taste of it, so I never get that far. This is a benefit for mice, shrews, and I assume rats. Let it separate. Dig to the bottom for the for peanut butter that doesn't have much oil left in it. Use that for bait. It won't run very much at all and you can use it in really warm places like next to the wood stove. You can also form it more like clay.