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Post by dreamingofchange on Aug 22, 2013 4:03:49 GMT -5
You are doing so well-you WILL get all the little blighters, one at a time. Hugs xxxxxx
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Post by OnTheMend on Aug 22, 2013 9:10:19 GMT -5
Have you got traps on those areas where you have seen the rats? If not, maybe put more traps where you've seen they move. Good luck! PS. You said you suspect they have access from garage to inside the home: is it possible you block those holes?
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Post by Perfect Mess on Aug 22, 2013 9:15:51 GMT -5
He says he blocked them all off. including the hole into the dryer / garage. we DEFINITELY have more rats to catch. There was one in the office last night staring at my husband, another two on the countertop in the kitchen staring at me and trying to hide, but they weren't doing a good job of it. Another behind the dryer and I saw one run accross the living room too. So we still have a colony situation. They're just not getting trapped!!
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Post by Fivecat on Aug 22, 2013 12:07:11 GMT -5
If you're any kind of a shot, get a pellet/bb pistol and shoot em.
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Post by newme on Aug 22, 2013 14:24:31 GMT -5
You're probably left with the smart rats that have decided those traps are no good and should be avoided. I think I would change whatever food you've been baiting them with (pick a new thing that's pretty smelly, like cat food, bacon, or peanut butter), move the traps to new locations and then leave them unset for a few days until you see that the rats are consistently eating from the traps for a few sessions. It would probably also help if there were no other sources of food around since maybe that would drive them to try the traps a little quicker. Then after they've been eating consistently at the traps, you can set them all again and you'll probably catch quite a few. It might also help to buy all new traps, in case they're smelling their dead little buddies on the current traps - their sense of smell is incredible and that's the primary sense they use for information gathering.
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Post by Fivecat on Aug 23, 2013 0:31:09 GMT -5
Yeah. What newme said.
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Post by Perfect Mess on Aug 23, 2013 17:11:08 GMT -5
+1 = 26
Yeah, that's good advice and it's the same thing one of my coworkers also told me yesterday . If they can smell their dead comrades, then soaking those traps in bleach might be a good idea because many of them have blood splatter from all the trapping. Then I'll change up the bait. I've been using only peanut butter.
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Post by ohblondie on Aug 24, 2013 21:37:52 GMT -5
I thought of you today. I was unpacking boxes in the kitchen and found a dead mouse between a box and the kitchen island. I think he got into some mouse poison and went to mouse heaven. Thank goodness that is the only one I have seen. Though I did see some droppings, And when I opened the hutch to unpack some boxes, I saw some dog food in the bottom of the hutch. I think they dragged the food into the dark quiet area. Don't know if they were saving it for a midnight snack or they were planning a wild party........I emptied it out so that put the kibash to their plans!
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Post by Perfect Mess on Aug 27, 2013 23:47:25 GMT -5
+1 = 27
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2013 8:53:21 GMT -5
I was reading the private blog, 60isolderthanithot and they have a rat problem too. They have some kind of trap thta tricks the rats into coming to die. Maybe that is something you can use for your smarty pants rats?
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Post by 60isolderthanithot on Aug 30, 2013 10:09:50 GMT -5
I've caught 90% of these 22 on one particular section of the kitchen counter ... Pardon my late entry into this thread, I've been consumed by some of the same issues you have! If you're catching rodents in a particular area, I'd recommend a multiple mouse/rat trap such as the Eaton, J. T. 421CL Multiple Catch Mouse trap in Amazon.com, around $11 (plus shipping if you aren't a Prime Member) or the Ratinator, which I got at a country hardware store for $50. I'm new to the rodent-trapping game but the Ratinator has been super successful, once I learned more about rodent behavior. For several days, I "trained" them to eat inside the cage. After I was assured they felt comfortable, I closed all but the trap door. The first night, three invaders were caught. Yesterday, I washed the cage and overnight, got one more. I think there would have been more but my partner gets caught up in her computer stuff and doesn't keep our little terrier from harassing the cage. This scares off other mice. I'd get the Eaton Repeater if I were doing it again. Spending $50 would have gone farther. If you're catching as many as you are, I'd say the larger cage of a Ratinator might not be a bad idea though. If you live in an area where rodents will be a common, seasonal affliction, might as well get a big trap that will last a long time. You do have to be willing to dispose of the invaders you catch, of course. Not everyone is up for that.
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Post by Perfect Mess on Aug 31, 2013 10:33:44 GMT -5
+1 = 28
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Post by Perfect Mess on Sept 4, 2013 18:12:47 GMT -5
+2 = 30
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Post by 60isolderthanithot on Sept 4, 2013 18:14:51 GMT -5
Do you re-use the traps?
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Post by Perfect Mess on Sept 4, 2013 23:25:16 GMT -5
Yup
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