Help me please. I live on 5 acres. We just moved here about 8 months ago and I have never seen so many rats. They are big rats. I parked my truck and went out about a week later to start it and it wouldn't start. I lifted the hood and a big rat was looking at me. After looking at the truck better I realized, they have been getting into my goat feed and storing it in the truck.
By Lawanna
I would use the kind of poison that gets rid of the vitamin K in their system. I am not sure what it is called. If you have a friend with a ferret, get some of their ferret's droppings and put around so the rats can smell it. I know what kind of rats you mean, I have seen them as well.
Get professional help fast because exterminators have poisons that the average person can't get because of the law. They know the best places to put the poison.
You have such a bad infestation you can't do it by yourself. Where are you keeping the container of goat feed? Perhaps you need to put it somewhere else. Get a rat proof (metal) container with a good locking system. Good Luck.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What can be used to get rid of rodents (mice, rats, coons, etc.) entering your yard?
By Roxann M
I live close to woods and fields, and sometimes get rats as visitors in our home. Any ideas for how to keep them outside.
By RUTH from Rogersville, AL
Sounds simple enough, but get a cat. This worked for us! Make sure it's one with a good "hunting" instinct. The Humane society is overrun with both kittens this time of year & also adult cats because so many have to move out of their homes right now. I'd recommend an older cat that has a high play/hunting instinct. (read the paperwork on it's cage & also see if he/she likes to play & chase things).
I not only don't have mice or rats anymore, my yard (which was TOTALLY over-run with moles) is now mole free! I don't know if it's the smell of my cat that keeps them away or if he (the mad hunter) does.
They also have those electronic, ultra-sonic repellent things you plug into your outlets that send out a high frequency sound that humans can't hear that's supposed to keep rats & mice away. Supposedly it doesn't bother your other pets like dogs & cats, but who knows if this is really true!
Here's one (look around the prices vary):
www.electronicpestcontrol.net/
www.msglobaldirect.com/
Here's a rat Zapper (it kills the rats):
www.amazon.com/
Any holes that you may have in your house, i.e., dryer vent, small hole in the sheet rock, they may have chewed into the laundry room, under the door, plug it with steel wool. That will keep them from coming back in. If you don't have small children, you can get little poison pellets, and roll them in peanut butter, leave them out in tiny plastic cups or lids wherever you may have seen the mice, the mice will eat them and die...they love peanut butter, way better than cheese!
Find and plug any holes in walls of your house that they might be getting in from. Also, keep garbage neat and tidy and yard neat and tidy and free of miscellaneous stuff hanging around like old wood and old cars and such.
Rats tend to live where there are old buildings and lots of food. A general cleanup of the place might be in order. And get a cat, probably two.
I was lying in my hammock this afternoon, and just gotten comfortable when I heard a rustling sound above me. I thought it was birds, and I looked up just in time to see a big rat run across the patio cover and down a tree! How can I get rid of rats? I have dogs that use the yard, too, and I can't do anything that will poison them.
I saw one in a tree at the corner of my yard, too, but blue jays scared it away. I doubt they will hang around if you have dogs.
I have a rubbermaid container, with a hole in the bottom corner that is just big enough for the mice or rats to get into but small enough that my cat and my two dogs cannot get into. I put rat poison inside it in a glass casserole dish... keeps the poison in one spot and not all over the bottom of the rubbermaid container...or out the hole. The poison is the kind that has warferin in it, thins their blood and as they eat the poison their blood gets thinner and thinner. No smell to them after and I have never had the dogs do anything with the dead rat/mouse. I have mine in the garage.
Guest,
Yes, even if you have dogs, you can still have mice and/or rats.
You can also tell if the mice or rats are eating the poison...just make a mound of poison in the container and check when you open the container to see if the mound has been disturbed.
i live in a condo. i have been told that rats feast on dog feces. it is the law and common sense to pick up the poop, but i know for myself, as i am handicapped) it doesnt always happen. but they doo like doo. so that is one thing you can doo is to pick it up.
How do I get rid of rats in my backyard?
John
Hi John. Rats like most of us are looking for shelter and food, so first, make sure there are no food scraps around and that rubbish bins are tightly sealed. Clean up any junk.. old piles of lumber, tin, or anything they can make a nest under. You could get cats or a rat terrier.. presuming you don't have these already. Be careful with baits, epsecially if you have pets of your own, or neighbours pets get access to your yard. If it's really desperate call a professional!
Short of laying traps or calling an exterminator, get a cat or two. It will make a big difference.
Hi John,
I had this problem a year ago and now they're gone. If you feed the birds, make sure to clean up under the feeders every day and make sure no food or garbage is near any of your outside walls. Rats will travel along a wall to find food. Make sure not to put out poison that any other animal, bird, or child can get to. If you have a crawlspace, there are rat traps with bait that can be placed underneath. I think it's best to use a professional service for this to do it safely. Insist on a product that doesn't poison other animals or hawks secondarily - it is available. Within one week, I found dead rats after doing this. Good luck with getting rid of the rats!
Do not ever think a cat is a match for a rat. Maybe a tiny field mouse but check with your Humane Society to see the damage a rat can do to a cat.
Call the exterminator, they will rid your yard of those pests, they did mine and I live near the river and close to many restaurants. After the exterminator's visit, the rat has not been back.
Jennifer
Northern Virginia
Rats love to find families that have outside pets giving them a good source of easy to get food. Care must be taken to rid yourself of the rats without harming your rabbits, chickens, or other pets. This is a page about getting rid of rats around rabbits.
Rats can definitely be a danger to the birds in your outdoor aviary. This is a page about keeping rats out of an outdoor aviary.
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Utopia would a place where everyone had a reverence for life. In Utopia, we Humans would co exist with the mountain lion, the black widow spider and the deadly black mamba, because in this paradise, we would have learned how to live along side these creatures in such a manner, they posed no threat to us.
