Subject: unwelcome: RATS!!!!
From: "jo"
Date: 5/12/2004 3:30 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:


"Judy Cosler" wrote in message
.. .
i have RATS! ugh!

Hi Judy, Did pest control tell you what type of rats you had? Their habits
are a bit different and it might help you to know that. Where do the rats
live? Where do they get their food? Where do they get their *water*? Rats
generally won't travel more than 150 feet from where they live to get food
and water. Empty the dogs' water bowls every evening and be extra careful
with food too. Is there any other water source available to them? Think
sump pumps, ponds, kiddie pools, etc...you may not be able to eliminate the
water source but if you identify it, you can trap on the path to it.

i also have 2 dogs whom i would not endanger in any way!
my vet has told me that, despite what the pest control firms tell you,
the bait used to kill rats CAN be gotten by the dogs & that the rats
CAN be secondarily poisonous to the dogs. she said to put down NO
poison! she says she sees too many pets who have been poisoned in
thse ways. so, I will do exactly that -- put down NO poison.

Your vet is correct. Chunks of poison bait can wind up on the floor around
the bait stations, or the dog could ingest a poisoned rat. Besides, when
the sick rat goes to hide in the ceiling or walls to die you will have
another nasty surprise. Maggots and then huge flies from the decaying body,
smells bad too. Pest control told us the bodies dry up and it wouldn't
happen, it was not so when we bought a house with a mouse problem a few
years ago and used the poison baits.

I would use traps. Use several along their path of travel. Look for
droppings, smudges at the baseboards. Rats are creatures of habit and tend
to travel the same path every day, but they are also *way* smarter than
mice. Once they find out what the traps do, they will steer clear. I would
consider putting the traps down unset and let them get used to them, they
will be cautious at first. Later, bait them with a barely visible smear of
peanut butter and set the springs.

That's good advice. I'd set out about 10 traps, leave them UNSET, for a couple
weeks... bait them for a couple nights with a small amount of peanut butter, as
said. Then set and bait them all one night, while keeping the dog away.

Though not necessarily much smarter than mice, rats are extremely wary of new
things. The traps are unlikely to be approached the first couple weeks after
they are placed.

Good luck.

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theoneflasehaddock