I wish it was that easy, but what do you do if you stop feeding them and
they do not disappear? What happens if the bird seed is the smallest part of
what they are feeding on then what? What if their primary source of food is
something that just happens to be buried where you cannot see it then what?

I really wish it was as easy as "Stop feeding them, and they'll disappear."



--
www.apcwv.com

If they lose their food source(s) they will eat their young
as a food source, before they try to go elsewhere.
And they will generally be within about 15 feet of their primary
food source.

wrote in message
...
I wish it was that easy, but what do you do if you stop feeding them and
they do not disappear? What happens if the bird seed is the smallest part
of
what they are feeding on then what? What if their primary source of food
is
something that just happens to be buried where you cannot see it then
what?

I really wish it was as easy as "Stop feeding them, and they'll
disappear."



--
www.apcwv.com

It is that easy. And very important for them to be gone
before a garden gets started.

Speaking of gardens, how about that compost bin? How to
keep the rats out of it? One way that seems to have worked
was some hardware cloth on the ground, then several stacked
tires, with compost stuff in them, and a tire with a rim on top.
Hardware cloth bolted to cover the large center hole. Worms
in the compost. More details in "1,001 Ingenious Gardening Ideas",
except that rats weren't mentioned. No dairy or meat in the pile,
though.

wrote in message
...
I really wish it was as easy as "Stop feeding them, and they'll
disappear."

Me too. wrote:
Hi, just the other day, I noticed there is a rat around our deck
out back. It seems to be eating the bird food that falls to the
ground, (2 bird feeders mounted on deck.) This is a somewhat
rural area and has a population of squirrels, chipmunks, bear,
groundhogs, deer, rabbits etc. So, seeing this unfamiliar site has
thrown me. We have 3 large house cats with full sets of claws, so
I'm not too worried about the rat coming in and surviving, or
should I be? Anyway, this is 1st time I've seen a rat around here
and I'm not sure if I need to be concerned?

What to do?

Give him extra food so he likes it outside. I do.
--
dadiOH
________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://www.gbronline.com/xico/
_________________________________

Michael, that is mice you are talking about. We are talking about Norway
rats here. They will range up to 100 feet for food.

--
www.apcwv.com

Peter H wrote:


"Me too." wrote in message
link.net...
Hi, just the other day, I noticed there is a rat around our deck out back.
It seems to be eating the bird food that falls to the ground, (2 bird
feeders mounted on deck.) This is a somewhat rural area and has a
population of squirrels, chipmunks, bear, groundhogs, deer, rabbits etc.
So, seeing this unfamiliar site has thrown me. We have 3 large house cats
with full sets of claws, so I'm not too worried about the rat coming in
and
surviving, or should I be? Anyway, this is 1st time I've seen a rat
around
here and I'm not sure if I need to be concerned?

What to do?

Thanks...



I'd be a bit concerned if I were you. My in-laws live in the country and had
a problem w/ rats a few years ago. They didn't know what to do about it so
got me involved. We did eventually rid them of the rodents, but it wasn't
much fun.







In their case the rats actually found a way into the house and were helping
themselves to the dog food!!

(double surprise, prob should prune the limbs on the roof)


In talking to an exterminator I discovered that these rodents are capable of
climbing up the exterior of most buildings.
(i suppose most buildings have tiny ladders for rodents now)



I don't mean to be an alarmist
here, but if they are out feeding at your deck, you are probably best off
getting rid of them now, before they find a way in.

(don't let them plot, they plot againts you)

As for the cats protecting you against them, I wouldn't bank on it.
(They will probabably bite a lot you in your sleep, that is if you don't
die first from plague)


The critters that I caught were smaller than a cat, but considerably more aggressive.

(most of his rats are larger then a cat and don't object to being
caught)



I'd consider trapping and or poison.


(more people in New York City are treated for bites by humans then
bites by rats )

Actually, rats will range to 300 feet, but they generally
will have their burrow within 15 feet of their food source.
I have seen them be about 50 feet away, but not often.
And if their colony is beginning to exceed the food source,
they will be out looking for alternate sites, and often during
the day.

wrote in message
...
Michael, that is mice you are talking about. We are talking about Norway
rats here. They will range up to 100 feet for food.

--
www.apcwv.com

What's the alternative? Killing all the rats on the planet? Trying to live trap
and move them? They come right back, or more come in their place. You may have
more than you know.

The rats which live on our property are very healthy. They are also marginally
frightened of me when I approach them. Sometimes I get 3 feet near them before
they move away. We have a pond. We're going to have toads, rats, snakes,
birds, and insects drinking from it. What we did was embrace them. No, we
don't love having them. Yes, I do wish they'd go live down by the creek (and
I'm sure they so), but I'm not willing to contribute to the killing of the food
chain to eliminate some rats which pose virtually no threat to me. The ones
which are sick, die.

I can assure you, if you stop feeding the birds, the rats will move elsewhere.
What do you suspect they are eating, underground?


On Mon, 28 Apr 2003 00:31:47 GMT, wrote:

I wish it was that easy, but what do you do if you stop feeding them and
they do not disappear? What happens if the bird seed is the smallest part of
what they are feeding on then what? What if their primary source of food is
something that just happens to be buried where you cannot see it then what?

I really wish it was as easy as "Stop feeding them, and they'll disappear."

In article ,
says...
I can assure you, if you stop feeding the birds, the rats will move elsewhere.
What do you suspect they are eating, underground?

Commensal rodents such as the Norway rat and in your
neighborhood, I would guess the roof rat will have such
a varied diet that once established they will find
nutrition off many garden plants/garden by products and
other trash of man, where many native species they are
replacing will have specialized diets where you remove
the food they disappear. The Norway will stash many
caches of food in it's underground boroughs.
--
Good judgment comes from experience,
and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.


Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

One citation for what?
Eating their young if their population density exceeds their
food supply?
http://newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen99/gen99259.htm

Or the similar comment in the "Yucky but fascinating facts" of
http://bugrunner.com/rodents.htm

And actually, you simply asked for one citation. I could have
given you any citation on most any subject, under the terms of
your request.

animaux wrote in message
...
Please give me one citation.


On Sun, 27 Apr 2003 21:06:25 -0400, "Michael Baugh"

wrote:

If they lose their food source(s) they will eat their young
as a food source, before they try to go elsewhere.
And they will generally be within about 15 feet of their primary
food source.

wrote in message
t...
I wish it was that easy, but what do you do if you stop feeding them
and
they do not disappear? What happens if the bird seed is the smallest
part
of
what they are feeding on then what? What if their primary source of
food
is
something that just happens to be buried where you cannot see it then
what?

I really wish it was as easy as "Stop feeding them, and they'll
disappear."



--
www.apcwv.com