rats on figs

[mary]

Anyone know how to keep rats/mice off of fig trees?
any kind of guard that can be placed? i am still trying to figure it out.

thank you
mary

[coppercoin40]

here in Alaska when tied up to remote docks the mice and wood rats are horrible and will eat the wiring right out of a boat if they have half a chance to get on board. When tying up I have been told that taking a coffee can lid (or a larger five gallon bucket lid could be used) put a hole in the center and slip the rope through to keep the rodents from climbing the ropes to the boat. I wonder if you could think of something similar to modify for a fig tree. Like maybe one of those dog cones?

[mary]

hmm, Thank you Coppercoin, that does sound interesting. i will try to put something like that around the tree... i have some plastic lying around, may be i will make a cone out of that...

[ericlp]

they use to wrap coconut trees with sheet metal about 3' wide... I guess it's too slippery and the rats can not climb it. So.... If you wrapped your tree with something similar it might work? Tho if you have other trees that the rats can jump from one tree to the fig tree than it's pointless unless you wrap those trees as well. Might want to try to get a cat? Or rat traps.

[grumpyscosmos]

After reading the title of this post.. i tried it and found the taste to be quite rank..i would suggest a cookie or something sweeter than Rat..


“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” " Krishnamurti "

[mary]

lol Grumpy.

[grumpyscosmos]

quote:

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Originally posted by mary

lol Grumpy.

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i try...[]


“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” " Krishnamurti "

[Bullwinkle]

"here in Alaska when tied up to remote docks the mice and wood rats are horrible and will eat the wiring right out of a boat if they have half a chance to get on board. When tying up I have been told that taking a coffee can lid (or a larger five gallon bucket lid could be used) put a hole in the center and slip the rope....."

Have had the same issues - we use funnels - slide the dock line through the center of the funnel

the concept may work well on your fig trees

[coppercoin40]

lol Bullwinkle, we had almost verbatim answers to this post! S.E.?

[Carey]

I have also seen metal inverted funnel like things (much like a pet collar the vet sends home with some animals - like the "collar of shame" on 'UP!') set up around trees... but this would only work if all of the trees (and fences, and overhead wires, and roofs) in all directions, within rodent long jump distance (have no idea what that measure is...) are also rodent proofed...same idea as the flat flashing around the tree... the important thing with any of the barriers is that it exceeds the largest rodent reach (again no exact numbers...what help am I???)

anyhoo, luckily a lot of marine supply places sell 'rat guard', so if you google rat guard, you will see a load of images, and if you google rat guard for trees, much more info...