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my property seems to be teeming with large and small rats/mice - they are very aggressively coming into the house from the roof, up through holes that are patched from below - it seems to be a constant battle.
Anybody have problems with these rodents and how to get rid of them....have used traps and have already caught over 20 - it seems endless....by the way i do live close to a lava tube.
any suggestions would be welcome.
noel
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I had a good experience with Horizon Pest Mangement 933-3227. We had rats above the ceiling tiles in our office! We could hear them running back and forth up there, and I always waited for one to fall on me
Horizon came though and took care of them. Maybe they could at least give you some ideas of what you could do. They can be nasty little critters! Good luck.
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Aloha Noel,
As Michael Jackson would say, even rats need love! LOL, that doesn't mean we are all meant to love them though!
I don't remember which subdivision you are in and don't know if that matters. Do you have any kitties? They would be a menace as just the smell of their daily duties are a deterrent to rats and mice. They are hunters also and love to present their owners/staff with tokens of their affection in the form of a limp rat or mice body! It is their survival and their game 24/7 they play hunting and are excellent hunters worrying their way to a certain solution!
Seems your unwanted pets have a comfy spot so if you make it more uncomfortable for the rats perhaps they will move on! It's a big jungle out there, and they will search for security!
One thing I learned at a retreat in the Sierra Nevada was to use super fine steel wool to stuff into any and all plumbing or electrical openings, teeth don't like it! Hopefully someone will post their experiences that might serve you better than these thoughts. Good luck. Mella L
mella l
mella l
Art and Science
bytheSEA
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Three cats and a terrier mix dog work wonders at my house, except like Mella says, the cats have to show you their prize catch, inside the house if they can drag it in.
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Noel,
For long-term rodent control cats (yes, more than one!) are a must. Especially if you want to or are living in a rural setting. You may need to use traps in hard to access areas, but over all, nothing beats a cat. If you have large rats, a terrier type dog is great. Plus the animals are great companions.
We live in the country here in NorCal and I can tell you if we didn’t have cats (seven!) and a miniature Schnauzer we would be over run with mice and gofers! Mella lives in the country north of us and I’m sure would agree!
Good Luck!
David D
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Aloha:We are also having a problem with rats,but so far they are just running across the roof and under the house in this house we are renting.Our neighbors have been successful using Just One Bite bars that the rats love to eat.They eat these and are dead and gone quite quickly.We got them at Miranda farm supply in Hilo.Come in a package of 8 bars that you lay where the rats have been seen or where they are getting in.
I've seen them running across the power lines to the roof.My neighbors suggested that any tree limbs be trimmed so the rats can't jump from the trees onto the wires.That would eliminate their access to the roof.Hope this helps.Good luck!
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thanks for the helpful suggestions, david i'm still living in norcal also in guerneville, but my other home is in hawaiian beaches and it sits adjacent to a lava tube which i'm suspecting is where they are living....don't have any pets there unfortunately so may have to go the exterminating route, although i think it may be an endless cycle because when i first bombed the place for termites i heard they just went to all the other neighbors homes and then eventually came back to their cracks.
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we have one cat and have no problems with rats or mice. i've also cleared all trees from around the house(before i built)so they have to be pretty dumb to try and cross the open spaces,lol! seriously it sounds like a nightmare, and very unhealthy as they do carry leptosporsis(spelling?).
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Last year I was pulling down a dead palm frond from one of palm trees and it wasn't quite ready to fall yet so the tree was shaking pretty good to my amazement about 10 rats fell out of the tree and scramled for cover I then noticed about another 10 rats sleeping in the tree, I guess it was a nest the next day they were all gone. Our cat brings us a present a couple times a month, He really likes the field mice kinda a meaty snack.
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HAHA Lee can just see that picture!! I think this is why at resorts the palm trees have a band of metal around them that is too slippery for the rats to climb and nest in the palms. They raise their babies up there safe off the ground! So look around at parks and hotels and you will see some where the metal is placed. It seems to me about 12 feet above the ground. Does anyone else know about this?
mella l
mella l
Art and Science
bytheSEA
