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Post by OregonRed on Jan 13, 2017 19:22:11 GMT -5
I have lived here 6 yrs, only had a rat in there twice. never saw the first one, it left on it's own. with this cold weather, it loves the water heater in there. I've started throwing stuff away that it has used as a bathroom, most things are plastic bins or buckets...
Mumsey - it found the bag of mumsey's mix in there and was eating it :~/ it's got Epsom salts for peat sake!
also found the hazelnut shells (which are used as multch)
I will continue to empty out the storage closet bit by bit, leave the door open at some point, and it will leave then i'll clean... it's so cold, I don't feel like it :~( |
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Post by Mumsey on Jan 13, 2017 19:54:53 GMT -5
OregonRed Which is why I keep things in sealed containers/totes!
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Post by desertwoman on Jan 14, 2017 1:08:29 GMT -5
We had a couple of rats try to move in. We set up a live trap, caught them one at time and transported them far away, to free them.
Then we went around and found the spots where they were able to get in, and sealed them off. Haven't had any more mice or rats.
And I agree- sealed containers. Mummy's Mix is stored in a gallon glass jar with lid.
Other things are stored in plastic containers with snap on lids.
You can get smaller ones at the Dollar Store.
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Post by OregonRed on Jan 15, 2017 21:05:29 GMT -5
thank you for the tips ladies! I have continued on the quest to encourage it to leave. I have almost every thing out of there now..
I put in a request to the maint. dept to put some hardware cloth as a weather strip of some such on the door gap - maybe the guy will help me get it out of there - with a broom - type thing
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Post by binnylou on Jan 19, 2017 1:35:26 GMT -5
And I agree- sealed containers. Mummy's Mix is stored in a gallon glass jar with lid. Other things are stored in plastic containers with snap on lids. I've discovered that if the critters are hungry they will chew into plastic. I had a plastic garbage can in the garden shed last winter. In it, I had bone/blood meal, corn gluten, bags of seed starting mix...that kind of thing. I knew if they were left on the shelf, the mice would have a heyday. Well, somebody was really hungry, because they chewed a hole in the garbage can and got inside. This winter, I have a new metal can to store my stuff in. |
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Post by desertwoman on Jan 19, 2017 10:40:14 GMT -5
geez binnylou- I haven't had that problem yet, but now I am forewarned. Who'da thought? |
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 19, 2017 14:01:40 GMT -5
I also keep everything in glass jars, except for the things that I have in vacuum sealed bags, and all of those I keep in 2 metal trash cans in the basement. One time I got a couple of mice in the basement, but I have no idea how they got in, and there really was nothing for them to feed on, unless they could figure out how to get up there to climb down the strings the garlic was hanging on! lol Didn't have any winter squash down there that year.
Funny thing in the news - Philadelphia just rated #1 in the large cities for the number of rodents! Not a good thing to rate tops in.
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Post by restless on Jan 19, 2017 14:49:49 GMT -5
For sure. Plastic garbage cans with tight fitting lids are not safe from street hardened Philadelphia rodents. They will eat right through the plastic.  Also, with respect to our rodent problem, there was a news article detailing the rodent problem in Rittenhouse Square in 2013. (For those not familiar with Philly neighborhoods, Rittenhouse Square is extremely high rent, very chi chi.) Every Philadelphian found this articles very funny because the rich people quoted in these articles were complaining, "I didn't expect RATS in THIS neighborhood." And of course cynical Philadelphia laughed and laughed at the rich people having to deal with rats in THEIR neighborhood. |
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Post by gulfcoastguy on Jan 19, 2017 18:44:47 GMT -5
I saw an article on the internet. Some big cities were dropping dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) into rate holes then sealing the entrance. They reduced the rat population by 60% before animal rights groups raised a stink. Really? Rats?
The alternative, poison, has been used so long that the rats are often immune to it. Even when it works animals that eat the weakened or dead rats could be poisoned.
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Post by Mumsey on Jan 19, 2017 19:00:14 GMT -5
My thoughts exactly, REALLY?
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Post by OregonRed on Jan 19, 2017 19:55:32 GMT -5
I don't know if the rat's gone yet, I keep removing items and leaving the door open all day. I'm waiting for the maint. guy to help me moves some closet doors stored in there. once we get it out, then he'll install hardware cloth to the bottom of door, and I can clean, and be done
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Post by Latitude33 on Jan 20, 2017 0:25:46 GMT -5
The majority of despicable rats around these parts walk on two legs...just saying.
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Post by binnylou on Jan 20, 2017 0:58:15 GMT -5
I don't know if the rat's gone yet, Supposedly, mice don't like peppermint oil. Do you suppose your rat might find it offensive also? |
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Post by lisaann on Jan 21, 2017 9:53:13 GMT -5
chewed a hole in the garbage can Baltimore City supplied all the residents with heavy duty trash cans at the beginning of 2016 for free. This was to help people throw out the trash properly and get rid of the rats. About a week ago, there was a story on the TV news and this guy was showing his chewed up trash can lid. Then they walked up the street and he showed other chewed up lids. Shoo! Balimore City spent millions on that trash can project, and it didn't solve a thing. |
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jan 21, 2017 11:22:24 GMT -5
lol That's why I have those galvanized cans in my basement, to hold all of those things that rats, and many other things could chew through.
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