I had excellent results with something called hardware cloth. It is a heavy galvinized metal mesh that is sold at most home improvement stores. It must be cut with a tin snips, so it might be a job for a handyman. I nailed it around the openings in the structure that houses my swimming pool filter. In 2 years, my pool guy has not had a rat jump out at him, nor any other signs that they have been inside the structure.

Poison is an awful secondary poison to pets and wildlife & rats can die in walls, causing the most horrible smell you could imagine. You are wise to not want to use it.

Good luck!

Our neighbors are definitely using rat poisons, dead rats showing up in my yard.....

Our problem is that they can lift the lid of box about 1 inch, its not airtight. I thought maybe there might be something I could put in there that the rats would not like to smell like...I don't know, mothballs or something. Gosh come to think of it...they probably like everything foul smelling!

Whatever you do, DON'T use those glue traps. You end up with a writhing rat fighting to free himself. You can't pick it up cause he'll bite the jhell outta you. It's hard to walk away and leave a living thing suffering, so you're left with quick and clean "dispatch".
A woman in a dainty nightgown, eyes squinted, gritting her teeth and chopping a rat's head off with a shovel at 1 am in the morning is not a pretty sight, nor is it a pretty feeling to commit mercy killing.

Rats are smart animals. Probably the best deterrent is to remove all foods, fertilizers, anything they could consider tasty. Remove all hiding places (woodpiles, ivy, thick brush, etc. Take away water sources. Make the area as inhospitable as possible. No food, shelter or water.
I had poor luck with the "rat zapper". It will take several weeks before they're trusting enough to try it. If it gets wet, it shorts out.
Poison is quickest and most effective, but it can be lead to second-hand poisoning to other wildlife or pets (esp. cats).
Or there's rat traps. You do have to dispose of dead bodies, but you don't have to directly do the killing and there's no chance of second hand poisoning.

wanda

tracm we must live in the same area *lol* I have roof rats coming out my ears. I have DH setting ol'fashion rat traps as I don't have the heart to kill anything. Rats carry diseases and if you have pets they will spread fleas/mites to them. I refuse to use poisons for three reasons 1.It's a cruel way to die. 2. I have pets and it's not safe. 3. If they die in the walls you have a serious problem.

Edna

Actually the rats that die in my attic or yard because of my neighbors poisons do not smell that bad. When I inspect one time my attic, they are all dried like Jerky. No smell. It is simply too hot and dry here so smell may not be an issue. Even with all the rains, the rats that I found are somewhat dry. It could be the effect of new types of poison so that when the rats get in between the walls, they will simply dry out and no moisture no smell.

At any rate, I am not buying rat poisons for reasons of burrowing owls and that I have a dog that simply eats anything.

Well, its been two days of no rats!!! Guess what I did? I put two heavy pots on top of the box. What a brain surgeon I am! I also had rats in my attic last year but thanks to the Orkin man he finally got them all. They are definitely not stupid animals.

Rats are smart but also easily deterred. I once lived in a flimsy mobile home in a park that was prone to rats. The park manager always said that the rats were easily deterred, but once they got in under your house they were difficult to get rid of. Cinderblock foundations always worked (had to be 2-3 feet high and six inches below ground)and people used anything metal from hardware cloth to tin can lids to brillo pads to cover or fill-in cracks and openings. There is also a pre-mixed concrete that comes in a plastic squeeze bottle that works well, too. Anyway, whatever method you use, rats have to be stopped at the exterior of your structure. Glad to know that you found an inexpensive solution, tracm!

Someone here in Sacramento placed an ad on Craigslist for "Ferret waste and or byproduct"; it turned out he wanted it as a rat deterent. I don't know where he got the idea, or if it works.

I prefer the good old victor rat trap. The trick is to glue a piece of food to the trap with some epoxy or other glue first. If you dont they steal it. Joe, be careful with your dog, the rodenticides are usually an anticoagulant, by any chance if he keeps eating dead rats he could be poisened. Some of the newer baits are neurotoxic.

The neighborhood cat takes care of the rats where I live. He walks the block wall like a soldier keeping guard.

The neighborhood cat takes care of the rats where I live. He walks the block wall like a soldier keeping guard.

Yesterday I lifted up a tarp covering my compost pile and out jumped a rat. I put peanut butter on my rat trap and this morning I had one large and very dead rat. Rats may be smart, but they can't turn down peanut butter....

I learned the hard way - how to protect a couple of laying hens I had. Possums broke in an killed them. The chain link fence cage I built took care of the possums, but it had a few small openings around the door. It was a bit worrisome, but I stuffed up the opening with a wad of cloth.

Sure enuff - a skinny rat got in, but not to worry - the hens attacked and killed it. No more worries there!

Get a couple of hens, especially if you like eggs. I also have an environmentally friendly yard - lots of lizards, this attracts all of the neighbor's cats - lots less rats this year too.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

Wow, I didn't know chickens would kill rats, Bejay!

I think it was a rat I saw creeping along the outside of the neighbor's house the other morning. If I could only get the neighborhood chickens to "fetch the rat", I'd be in heaven! :)

Brenda

A rat terrier will solve the problem right away. Mine I call the rat terrorist...lol He is the best rat/mouser I have ever had. My cats let mice and rats walk on them practically.I love my dog he is the best friend anyone could ever want. Maybe you could borrow one for a few days you won't have another rat at your house after that(-:
Rat terriers can hear the mice/rats and they catch them fast. No playing around like a cat does. They kill them right away. Before I got him I used the Decon that seemed to work the best because they take it to their nests. Good luck!!!

I've killed five in my compost bin in the last two weeks. I'm going after number six tonight. Rat traps/peanut butter.

I wondered why they all showed up at once --- turns out a neighbor cleared out his ivy two weeks plus one day ago.

Definately suggest a rat trap with peanut butter, as well as clearing out any brushy areas, as others have posted.

I've used the T-Rex rat trap (purchased Lowe's) with much success. Here's the manufacturers webpage on the trap ... http://www.belllabs.com/cgi/products.cgi?op=p&nm=dometrex

The day after setting the trap, I've always come out to find a dead rat.

There are organic rat baits with low (low, NOT none) toxicity for secondary poisoning. Google for "organic rat baits" and you'll find some of the vitamin D3-based stuff.

I can also vouch for clearing out the ivy -- we had monster roof rats that definitely went to live somewhere else when we cleared out the weeds and vines! Haven't seen any in decades; the neighborhood cats seem to keep them out of people's houses, including ours (they consider our yard "theirs"; you can see them patrolling the perimeter around and around, all day long, LOL).

I'm usually just a "reader" of the forum - haven't chimed in for quite a while - but as anyone who works in the veterinary field can tell you - there's not only concern with secondary poisonings (ie dogs, especially, eating the dying or dead rat) but more often the direct/inadvertent poisonings. Most rat "baits" - poisons - are in forms that are very attractive for dogs. Dogs who consume Vit D poisons are more likely to die than those who get anti-coagulant poisons - at least there's an antidote for the latter.

Although our family keeps PET rats,I have no compunction about setting traps for the wild ones. You need to put the traps alongside a structure - they usually don't cross open spaces, but run along a building or fence. I second (third?) the idea of peanut butter. Sometimes we add sunflower seeds to it. Also, the hardware cloth is great - we also use it under our decking. They can fit thru any hole they can get their head through(in other words, about the size of a quarter or half dollar). I store my bird seed in a galvanized trash can with a tight lid.

hope this helps - Rats are endemic in California.

Now, I wish I had as easy a solution for the ground squirrels in our community garden that are acting like they are at a "all you can eat" buffet (oh wait, that's exactly what they have...)

Litlbit

Get rid of ivy and try to get all of your neighbors to do the same. That stuff is like the Ritz Carlton for rats as it provides good places for nesting as well as cover from predators like cats and hawks.

enjoy,lol ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Rudy the roof rat

LOL!! Great site, Dawg!

Brenda

I just read the other day that peppermint oil works. Rodents are allergic to it especially mice.
The article also said the extract is not the same.

Chilidawg, that site was priceless!! I'm not sure I can show it to DD, the (pet)rat lover in the house, but I sure shared it with some friends - including one who insists that they don't have rats, they have "hairless-tailed squirrels" !!

I hadn't heard about peppermint oil. I know it's the main ingredient in a non-toxic insect spray that I've used with great success for ants...

litlbit

Stunningly informative and funny website!
I, too, had opted for old-fashioned snap traps, until the day I found a baby ground squirrel munching on the brain of a recently trapped rat. Went into instant shock. Still not quite recovered. Don't really want to talk about it.
On a side note, peanut butter worked well for about two rats, then they somehow figured out how to eat it off without setting the trap. I had to resort to tightly securing a small piece of cheese cloth to the trap, and smearing peanut butter on that... untill....the horror....
I guess I should be happy that they are eating each other and not my plants but EEEEUUUUUWWWWWW!!!!!!
I have a neighbor that swears by the following method, although it's slightly grim and I've never tried it. Get a big plastic garbage can, fill the bottom with potato chips and place a long piece of wood on the outside to act as a ramp. When the can is swarming with rats, turn on the hose and drown the suckers.
Like I said, I've never tried it. And never will.
HM

Well...here is my rat problem. The people that live behind us keep their garbage in the back of a truck in their front yard. Their solution to the problem was to cover it with a tarp. Nice huh!! That was only after we called code enforcement and the health department.
Here is our problem. They are eating the insulation from under the hood of my husbands truck and on the firewall. They also have dug holes in our back yard that lead under the neighbor house. We can't put out poison because we have a dog that uses the back yard that is fenced in. We can't really use traps because of it being under the hood of the truck. We have several stray cats in the area also, so the evedentally aren't taking care of the problem either.
We were told that mothballs might help. Well, we tried that with the stray cats. Didn't work on the cats so I'm pretty sure it won't work on the rats. They would probably take it home to put in with their winter cloths!
HELP!!!

You could use Rat-sized traps in areas where the dogs and cats can't get under/inside.

We are having a problem with a roof rat living in the engine of the truck. The mechanic that discovered some damage told us we HAVE to get rid of the rat pronto. My uncle, who owned service stations for years, said to stuff/tie original-scented Bounce dryer sheets somewhere safe in the engine. Apparently critters can't stand the smell and will leave promptly.

Maybe you could stuff some Bounce dryer sheets in various rat venues to keep them away from your property.

Let us know if you have success.

Litlbit- What about secondary poisoning using the Vitamin 3D? I HAVE to do something! Reluctantly removed all bird feeders :( Have been trapping, tried Bounce sheets; rats chewed them up. They clear-cut the field behind our house and we are now over-run with Norway & bigger black rats! Help?!!