Looks like you need a few Yard Panthers, cats that love the great outdoors. My wife use to leave cat food outdoors and all the neighbor cats came around at night, as well as a few raccoons and possums but the rats, mice and snakes seems to much less than before.

If I had 4 footed critters gnawing on my termaters I guess I'd try growing on the screened lanai, mine faces south. Have to hand-shake them to pollinate.

So far only the caterpillars need to be kept off. Surprisingly even the birds let the maters alone. But I have netting if needed.

Sylvia (one of the big garden producers here) looks like she has a fence in her photos. That would help some.

Kathy

I do think a fence helps a lot, like Denise said (thank you Denise).

But, I am going to tell a story that I already told John with his avocado (forgive me if I am repeating myself).

My neighbors have 4 dogs and a 6 ft fence just like me, they don't have any problems with critters of any kind. They were growing some tomatoes that I gave them. Vacation time arrived and they left town with the dogs. I was in charge of the watering.

First day everything went fine, on the second day, oh no! the squirrels and who knows what else had move in. And they took a bite at one of the tomatoes. After that, I don't think they like it very much, so they decided to colonize the trees.

Now, that the dogs are back, the yard is clean.
The same here, I have 3 dogs and they are always on patrol, especially the little ones. They go after everything that moves.

When people comes to the house, they are the welcome committee (remember?)
When we start preparing food in the house, Nikki (the ball player) sits in the middle of the living room, waiting for people to come!

I have seen her doing the same outside, critters don't play ball, they are out!

While walking one of the little ones in the trail, I see the whole zoo outside, anything from vultures, rabbits, snakes,even gators by the lake!

I hope that you can figure out a solution to your problem, so you too can have a nice harvest!

Silvia

I don't like the squirrels and the other things are a pain! I've used live traps on some of the large critters. BUT when come to rats! I wouldn't mess around. I'd set bait out for them. Maybe even call a professional.

Has any one tried the urine trick? Human, not dogs. Or go to the hair salon and take some hair to put around the plants.

I would just caution anyone about using any kind of poison. You have to be extremely careful not to poison animals and birds you don't want to harm. Rats or no rats, I don't think I'll ever resort to that.

Dogs are great. My rats went AWAY after Potter killed three. Now if one even peeks over the fence, he lets it know it isn't welcome, and they don't come to my feeders any more at all.

Luring neighborhood cats and/or feral cats into one's yard seems like a really bad idea to me, but that's just my own personal opinion, of course. I don't think the cats ought to be out there to begin with, so you know I'm not going to encourage them by putting out food. (Which, btw, will lure in every raccoon or possum in the vicinity as well, and will also serve as food for the same rats you are trying to get rid of.) Again, just my personal opinion, for what it's worth. Others may feel differently.

Good luck!

Marcia

I have a word of caution about poisoning as well. I saw a rat in my yard and decided I would kill it with poison. I put the poison out and something took it and went into the walls of my house to die...the stench was unbearable. When I called pest places to see if they could remove it, the first question they asked is if I put our poison.

-------and yet another warning about using rat poison; my neighbor had rats in his utility shed. My son's big beautiful Siamese caught a rat that had already ingested some poison. Poor Rupert died an excrutiating death before we could get him to the vet.

hehe-I knew I'd get ya stirred up about the poison! But ya know that not everyone has a ratting dog or cat. Poison is an option that should be used with caution.

Sorry, Laura, but poison outside can have repercussions on much more than just cats and dogs. Lots of very useful and entertaining garden friends can be killed by it. And birds of prey who eat poisoned rats will die, too. It's just not worth the risk to me. There are other ways to deal with rats, even if you don't have a dog. I could never bring myself to put out any kind of poison bait. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night for worrying about what else might eat it, or eat the poisoned rat.

Again, just my personal opinion, but that's how I see it. And after working with injured, orphaned and poisoned wildlife at Florida Audubon for years, believe me...I've seen firsthand what it can do. I would highly recommend using it only as the last, last, LAST resort. And maybe not even then. The risk is just SO high.

Marcia

gardengrl - try wrapping your tomato plants in fencing wire . You can buy pieces at Tractor Supply or hardware stores . Get the kind with small rectangles rather than chicken wire . You can wrap the tomato plants and unwrap them to pick off worms , pick maters or pinch suckers - etc . The wire can be used season after season .
Does a good job of keeping critters out of your vegetable plants , is safe and can be re-used for years . Just don't stab yourself with it !

I think that the so called rats are probably "Florida Muskrats" . At least that is my problem. I have trapped them with rat traps. They look like a large rat except tail is shorter than body. Large rat snakes and bob cats help control them at my house and neither of them bother my garden but do worry about my chickens that I let "free-range" couple hours before sunset.
We have lots of deer and I have had no problems (knock on wood) but will fess up that it gets plenty of human urine around the area! The neighbors gardens constantly fight the deer problem so have to believe it works :>)

bernie

Yeah, I'm not hip on rat poison either; we have too many raptors in the area, plus an occasional "yard panther" passes through.

We bought this thing called a "Rat Zapper" which is basically a trap that sends a killing electric zap using C batteries. The guy at Wild Birds Unlimited told us about it and says it kills them instantly without the mess. He then takes the dead critters and puts them on a fence post for the raptors to eat! I'm sure our neighbors would LOOOOOVE that! LOL!

So far, no luck with it, but we have had a lot of kitty traffic lately and I think they've kept the rats/squirrels at bay. I'm not hip on feeding the cats either because I also don't want our house to become the "it" place for the ferral cats to come eat & bring their litters. They're not friendly (the ones that have been here).

Sigh. I think chicken wire cages will have to come into play this fall. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get a dog, but my DH and I both work 8-12 hours a day and know that it's not fair to have a dog at home alone for that long. Someday.

I hadn't seen you posting in such a long time, I thought maybe you guys had moved. Last time we talked, you were thinking about going out to the west coast, I seem to remember. Is that still an option, or have you decided to stay in the area?

Marcia

gardengrl said: would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get a dog, but my DH and I both work 8-12 hours a day and know that it's not fair to have a dog at home alone for that long. Someday.

I understand your thinking. My DH said the same thing. My response was "Do you realize that you are saying you wouldn't want a DOG to live the life we have?"
We re-arranged our life, got a dog. Dog passed away after 11 years with us, never knew how old he was (adoptee). We miss him but we have more freedom now without him. I can see it both ways.

Denise

I think it's wonderful that you consider the dog's needs over your own. Yeah, it's great to have a dog greet you at the end of a long day, but dogs are really not happy when their people are gone all day, every day. It's hard on them, being pack animals and all. And it often leads to obsessive or neurotic behavior on the part of the bored dog, such as eating the furniture, etc.

I know there are working people who have dogs and I don't mean it can't be done. Just that it is USUALLY not the best thing for the dog. Cats fare better with their humans gone. Not that they don't love their people...ours are especially attached to us, and to Mark, in particular. They greet him when he comes home just like a dog would. (Except for the barking and peeing on the floor, of course. Way too undignified for a cat!) But when we are gone, they are fine on their own, sleeping most of the time, and not worrying. Dogs tend to sleep, then pace, then fret, then bark, then look for things to amuse themselves, then bark some more, then fret some more, then pee on the rug.

Just some general observations. Taking on a cat is like bringing in a roommate to share your home. Taking on a dog is like adopting a child. You really should BE there for them.

As always, my opinions only. Based on experience and lots of reading, but still just my opinion. And again, good for you, Kathy, for considering these things before you bring a dog into your life.

Marcia

Pre citrus canker we had a grapefruit and rats who would lounge on the furniture by the pool waiting for the girl with the umbrella drinks! Canker took the tree and the most of the rats with it. The daschunds we acquired sometime later finished them off. Since doxies can't be in your rat fighting arsenel go to the ag center and check out the critter cage in the MG office. Seems like it could be quite effective.

Peachpaws, aren't dachshunds amazing? Mine are so bold for such little guys (10 and 11 pounds). They'll take on just about anything, and the rats didn't stand a chance. Potter caught one in mid-air once, as it was leaping from a branch. It was dead before it even hit the ground. Just a sharp shake of the head, and it snaps their backs. I was impressed that the dog just knew instinctively to catch and kill that varmint.

Marcia

I saw a documentary long time ago about dogs, I don't remember the name but it was an the public channel when I was in Arizona.
They said that little dogs were bred and trained to keep the farmers free from rodents.
I can see that when I look at my two little ones, they are always on the hunt.
The big ones they said were bred and trained as a shepherds. And I also see that with my big one.
Dogs are amazing!

Kathy-- I know that you love animals. You even liked the african gray that I have. lol
One day when the time is right, I hope that you will have a dog too.

Silvia

"Dogs have owners ;
Cats have staff . "

Anonymous

We own four dogs and are staff to three cats . Go figure !

The dogs may not be the perfect solution. I have 3 dogs and one of them is a tomato thief. 2 yrs ago when we first moved to FL, I planted my first crop of heirloom tomatoes and I was soo proud with my first big beautiful red tomato. I had been watching it like a hawk and decided to let it vine ripe one last day.. Then my happy little mutt River, can trotting in the house with a new red "ball" I didn't think twice about it.. until it clicked. I screamed, he dropped the tomato, then grabbed it and took off. After chasing him for an hour, I pried it out of his mouth, but it was too late.. Now I have to fence my tomato plants away from him since he will strip them down in two seconds. But since I love him so much I keep a cherry tomato at the front door in a pot and he will casually walk up to it and pull a ripe Âmater off every once in a while. I canÂt say I blame him.. but IÂm still miffed about that big Brandywine.

About the dogs....mine is no great hunter...english bulldog...but she is a great mango thief..which I didn't mind until she broke out in hives. She would just look up at that tree like she was willing a mango to fall...she would also go mango hunting under the tree to find goodies. I have some great pics of her standing on a chair to get to some low hanging mangoes.

Mangoes, and 'maters, and mutts, oh my! Hahaha. Florida mimi, my little Maks loves my cherry tomatoes, too. He can carry one around all day long with breaking the skin on it. He just lies to toss it and chase it. And he was fixated for awhile on a low growing Meyer lemon I have in a pot. He was SURE that lemon was his yellow tennis ball, and would come to a screeching halt every time he ran by the pot, so he could stare at it and try to figure out how to get it down. (Of course, Maks is a nut case who also buries his own pee by pushing sand or leaves over it with his nose. I've NEVER seen a dog do THAT!)

Trini, I love the image of the bulldog standing on a chair, hoping to get a mango!

Silvia, you are so right about dog breeds. I've been fascinated by them for years, because they are all man-made, and with the exception of the really wolf-like breeds (huskies, etc), are all so far from the original design as to be completely amazing. There is no other animal on the planet that has been deliberately bred and modified to such extremes as dogs. And each breed DID have a purpose, from herding & protecting the flocks, to protecting the home, to hunting via running down the game, scenting out the game, digging up the game and retrieving the game. And of course, some were bred purely as companions.

Dachshunds were bred to dig out and kill badgers, which are pretty ferocious animals. And their hunting instincts are very strong, even if they are mostly used as companions today. It doesn't matter if they or their immediate ancestors have ever seen a "varmint" before or not. They just KNOW they need to catch it and kill it. That can be a blessing or a curse, depending on what they see as being a varmint. Mine go after my black racers all the time, and it's only been by my immediate intervention a couple of times that the racer lived to slither by another day.

Cat person or dog person? Me, I can't live without them BOTH. (Three huge cats 15 to 20 pounds each, and two small dachshunds at 10 and 11 pounds.)

Marcia (Kathy, we hijacked your thread a bit...but still, dogs CAN be one good answer to a critter problem)

Another "NO" vote for poison here!
Someone in my neighborhood is definitely poisoning rats.
I just this morning found rat #6 dead, decaying and stinking in the front corner near the fence.
All 6 found their way into my yard at the SE corner of the property so today I took a walk to see if I could locate the bait boxes.

I live on the Island where most people, unlike myself, own homes but rarely live here...mostly they rent them out for a week or two at a time to tourists.

There are 2 houses for sale directly SE of me that are new and uninhabited.
The house to the East of me has people there sometimes...my neighbor rents it out during season.
The house behind me, which would be South, is empty.
Another house to my SW is also empty as is the one directly West of me.

It certainly is quiet here...LOL...but SOMEONE has put out bait.
I can't find any bait boxes...and ya know, they're easy to spot.
I'm wondering what else is killing them.
I HATE rats!...but don't care to see them die such an awful death either.

On Sunday I was sitting at my pool with my back to the fence when I heard a 'russling' sound.
I looked up from my book just in time to see a large red-shouldered hawk fly not 2 feet from my head and land on the fence directly behind me.
He...or she...quickly turned around and took off right back across the length of the pool and up and over the far side of the fence...large rat dangling in its talons.
All this took about 10 seconds! LOL
Of course, I cheered it on but after reading this thread I'm hoping the rat had not ingested poison.
I'd hate to lose such an incredibly beautiful creature because of someone's ignorance.

I need help. Something has been digging my compost bin area so I shifted it. Now other parts are being dug up, as if in revenge! I've got my veggie bed fenced but I feel like I'm fighting Mother Nature.

I don't want to use poisons or traps to kill or hurt them I just want to "chase" them away but don't know how to. :~(
Advice will be really, really appreciated.

I have to say I commend people for thinking of the dog regarding working and leaving them alone. Dogs are wonderful at keeping critters out of the yard. I think if you have a dog, a fenced yard is a must have. I hate it when people leave their dogs inside for long periods of time and then complain when they make a mess...duh! What do you expect?

smallfern
1st pic looks like armadillos they are looking for worms and grubs I have them in my garden except for where onions and garlic are growing If I can get enough wild garlic growing this year I may surround my garden with it. A larger hole could be a possum. they eat just about anything. You can trap em and I hear they make pretty good stew meats LOL. I saw an ad on CL for a predator odor stick you just rub it on any hard surface I may try it

Thank you very much rednofl.
My search for odor stick will begin this evening. Right now I'm off to Home Depot for onions/garlic seeds/bulbs/any form to plant ASAP. Yes, I'm desperate, more digging last night.

Er.. I think I'll skip possum stew. :)

onion seeds probably won't do much this time of year they are very slow to grow.
Onion sets should be in the box stores soon.
I think the onions and garlic odor overwhelms the worm odor it may not repel them

I think the onions are working. Keeping fingers Xed. I bought 2 bunches of red onions from HD and planted them all around veggie areas, like a border. This morning I found 3 2" deep holes but about 6" away from the onions. All onions were left alone... so were veggies!

Rednofl, thanks. :) I think I'm going to have loads of onions & will now need to learn how to dry & store properly.

Ha Smallfern we think alike. I stopped at Walmart for some pine fines and saw they had only the red onion sets left so I got one bag and set them around a bed I just set out bean seeds in. I hope it works. Now I need to figure out how to get the armadillos to dig where there are weeds. and they can stay.