Racoons can be destructive. I've had them destroy furniture covers, chew or claws on electrical cords to be non-functional and of course tear up grass.

We have some very destructive critters also. They steal poison bait right out of a humane trap without tripping it. So we have now gone full poison. We got a huge possum, but the damage goes on. Squirrels seem to be one of the culprits, but who knows? Without a night vision camera it's just a mystery. Good luck to you! My favorite fig tree is being systematically eaten. Whatever it is doesn't touch the figs. Just the branches and leaves.

That's a shame Suzi.... do you think it could be deer eating you fig leaves? I plan on planting a couple of figs trees soon (I love figs), so I am sure my issues will get even worse. I had something eat my pepper seedlings a few months back. Since then I have only lost a few tomatoes, but seeing a giant rat cheerfully wondering through my edibles in the early evening is just gross... that is why we put out the bait stations.

Today we found the missing bait station dragged to a different part of the yard. I would set up a live trap, but if I caught something I wouldn't know what to do with it.

Could be a pack rat. They use anything to make a nest- we even found a piece of a cinder block and old metal in one nest.

I have seen a vole running from the area of the tree across the patio and disappearing under a fence, so it could be that. I doubt the damage is from a deer. We have many fruit trees and they are untouched. it's just one. DH is going fishing for a couple days, so we will resume our efforts when he gets home. Like you, I wouldn't know what to do with any critter caught. DH hangs poison bait on wires in the tree. Whatever critter it is takes the bait, wire and all.

I hope that bait hanging in trees isn't being taken away by birds.

It would have to be something strong like an eagle to chew through wire, and it happens at night when birds are sleeping. There is plenty of fruit here for birds, which is frustrating also, but we use net for them. The critter tears the net and is very destructive.

I am having the exact damage to one of my fig trees (closest to house) as described by Suzi (terminal buds and leaves nipped off, but also the tiny new figs -- have lost all the second crop so far on that tree and the marks left indicate rodent teeth) this year. It has never happened before and, since it comes in the midst of a population boom in roof rats this year that took more than a few of the oranges off our tree, rats are my prime suspect (plus I never see squirrels in the tree, and it seems to happen at night). So far, we've trapped a couple of rats in the attic and cats caught several outside, but there are still some around (saw one jump from roof to a bay tree the other evening) and, apparently, increasingly desperate now that the oranges are gone and little else nearby for them to eat.

I won't use poison baits due to high possibility of collateral damage to birds and cats or other non-target animals should they consume a poisoned rat (or the rat bait itself), since there is little control of what ends up being poisoned with that method. Unfortunately, using uncovered snap-and-kill rat traps outdoors is also out, for the same reason, so I am going to have step up my game find a way to set those kinds of traps in areas only accessible to rats and also likely to attract them...putting thinking cap on. Robinlmorris, I would have no problem killing a roof rat should I get one in a live trap....

catspa_NoCA_Z9_Sunset14, I have had enough issues with rats in my life to know that trapping and killing will never get rid of the problem. If you see one rat there are likely 100 more you haven't seen and a pair of rats can make 2000 more rats in a year (http://discovermagazine.com/2006/dec/20-things-rats). Trapping a couple here or there won't make a dent if you actually have a real issue.

Anyway, I don't like using poison, but it is the only way. Since they are outside I am using the poison with Bromethalin.... it isn't as strong as others (or as tasty since I have to mix it with peanut butter). It will make a pet sick, but not kill it (same with raccoons according to the web).

I am just surprised to see my bait stations eaten... it makes me think I have something else... something not affected by the poison. If I caught a raccoon, I would have no idea how to kill it. They are vicious and can try to scratch you from the trap ( have memories of my dad almost getting mauled this way from a raccoon as a kid).

I agree that roof rats are a perpetual problem, robin. You keep trappin' and they keep movin' in from the neighbors, as long as there's a food source around. (I once had a hoarder neighbor who was a constant supplier of roof rats -- they actually had a trail going from her garage to my yard.) This year though, around here, there's seems to have been a real surge in roof rats, according to local hearsay, and I could see that. There have always been some, but not like this year. And, first time my fig tree has ever been attacked like that.

I misunderstood about what you were using the live trap for -- I thought for rats (like a Sherman #2 trap), not for what is chewing up your bait stations. Yes, a raccoon in a live trap is a problem which can only legally, in CA, be dealt with by a licensed trapper (euthanasia). For what it is worth, I've never had raccoons chew anything up, and I've got a bunch of raccoons around and many plastic things they could nibble. I once had a possum take a few chews on a pair of thongs (could tell from the distinctive bite marks; why he did that is beyond me...) and have had coyotes chew up those orange plastic re-bar caps like they were chew toys. Do you have coyotes (or foxes) around?

one way to find out how big it is... set up a regular rat snap trap but use a string and tie it to a tree. if it goes off and doesn't catch anything you know its larger than a rat. prob a opossum or racoon. then you will need to set up a live racoon trap.. (i did this without using the string and the trap was gone the next morning turned out to be opossums in my case) this time of year the babies are out exploring on their own so you may catch several small ones.

So my coworker who has a farm thinks it is rats eating the bait station. I am in downtown San Mateo, so I don't think we have foxes or coyotes here (although we've had some mountain lion sightings).

mike, that is an interesting idea, but I am not exactly sure what you mean by tie it to a tree... Would it be dangling? Would I bait it? Thanks!

I have asked the same of my neighborhood via email since we just erected a 2nd owl house. Sadly I didn't get even one reply but I am hoping it at least made some of them think. Thanks Andy! Min

Use a zapper trap if you don't have a place to relocate humanely-trapped rats- please do not use poison, it's cruel and it causes secondary poisoning in birds of prey and in people's pets :(

Update on my own roof rat control efforts. I have successfully used snap traps tied to branches in my fig tree, using the plan outlined on this U. of Florida extension website: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw120. A key idea is to activate the traps at dusk and disable them at dawn in order to avoid by-catch of other animals and birds (it also helps here that the traps are in a tree with nothing in it that would attract other animals, like possums). In two nights I have caught 3 rats (including a humungous, mature male and two young females).

My neighbors (the new, responsible ones replacing the hoarders who had exacerbated the rat situation), seeing my success, have also started trapping. This is clearly a good time to do so: the rats are apparently desperate right now, with no fruit currently readily available and so desperate that they had, earlier this week, actually begun to eat the bark on my fig tree, girdling one branch completely, having already eaten all the terminal buds and baby figs on the tree.

With luck, we can knock these populations back down and have some peace again on this front. Unlike the scare statistics put forth by professional exterminators, roof rat populations are not infinite -- they just seem to be -- and can be controlled (Norway rats, now, are another thing entirely...).

I'm forwarding your post and that link to my husband. Rats are eating our fig tree too. That tree is supposed to provide afternoon shade from the west sun, but they have eaten so much of it, it didn't grow this year hardly at all. It's too busy repairing itself from the damage! Not sure if it's rats. Could be squirrels.

We had guests for dinner, so DH blew off the deck next to the fig tree which now has many figs almost ripe. Deck was cleaned at 4 PM. DH and our guest went out to the BBQ around 6 PM to baste the chicken and there on the deck was a half eaten fig!! OMG! In broad daylight!!

This is WAR! We have trapped a couple rats in snap traps, but mostly they just steal the peanut butter. We'll try your method. Thanks!

Unfortunately, after reading that article, I think ours are norway rats. They don't eat in a circle. But we'll try that method! Nothing ventured......

This is horrible but if you catch a rat in a live trap, you can always submerge the trap in a garbage can full of water, making sure the whole thing STAYS UNDER WATER by putting something heavy on top.

(You can slap on the lid and run away so you don't have to watch or listen.)

WARNING: the very first step is to check that the empty trap will entirely fit down inside the can and will be TOTALLY under water! If there is the slightest bit of air at the top, the poor critter will swim as long as it can to keep breathing.

This is a little more humane than beating the poor animal to death but not as good as shooting it, and a million times better than slow painful poison. Min

Opsy!!! Look like there is serious monster in your house :D !! Must be a raccoon. We had serious problems with raccoon playing all around in our backyard. These little creatures crawled in every night on our backyard and always destroyed our furniture. They are dangerous, trust me!! Get rid of soon through Animal control specialist before they could probably bring umore loss. We got them rid with the help of Hawkeye specialist here in Canada.

Sprinkle some baby powder or sift some flour around your property, then see what kind of tracks you get.

Forgot to say... the smell of a cat is possibly the best deterrent to rats. If you don't have an obliging cat, get some kitty poop from somebody's litter box and sprinkle it around. You can also search online for big cat "scat" and even lion excrement. Forget poison, it is bad news; you still have to deal with the dead rat, better to drive them away.