Rat Problem: Rats Smarter than Me

Strange as in the fifty plus years I been taking in random stray cats and dogs into my home I never have a serous problem.

I remember once walking one of my dogs when the cat who had join us for the walk decided to attack the dog for some cat reason an I ended up picking both animals up stating to them that they should cut it out as no matter who would win I would get to pay the vet bill.

best solution - a cat.

Seriously - my mom got a cat to help with the mouse problem - now i know rats are bigger so maybe a big cat?

She has only had mouse problems when she did not have a cat - and dogs just are not good enough because with the dog - you didn't kill the mouse until the mouse was so old it was slower.

I have a dog that has been known to kill cats. I didn't know he would be like that when I got him, but we had bonded by the time I saw any of it. I keep him fenced or on a leash if we leave the house, for their protection as well as his.

Cats and dogs are the same as humans. Each has their own unique personality. Some are fighters and some are more laid back, get along with all the critters.

wow - I only had one dog hated cats all my others love cats (although the cats typically do not like them) - although the one dog that hated cats I can't blame him. When he was a puppy he went over to our next door neighbors cat (this was a mean cat) - the cat swiped him in the face.

Once the puppy grew into a dog - he never forgot - he hated cats. Good thing that cat was smart enough to stay away from him because as a full grown dog he could have done some damage.

My dog was three when I adopted him. He loves people. So I was amazed to discover that he wants to kill every varmint he sees, from flies to cats. He did get a friendly nuzzle through the fence with a runaway pig last year.

Have you considered getting a dozen or so rattle snakes?

Why didn't I think of that.

pick me, pick me oooo oooo I know the answer.

You're picked. Why?

Rattle snakes don't always kill rats........plus they wave those damn rattles...it's annoying.

Well, sure. They only kill rats when they're hungry - I think. But yeah, stalking would be tricky if your tail were constantly twitching around.

I'll go tell McG it was not a great idea, after all.

Ha - Just opened up Boston.com and saw this article

How to deal with mice, rats, and other pests
He offered the following tips for ridding your house of mice and also bed bugs, another big problem in the city.

1. Survey your property inside and out.

“Rodents need food, water, shelter,” Bozarjian said. “If you block out the shelter and they have no food sources, they’re not going to stick around.”

2. Buy more traps than you think you need.
A common mistake people make is not buying enough traps, he said. You should buy at least a dozen, he said, because if you see one, there are probably actually 10 of them, and if you see two there are probably actually 20 of them.

3. Cover dry pet food.
If you have a pet, you may be inadvertently feeding the mice, Bozarjian said. This is a “huge problem” he sees in homes with mice, Bozarjian said.

4. Join forces with your neighbors.
If you live in multi-unit building, it’s worth working together with your neighbors, Bozarjian said.

For the full article
https://www.boston.com/culture/lifestyle/2019/10/01/how-to-deal-with-rodents-mice-and-other-pests-as-the-weather-cools

Done read articles like that. Some suggestions from early in this thread are worth pursuing still, but I haven't purchased any of it yet. I do know that the best way to establish trust with virtually any animal is to feed it. I have been putting out different kinds of food at night and have found that this rat is willing to take raw peanuts in the shell. I left one just under the stove. Gone the next day. I put a line along the wall, leading to a trap. It took them, all but the one on the trap. I put out some more and laid another one beside the one on the trap. If it takes them tonight I will affix one to the trap trigger and set it.

I had a cat that would share his food with a mouse. He was an unnatural cat.

Get an owl.

No, the rattle is so you don't step on them at night when you have to pee. Geez. Don't you guys know this stuff?

Oh. And all these years, I thought they were just giving their prey fair warning.

Speaking of Rats, I just watched the 1984 film of Nineteen Eighty Four. Anybody familiar with it should know what I mean. I saw it once before by renting it on VCR from a video rental place.

The rat avoided the peanuts last night. Rocky took one, but after a few chews on it dropped it. I'm guessing the ones on the trap made it suspicious. I will try one more time before giving up on it.