Packrats!!! Aaarrgghh!!!

[SassyLady]

So, I've only lived in the Tucson area for about 4-5 months. I've already had to have major work done on my Yukon because packrats ate through some wiring.

Last week one of those little buggers ate through the plastic housing on a large fan we had out on the patio. Guess what? He was still in there when I noticed some little white pieces of plastic everywhere and saw him inside the fan.

I was pissed so I walked over and flipped the fan upside down, walked it over to the gravel, went inside, got my gun and put a couple of bullets in the little bugger. Felt great!

Alas, today went out to start Yukon and it's deader than a doorknob. And, can't get the hood to open because they ate through the mechanism that runs from the latch to the lever inside. I can't even open it manually. So, AAA has to come out and tow it to the shop again.

Now, I'm fighting mad. Doing extensive internet research about how to get rid of them. The local expert ... Mr. Packrat ... doesn't come this far out. So, I have a new passion ... packrat war!

I do need to go do some target practice because I saw another one running down the driveway but I missed it.

[Kathianne]

So, I've only lived in the Tucson area for about 4-5 months. I've already had to have major work done on my Yukon because packrats ate through some wiring.

Last week one of those little buggers ate through the plastic housing on a large fan we had out on the patio. Guess what? He was still in there when I noticed some little white pieces of plastic everywhere and saw him inside the fan.

I was pissed so I walked over and flipped the fan upside down, walked it over to the gravel, went inside, got my gun and put a couple of bullets in the little bugger. Felt great!

Alas, today went out to start Yukon and it's deader than a doorknob. And, can't get the hood to open because they ate through the mechanism that runs from the latch to the lever inside. I can't even open it manually. So, AAA has to come out and tow it to the shop again.

Now, I'm fighting mad. Doing extensive internet research about how to get rid of them. The local expert ... Mr. Packrat ... doesn't come this far out. So, I have a new passion ... packrat war!

I do need to go do some target practice because I saw another one running down the driveway but I missed it.


Going hunting!

Call Mr. Packrat, fawn over his breadth of knowledge. Offer Starbucks or Jim Beam. Get his advice.

http://i.imgur.com/n8XmIng.jpg

[tailfins]

What if you zip tie some cotton soaked with this stuff under the hood of your vehicle?

http://assets.academy.com/mgen/15/10053015.jpg

[Voted4Reagan]

Ultrasonic noise makers....

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=ultrasonic+rodent+repeller&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=49855199665&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=360300489624139122&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3udw4bt2e3_b

[Voted4Reagan]

What if you zip tie some cotton soaked with this stuff under the hood of your vehicle?

http://assets.academy.com/mgen/15/10053015.jpg

Useless... there are no RED FOX in ARIZONA.... As a predator they are unknown.

[NightTrain]

So, I've only lived in the Tucson area for about 4-5 months. I've already had to have major work done on my Yukon because packrats ate through some wiring.

Last week one of those little buggers ate through the plastic housing on a large fan we had out on the patio. Guess what? He was still in there when I noticed some little white pieces of plastic everywhere and saw him inside the fan.

I was pissed so I walked over and flipped the fan upside down, walked it over to the gravel, went inside, got my gun and put a couple of bullets in the little bugger. Felt great!

Alas, today went out to start Yukon and it's deader than a doorknob. And, can't get the hood to open because they ate through the mechanism that runs from the latch to the lever inside. I can't even open it manually. So, AAA has to come out and tow it to the shop again.

Now, I'm fighting mad. Doing extensive internet research about how to get rid of them. The local expert ... Mr. Packrat ... doesn't come this far out. So, I have a new passion ... packrat war!

I do need to go do some target practice because I saw another one running down the driveway but I missed it.


Looks like you've got a war on your hands, chickie!

I researched this a bit... looks like they love nesting under the hood of your Yukon because it's a safe dark place. Plus, there's the soundproofing insulation for building comfy nests, along with lots of handy wiring and hood cables to gnaw on to keep their teeth sharp. People say that parking your rig with the hood up will minimize the attractiveness of your engine compartment, and it sounds like a good idea, but if you do this for the duration of your campaign you'd better use a rope or something to prevent wind from destroying your hood.

You don't want to use poison, because any predators that eat them will also get poisoned... and you definitely want those around. Except snakes. They need to die too.

Speaking of snakes, your population of packrats are attracting snakes to your yard and home - and that's a 4 Star Alarm in my book. Have I mentioned I hate snakes?

Predator urine / scent won't work, according to the experts, and neither does pepper spray or other 'hot spice' cocktails.

The simplest solution is traps. I would get a dozen of these traps for $32 and set up your trapline : http://www.victorpest.com/store/commercial-rat-control/bm144pco

Peanut Butter is one of Victor's recommended baits, and I know that it's irresistible to rodents (or any animal, for that matter!).


As far as strategy, I'd defend your Yukon with a couple of these under the hood or under the truck, but I don't know that I'd actually bait the Yukon traps - you don't want to attract more of these critters to your rig.

If you've found a nest, I would leave it alone and use it to kill them. Apparently they re-use nests after the previous occupant has been eliminated, so when you locate a nest you might get multiple kills by trapping at the entrance(s) to it.

Once a packrat has established a nest, they mark it with scent that lures in other ones. The experts are saying you need to clean under the hood of your Yukon with a solution of Pine-Sol very thoroughly to get rid of the scent, and then it still takes about 30 days of airing before it's completely gone... so I'd probably go with 30 days of open-hood parking when you get it back.

Also, they're saying that any opening on your house Nickel-size or larger is enough for them to gain access... on corners, under the eaves, your air conditioner, etc. A good wire mesh with a T-50 staple gun can fix these areas and keep your house safe. It would suck to have some of these living in your attic and chewing through the wiring in your house.

What about getting a small hunting dog like a Jack Russell or something along those lines? It wouldn't take much training to get a dog like that on point for maintenance after you've won the battle.

[Bilgerat]

What about getting a small hunting dog like a Jack Russell or something along those lines? It wouldn't take much training to get a dog like that on point for maintenance after you've won the battle.


Or you can send out for the starter kit

http://www.debatepolicy.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7570&stc=1

[SassyLady]

What if you zip tie some cotton soaked with this stuff under the hood of your vehicle?

http://assets.academy.com/mgen/15/10053015.jpg

Peppermint oil soaked cotton balls work better, but not used as only thing. Learning that there is a multitude of things that all need to be used/done at same time.

[Kathianne]

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/14/yes-rats-can-swim-up-your-toilet-and-it-gets-worse-than-that/

Oh great!

[Abbey Marie]

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/14/yes-rats-can-swim-up-your-toilet-and-it-gets-worse-than-that/

Oh great!

Oh lordy! Locking toilet lids sound like a fab idea.

[SassyLady]

I have funny story about those Norway rats. When we moved to our property in Norther CA we had 2 acres of basically ... a junk yard. We had to haul away tons of trash before we could even get the bank to come out and look. Property had three structures but the bank put zero value on them.

So, these people also did not believe in paying to have trash picked up. They would just did a hole out back and every now and then dig another hole and fill the used one the new dirt. Well .... no need to trying to describe the situation .... but there were more rats and mice walnuts on a tree.

We were able to eradicate the mice in the structures, but only because we gutted it and rebuilt it from the inside out.

But the rats .... that was a never-ending ordeal. Well, except for the gophers. That's another story a different day. We poisoned them, trapped them, shot them ..... which slowed things down. But it wasn't until we put fence around the property and kept all green stuff mowed to the nub (all two acres) and persistently knocked on neighbors doors until they mowed their acreage, that we started making headway.

So, the story is baiting the traps and disposing of dead bodies was hubby's job. Then he was deployed and it was my job. He'd been gone for a couple of months and during one of our chats he asked if I needed to purchase some new poison. I said "no, they are all gone". He said "how do you know"? I said "because the poison in the traps is all gone. They must have taken it back to their nests for everyone to eat". Yes, I do have my dumb blonde days. He was laughing so hard and trying to explain why I needed to get bait in those traps immediately. He said "you'll know they are dead when the poison is still there".

I never lived that one down. Learned a valuable lesson .... just because the poison is gone doesn't mean they're all dead.

We had the extra problem of having a grove of walnut trees and several fruit bearing trees which provided an abundance of food. Seems the rat poison was tastier because eventually all traps always had food in them.

Pocket gophers and moles/voles are a bigger nuisance but are as yucky to deal with. Just tons of frustration and lawn damage.

:boom2::boom2::boom2:

[NightTrain]

What about a Rat Terrier?

Teddy Roosevelt claimed his eradicated the problem at the White House, but it looks like the dog had a bit of help.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Terrier

[Kathianne]

What about a Rat Terrier?

Teddy Roosevelt claimed his eradicated the problem at the White House, but it looks like the dog had a bit of help.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Terrier

A dachshund might work too. If the prey has rabies, is the predator protected by inoculation? ~

[NightTrain]

A dachshund might work too. If the prey has rabies, is the predator protected by inoculation? ~

That's a good question... never thought of that.

Don't know that a Dachshund would be effective... the only ones I've ever seen were miserable little yappy bastards with 2" legs - the best they could do was lope like a Ferret, lol.

You'd want something quick and feisty with the instinct to hunt.

[Kathianne]

That's a good question... never thought of that.

Don't know that a Dachshund would be effective... the only ones I've ever seen were miserable little yappy bastards with 2" legs - the best they could do was lope like a Ferret, lol.

You'd want something quick and feisty with the instinct to hunt.

You'd be surprised!

http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/dachshund


Dachshunds are scent hound dog breeds (http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds) who were bred to hunt badgers and other tunneling animals, rabbits, and foxes. Packs of Dachshunds were even used to trail wild boar. Today their versatility makes them excellent family companions, show dogs, and small-game hunters.

[Kathianne]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EadYOb-JO-E

[NightTrain]

You'd be surprised!

http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/dachshund

I didn't know there were different versions... I guess the Mini version is the one I'm thinking of. Bred for hunting Badgers, that's pretty amazing.

But yeah, any dog that can hunt a Badger is more than enough for rats!

[Kathianne]

Sassy, for your viewing enjoyment:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksaiQB7M8dU