RATS!!!

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Apr 23, 2019 8:32 pm


I agree with having the rats professionally dealt with. A professional exterminator can also show you the best ways to prevent them from coming back once they have been eradicated.

WICharlie

Post   » Wed Apr 24, 2019 11:42 am


I would definitely get a rat trap or 3. I guess I would not suggest getting a cat as a solution to taking care of a rat or two. The rats are no doubt a short term problem. Having a cat is a long term commitment. My cat is currently 16 years old and still going. Getting a cat is an expensive and time consuming solution to getting rid of a rat. Think of paying for years for vet bills, cat litter, cat food, flea and tick control, toys, etc., etc. Also, some cats wouldn't catch a rat if it stood in front of them and did a jig. It would be just your luck to get that kind of cat.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:35 pm


My dad's neurotic cat would probably just run and hide from it.

RomeAndSmores1

Post   » Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:41 pm


The rat was eradicated. My mum texted me a picture of it, and it was caught in the trap. Crisis averted. We used a trap that killed it, and we also re set all of them in case there was more. I also checked on my piggies and they are all fine. Thanks guys. We are currently looking for how it got in.

RomeAndSmores1

Post   » Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:44 pm


Appreciate all the help from y’all. And wow, that’s the most replies I’ve ever gotten from a question before :)

User avatar
Renonvsparky

Post   » Wed Apr 24, 2019 5:22 pm


I guess I would not suggest getting a cat as a solution to taking care of a rat or two.
I think I should clarify that I didn't mean for anyone to get a cat just to take care of a rat or two or as a rent a cat. Cats are great pets just like guinea pigs. Our cats are just as well cared for and loved as our guinea pigs. They live a leisurely life and they come and go as they please. They come inside to eat, sleep, when they just want to be inside and when the weather prohibits them being outside. They're part of a cat community within the neighborhood. They are are neutered and they get regular checkups and shots.

There's a giant field behind our neighborhood that is full of mice and they often find their way into the houses around here. In return for the love and care they get from us, they provide a valuable deterrent to the mice coming into this house. There is seldom just one rat or mouse. If you see one, there most likely a colony of them. Just one cat is all it takes to solve the problem. We saw traces of an old mouse infestation when we moved in 7 years ago but none since because we always have cats. It's a win-win.

RomeAndSmores1

Post   » Wed Apr 24, 2019 10:37 pm


You’ve just got to watch ‘em around the guinea pigs. I know it’s unlikley for them to try to eat them but the risk is still there.

User avatar
Renonvsparky

Post   » Wed Apr 24, 2019 10:55 pm


They are more likely to injure them trying to play with them than to try killing and eating them. A safe and secure enclosure is a very easy way to mitigate the risk.

JX4

Post   » Thu Apr 25, 2019 2:42 pm


The cat doesn't need to actually catch rats and mice, BTW. Just the scent of the cat all through the house is a deterrent. Rats and mice just don't want to take any chances and go elsewhere.

User avatar
Renonvsparky

Post   » Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:20 pm


Progressive pest control is the best way to go. Rather than spreading poison and traps that pose risk to us and our other pets, using natural means is more effective and safe. On our military base, we used recorded bird of prey calls to keep pidgeons from roosting in the building awnings and pooping everywhere. It was also effective in keeping the racoons away. We used a shotgun with non projectile rounds to keep birds out of the flight path of the jets. The noise it makes scares them off without having to kill them or having them sucked into an aircraft engine.

A cat to naturally deter rats and mice is common sense. As with everything else, you just have to be smart about it and make sure you mitigate the risk.

Classicalcavy

Post   » Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:03 am


We had a bit of a mouse problem late last year and early this year. Our exterminator used glue traps because he didn't want to use poison bait as we have the guineas and a dog. I found the last one in the empty waste basket I use when I clean cages. He had fallen in while trying to get in the Guinea cage (I think) and Rudy must have scared him and he fell in the waste basket. He couldn't get any traction to get out so I just took him outside and set him free. According to my exterminator, they were field mice not house mice. Two died of natural causes and I haven't seen anymore. I was really worried about it harming Rudy but I really hate the thought of doing harm to an animal that is just trying to survive.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Apr 26, 2019 7:18 am


I hate those glue traps. Not that any kill-trap is all that humane, really, but the glue traps seem even more so because I've seen mice halfway stuck, and one with just its head stuck. :( I usually use these--and the maintenance guy where I work uses them, too--and they have been very effective and seem to kill relatively quickly:



I know we did have one mouse (at work) that backed into it, and that got pretty ugly, but otherwise they seem to do the job. I have used the catch-and-release type, too.

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