# Tonight is rat attack



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

The other evening my other shed looked like a rat hotel. I guess it's because we never go in there. I sat out in the evening and watched several go in and out this little coop door that seems to open itself now and then . In my back yard, I have 150 wide yard with these 2 sheds 50 feet apart. The coop-shed is farthest from the neighbor, and the shed is maybe 80 feet from the neighbor's coop that had been up to 12 chickens. But he never kept his feed cleaned up. I keep all my feed covered and rat proof . But I still get his rats. 

Aside from the rat-shed motel, a rat started chewing the ropes that block the holes on one of the bucket covers and made access holes. So I made a new bucket for that one. 

My rat hotel will be baited with new different bait and see what happens. The the false ceiling in there needs to come down. I hope to throw out alot of stuff we don't use. 

Aside from the neighbor, who is down to 2 chickens, the food access must be his. 

Good job for today. There has not been any feed stored in that shed. Hopefully there will be pictures to take.


----------



## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Nailed this 6'' one in the basement earlier today.


----------



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Good for you Nm, I cant stand rats. Go get em Karen, hope you wipe them out!


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Yea. Good catch, NM. 

Since my neighbor only has 2 chickens left, I think they're getting desperate. There was some chewing on my cheapy saddle. I emptied the shed today. I accidentally uncovered a wasp nest and boy were they mad. I got one sting but not bad. I used 3 cans of wasp spray. There was so much rat crap. I had rubber gloves on. Half or more of the stuff was put in a trash pile. I wonder what I was saving it for. 3 bird cages.? Old icky riding equipment? 

Hubby had made a false ceiling in there for insulation. It needs to come down. So he's pulling it down tomorrow. I can only wonder what's up there, ick. Got to take out hiding places. I put the bait station out. After pulling the ceiling down, I need to saturate it with Virkon. Then home defense. 

I should invest in some clear rubbermaid containers. Can't be that hard to box everything.


----------



## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

Karen, make sure that your hubby has a face mask or protection of some kind on before he starts pulling the ceiling down. Rats carry bad respiratory diseases, like the Haunta (sp) viruses....


----------



## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

That deer mouse i snagged in post 2 are carriers of the Hanta Virus.


----------



## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

I do try to remember to put some kind of protection on when I clean our outbuildings, because mice and such are impossible to keep completely out. We keep Tom Cat out all the time.


----------



## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Good luck,Sem!I hate rats and mice.I'm already thinking of what poison is going out this year.Every Sept.I start seeing them.I have the feed far,far away from the coop because of the rats last year- it was the worst I'd ever seen.To make matters worse the lawn mower has been broke down for a month and my yard looks like a meadow and I know they are out there but I can't see them.Finally made Dale go get mower parts and today he is going to fix it,he just don't know it yet.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

He took the ceiling down this morning and there was nothing up there. Yes he wore a mask. I forgot to wear one yesterday. So the whole shed is empty. There was alot of rat poo in there. I'll go get some containers today. 

NM, that was a mouse? I thought you said it was 6 inches long?

Can't wait to get in there with Virkon.

Funny I didn't find not one Florida roach. I sprayed Home Defense over a year ago. Stuff works great.


----------



## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Country mouse. 
http://www.orkin.com/rodents/deer-mice/


----------



## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

I didn't actually measure it, but the trap is over 5" long.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tomcat-rat-snap-trap-pack-of-1?cm_vc=-10005


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Nm156 said:


> Country mouse.
> http://www.orkin.com/rodents/deer-mice/


Looks more like a rat. You sure it's a mouse?


----------



## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Yep Deer Mice.They have them beady eyes and squeak.

ETA
maybe I'm getting that one mixed up.


----------



## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

That looked like a rat to me,the mice around here are 3-4"+tail.The rats are 6" or better +tail.Never had to deal with rodents until I moved here.I can't stand them!


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

NM, mice will fit in your closed hand. They have big ears. Rats have small ears. I have had a problem distinguishing baby rats from mice but mice are real small with big ears.

CQ, I know what you mean. On LI I had horses and never a rat. That's not the case here. I have started covering the feed bowls at 5pm instead of 830 pm and they are now getting desperate. I've never had anything chewed into until now. I had a bucket covering a bowl that had holes chewed into it. And yesterday a Rubbermaid container that I put some feed in was chewed into. The rest of my feed is in metal cans. So desperate is good. There's been a nibble on the bait. At least something's happening. And I had swept up the rat poo in the empty shed only to sweep more up yesterday. 

If I rotate baits, I wonder which ingredients are good to rotate, poison wise.


----------



## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

I do get the deer mice too,especially just before winter.When i cut the grass i always see a couple dark colored field mice.
I got a bonus pregnant one last month under the coop.


----------



## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Got another 6'' one under the big coop.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I don't think those are mouse ears. Did it have a hairy tail or hairy tail?


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Today I finished cleaning the shed and it got a spraying with Virkon. Too much rat poop, I felt the need to disinfect. I threw out more than I kept. I am so tired of accumulating. Now I just have to get the junk out of there.

I've also got some nice bait nibbles. Keep eating!


----------



## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

seminolewind said:


> I don't think those are mouse ears. Did it have a hairy tail or hairy tail?


Not much hair on the tail.The white belly threw me off and the other one's face was smashed.


----------



## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I read somewhere about new generation rodent poison for warfarin resistant rodents.I had them wrote down but can't find it but it's easy enough to look up.I bought some Tom Cat that looked like green oats and put it in the bird room but was disappointed with it.I buy poison in Sept.when they start thinking of warm living quarters for the winter and come into the house.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Tomcat comes in 2 different chemicals. The darker green one works and the lighter green one doesn't work that well.


----------



## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Not sure which one I got,I guess the one that doesn't work.This year I'm getting pipes and block poison and putting it down before I move the food and water back there in December.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I like the bait stations. Prior to that, I had a rubbermade storage container , upside down. Put 2 really small holes for a rope to go in the hole, slide the bait onto the rope, tie to other hole to "hand the bait". Then make a hole on each end low enough for easy entrance.. 

I have been getting bites every nightl


----------



## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

seminolewind said:


> I like the bait stations. Prior to that, I had a rubbermade storage container , upside down. Put 2 really small holes for a rope to go in the hole, slide the bait onto the rope, tie to other hole to "hand the bait". Then make a hole on each end low enough for easy entrance..
> 
> I have been getting bites every nightl


I need a picture of the rubber maid station pls!


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

It cracked from the weather a long time ago. I just have the bait traps now.

Well after cleaning out the shed with alot of rat poo, hubby pulled the ceiling panels down. Nothing up there. But since I swept up the rat poo, there was more . Today is the first day it looks like no additional poo. Yeah! Some of those poops had been large!


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

There's been no new rat poop . Yeah!


----------



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

seminolewind said:


> There's been no new rat poop . Yeah!


Hope you got all of them!


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I hope so too, Dawg, but does one really ever get them all? 

It takes maintenance and making sure no food is available. It's easy to spot. Look for the poo. The worst road block is having a next door neighbor that has been feeding them for 8 years. He's down to his last 2 chickens. I think the rats were using my shed as a base camp.


----------

