Ra-Ra-RATS!

[Dogestoevsky]

Hey Bnutters, hope y’all are having a better summer in your gardens than I am…

We own a home on the east side of Milwaukee, and my neighborhood rat population is just out of control. For context, my neighboring apartment complexes all use bait stations, but all the buggers care about is getting into my (fenced) backyard, and digging their way into my (fenced AND chicken wired) vegetable and bonsai garden.

In the past month, I have killed upward of 40 rats using snap traps. I could make a fucking COAT out of rat pelts. I plug up their tunnels and pin down the chicken wire into the soil, and still they keep getting in, probably by climbing the fence or digging a new hole. And after the traps are full, their little filthy brothers and sisters crawl over their dead brethren to eat my lettuce, peas, carrots, and most irritatingly the BARK off my old boxwoods.

I won’t use poison because of house pets and children… but what am I missing here? I know people manage rat populations without resorting to chemical warfare, but I need some better ideas! Repellents weren’t very effective, but if someone has a go-to brand I will try anything new.

Advice from other rat-combatants? Mouse-marauders? Rodent-potentates?

 

[rockm]

Hey Bnutters, hope y’all are having a better summer in your gardens than I am…

We own a home on the east side of Milwaukee, and my neighborhood rat population is just out of control. For context, my neighboring apartment complexes all use bait stations, but all the buggers care about is getting into my (fenced) backyard, and digging their way into my (fenced AND chicken wired) vegetable and bonsai garden.

In the past month, I have killed upward of 40 rats using snap traps. I could make a fucking COAT out of rat pelts. I plug up their tunnels and pin down the chicken wire into the soil, and still they keep getting in, probably by climbing the fence or digging a new hole. And after the traps are full, their little filthy brothers and sisters crawl over their dead brethren to eat my lettuce, peas, carrots, and most irritatingly the BARK off my old boxwoods.

I won’t use poison because of house pets and children… but what am I missing here? I know people manage rat populations without resorting to chemical warfare, but I need some better ideas! Repellents weren’t very effective, but if someone has a go-to brand I will try anything new.

Advice from other rat-combatants? Mouse-marauders? Rodent-potentates?

I don't know if you have one of these groups, or someone who has working terriers, but this can offer some relief and can suppress local rat populations. It's not for the faint-hearted though. Working terriers are pretty efficient rat killers.

Meet the rat hunters: Dogs join the fight against NYC’s rodent problem

Rats have been an issue in New York City for as long as it has been a city, and despite the best efforts, won’t go away. FOX 5 NY takes a look at how some dogs are returning to their rat-hunting roots to help rid the city of this pesky problem.

www.fox5ny.com

Eight terriers kill record 700 rodents in seven hours on pig farm

Pig farmers at a farm near Eye, Suffolk, called in the pack after vermin invaded. It's the biggest haul of vermin terminated by the Suffolk and Norfolk Rat Pack.

www.dailymail.co.uk

you might be able to search out a local group. Regional kennel clubs sometimes have "barn hunt" or "earth dog" trials which use terriers to competitively track caged rodents (no kill). Those groups may be able to point you to someone who has professional working dogs.

 

[vp999]

Get an outdoor cat.

 

[shohin_branches]

Hey Bnutters, hope y’all are having a better summer in your gardens than I am…

We own a home on the east side of Milwaukee, and my neighborhood rat population is just out of control.

Hello Neighbor! I'm just over the river in Riverwest! Is there a dumpster nearby they're eating from or a pile of garbage or wood stacked up against a building they're nesting in?

There is a whole brochure of things to do to reduce them.
https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/User/tweile/pdf/broc/DNS303RATSV14B.pdf

The city can also come out and find the source and fine whomever is harboring them. https://city.milwaukee.gov/Env/Pest-Control.htm

I would strongly caution against using poison because we have a cool red-tailed hawk family that lives around Kadish park. You also don't want a rat dying in a hole nearby. Snap traps are the way to go so keep it up.

The city recommends using a sock full of mothballs tied to the cart to keep them out of your trash. https://city.milwaukee.gov/CommonCo...board-Page-Shares/Need-a-New-Garbage-Cart.htm

Planting some peppermint and garlic is supposed to help deter them as well.

On the other side of the tracks I mostly struggle with squirrels which are just rats with a better PR campaign

 

[Dogestoevsky]

Hello Neighbor! I'm just over the river in Riverwest!

Hey there! Nice to meet you neighbor. Thanks for the info. Yeah, we are sort of sandwiched between a few apartment complexes that all have big dumpsters. I’ll look around the property to see if there are any debris piles where they might be nesting. Oof don’t get me started on bushy-tailed tree-rats

I wish I had the time to do more MBS meetings. I hear ancient arts has occasional workshops up at the nut factory in RW!

 

[Paradox]

Ugh
That's nuts
Time to move imo

 

[shohin_branches]

Hey there! Nice to meet you neighbor. Thanks for the info. Yeah, we are sort of sandwiched between a few apartment complexes that all have big dumpsters. I’ll look around the property to see if there are any debris piles where they might be nesting. Oof don’t get me started on bushy-tailed tree-rats

I wish I had the time to do more MBS meetings. I hear ancient arts has occasional workshops up at the nut factory in RW!

Steve and Brian who do a lot of the club demos share a studio right next to Amorphic brewery with a few other club members. It's a cool space. They will sometimes post classes on the club eventbrite page.

Next meeting is the 13th!

 

[Dogestoevsky]

Oh that’s awesome, thanks for the info @shohin_branches

 

[Vali]

Keep doing what you were doing until now because it works. It will solve the problem in time. I moved in a house that was uninhabited for more than 10 years. There were a lot of rats on the property that were hunted by my 4 dogs. I used to find dead rats quite often around the garden and yard. Once, when we were away and the dogs were alone for 4 days, I found about 10 dead rats and mice when we got home. It stoped after a while, I haven't seen dead rats and mice for some time. Now the dogs focus on moles.

 

[Paradox]

The rabbits have exploded in number in my neighborhood this year.

Somehow 2 of the young ones got into my fenced in back yard. My Great Dane mix made snacks out of them.....

 

[Dogestoevsky]

We have an old Samoyed who has turned her fair share of bunny nests into a crime scene. If only she cared about the rats

The replies here inspired me to have a little look-see around the property and remove some brush piles. Now to talk with my neighbors about the rat hotel they’re clearly operating.