TheGoodRev Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Ok let me preface this with the disclaimer that my housemates and I don't live in squalor. We're young, I'm a student and the other 3 are graduated, but our house isn't a sty. We moved in in September and saw a mouse in November. We laid out traps but never caught anything, and bought an outdoor garbage can to use in the kitchen instead of the dinky indoor one (so the mice couldn't get into it). Now we usually put the lid on the garbage bin but we forget a lot, no big deal though right? Well yesterday morning my housemate Rocky goes down to eat breakfast, and a half-eaten cob of corn that was in the garbage the night before is now wedged halfway underneath the fridge. fu©k. There ain't no mice I know that could pull that off. Maybe a well-trained army of super intelligent mice or something. Anyway so, being the nerds that we are, we set up the video camera on a tripod overnight in the kitchen. Had to keep the light on to get a good shot, but we were pretty sure it was a rat. We didn't empty the garbage so as to entice it, and left it some cereal. Here's a screenshot of what we got: The correct term, I believe, is nnnngooooo. That thing is a good 9 inches long with a tail the same size. fu©king, fu©king sick. So basically we don't know if it lives in the house or if it comes in a hole. There may very well be many holes, it's an old house with very poor insulation. We're looking to get rid of this thing quick, anybody have any experience with this sort of thing? We've read that with wharferin (sp? the poison) there is no guarantee that they'll go away without rotting and smelling in the walls. Any other suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottieking Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Warfirin (sp) does work but it takes some patience. I had a mouse/rat (oh we all want to believe it's mice) problem in my present abode and it took them a few weeks to eat it all in 8 different locations. I'd check every possible corner. There was sh!t in places I thought no vermin could fit. Behind that pile of CD's. Check. Under that bookshelf. Check. Mine were coming in through the fireplace where they had dug through brick!!! I just warfirined the sh!t out of the key areas and in two weeks, gone. Did they die in the walls? Maybe. Did they die? DEFINITELY. Dude, that's big fu©kin rat. Better hope he's alone. Or not training Ninja Turtles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guigsy Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 wow. good fu©kin' luck, man. once in college we had a mouse that refused to die, after setting trap after trap, and trying to trick the little bastard, nothing worked. he started to get cocky, and he'd come around in broad roomlight while we were playin video games or whatever, scurry across the floor, stop, taunt us, we'd give chase, and he'd escape with a snicker. slowly, but surely, we got a little smarter. one night we rigged up a multi-trap system whereby he had to somehow get over 3 traps to get to the food.. the way we placed them, we figured there was no way he could get around without setting off at least one of the traps, which in turn, would 'hopefully' set off the other 2, if he jumped around, and maybe, just maybe, we'd get him. well, sure as sh!t, one night playin' vids he comes around again... we see him come across the floor... stop... we know what we've set up, so no one makes a move, let him do his thing, right... well, he goes for the bait, and YES! we hear one trap go off... then the next 2 right away!! we figured there was no way in fu©k he survived, but you wouldnt fu©kin believe, this little bastard had 2 traps stuck to him, and he was still trying to scurry away! he went under the bookshelf, but luckily, the hole he was trying to fit under was too small for both him, and the one trap still stuck to his leg... the other trap musta just clipped his side, cuz it tore off as he went under the bookshelf... anyways, while he was trapped, we divised a plan.... we were on the 11th floor, and had big sliding doors that went out to the balcony, so, we grabbed a hockey stick, and on 3, 2 guys lifted the bookshelf outta the way, and i reached in, and scooped him up for a wrist shot out the door... its a big fu©kin door... somehow i still missed and he hit the wall... trap comes flying off, but at least i shot hard enough that he died on impact. you could try that. or, set up a ramp to a bucket, balance a coat hanger over the bucket with the curly part over the bucket, and cover it with peanut butter or whatever the case... make him work for it... as he goes out on the hanger for the bait, the weight should tip him into the bucket... if you're kind you can fill the bucket with water so he merely drowns, but if he's really got your goat, i suggest filling it with bleach. i tried this another time and lost the battle... seems the mouse found a way to knock the hanger off the bucket and then eat... but if it works, i'd love to hear the result.. or see the video. best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaggerLee Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 I've found the ramp and bucket method to be very effective, but I set it up with an empty pop can covered in peanut butter on a coat hanger axle so the little buggers crawl onto the can and it spins, dropping them in the bucket. This is especially good for camps and cottages that are vacant for long periods of time as the trap will work indefinately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Display_Name Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 WOW MAN that rat is longer than your kitchen tile!!!! :: :: :: :: :: :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazlo Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Atleast you'll never run out of food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberHippie Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 meeeeeooooow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timouse Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 as niffermouse just brought home 3 pet rats from the humane society i'm not in a position to reccommend a way of getting rid of it. what about luring it in to a cage? they make very cool pets. if that puts you off, maybe a cat might make a good pet/rat trap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Evil_Mouse Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Cats? Ours just ended up with a kind of detente with them; that might not work unless you're prepared to whip them up into a bit of a hunger. Pied Piper? What do rats like listening to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 [Hey Sweetie, where are ya? still at work or already at Mark's? Have fun jamming and see ya when you crawl your tired ass into bed!]Rev: "ugh!" I keep looking at that pic in disbelief and all I can manage is "ugh". I guess you don't want to be reminded of that part in Orwell's 1984, with the cage of rats strapped to a face? No, I didn't think you wanted to be reminded of that...sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 I'm at home - where are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenSeasJim Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 I just keep thinking of Willard (you should rent the original movie). A snake would also work unless.................... ...................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niffermouse Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Um, rats? well yes, as Timmouse said they do make excellent pets (and for anyone that is interested there are three lovely male hooded rats looking for a home complete with cage at the humane society I volunteer at) but these probably wounld't make good pets. Cats do make excellent deterrents for any kind of rodents, but it has to be the right cat. A former stray seem to make the best mousers. We have a cat that looks at mice and other furry rodents but then ywans and looks to me for food. The only other suggestion I have is a complete lock-down. Seal everything, that's what I did in T.O. when I discovered my apartment had cockraoches, and it worked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elemeno Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 if you want a heady solution(as in keep the rat alive) buy a live squirl trap. 20$ any hunting supply shop. heady leathal do it yourself save the $20. large buck with water. ramp leading up to buck. small bit of food tape to the far inside of buck. rats can swim for hours and hours after falling in trying to get the food. non-heady chemical lethal $20. RATAK -gets them everytime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 try a bb gun, it might not get rid of it but it sure is alot of fun. or just call an exterminator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodRev Posted March 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Right on, thanks for all the replies y'all. To be honest, we are leaning towards capturing it live but not for humane reasons [i'm all for saving kittens, just not pest rodents the size of kittens]; more to avoid cleaning up sick mutilated gooey infested rat bits from all over our kitchen. Waiting to hear from the property manager, hoping he's going to volunteer to foot the bill, and then it will be his decision. I mean, the house is old as sh!t, and I'm sure it's been a student ghetto rental for at least 10 or 15 years, there's no way this problem is new. Anyway I'll keep you all posted. We were going to set out the camera again tonight, lights off so the kitchen would be more inviting, using the nightvision on the camera. Thing is, see, we hit the bong a few times and forgot about all that. Another rodent investigation postponed on account of our good friend cannabis sativa. I'll post again with new developments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Hey Rev, my parents have several live traps at their place, (they use them for chipmunks and racoons) and I'm sure you could borrow them if you wanted, then you can just free the rat(s) down at Princess Point or something. Warfarin works but can be hazardous to other pets so be careful. It's a super potent blood thinner, so essentially the rat will bleed internally, or externally if you shoot it with J-Roc's BB gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 We had an occasional mouse problem in our apartment. We realized they were coming in and out of the kitchen only, so we plugged any potential holes in the wall (from plumbing, etc.) with steel wool: it's the one thing rodents cannot bend through or chew through. Since then, no mice! Just Brian downstairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bokonon Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 tsc sells traps. then you could give the rats to the homeless guy stealing jackets so he's got something to eat. he could make shishka-rats over the garbage can fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Evil_Mouse Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Now there's an ergonomic solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timouse Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 one man gathers what another man spills or in this case, one man grills what gives another the chills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve from Cleveland Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Yeah, I was going to suggest live trapping it and handing it over to Freeker to finish off the rest of the 'cover the thieving bum in peanut butter and let the rats loose on him' plan. Looks like bokonon beat me to the proverbial punch with respect to a solution involving the rat and the thieving bum... SfromC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 one man gathers what another man spills or in this case, one man grills what gives another the chills tres amusante! if you ever cover that tune, you should switch-up the lyrics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaidy Mae Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 My folks got this handy little device from the CT that you plug into the wall. It emits a high pitched noise that mice can't stand. It'd probably work on rats too! Humans and other animals (i.e. cats) can't hear it so that's not an issue. We haven't seen a mouse in ages at our place. It must be that magical device (seeing as our clawless cat is fat as sh!t and couldn't be bothered to give chase). so, we grabbed a hockey stick, and on 3, 2 guys lifted the bookshelf outta the way, and i reached in, and scooped him up for a wrist shot out the door... its a big fu©kin door... somehow i still missed and he hit the wall... trap comes flying off, but at least i shot hard enough that he died on impact. you could try that. Now that I need a screen shot of! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boogieknight Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 the very best solution is get 2 cats. They will work as a team and have those rats taken care of in no time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now