Our cat, Nitro, is a triple threat. Mice/chipmunks, birds, and now goldfish. Land, sea and air!
Our cat, Nitro, is a triple threat. Mice/chipmunks, birds, and now goldfish. Land, sea and air!
Apexcarver said:Try some poision, perhaps play with baiting traps.
There comes a time to engage professionals though. Your level of frustration indicates that you should at least seriously consider hiring an exterminator.
Nah, like I said, we live out in the country. When we bought the house it came with a stack of receipts- totalling several thousand dollars- that had been spent by previous owners dealing with pests of all sorts. We've resigned ourselves that we live in the sticks, in an old, "loose" house, there's gonna be critters. We deal with it, mostly. Mrs. VCH is usually very tolerant- she smashes ants, flushes stinkbugs, and leaves ladybugs and spiders be as "natural" predators. When we've had mice before, she empties the traps and resets them. We'll catch whatever's in the house, if it's still here, eventually.
In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
If you have a trail cam (motion/ night vision) it might be interesting to set out to see what critters ya got creeping around. It's fun watching and learning critters to say the least.
On Friday, the Missus and I were in full-clean-mode, as the little ones' Nonna and Poppi were coming to spend Easter weekend with us. In the process of vacuuming the kitchen, I stuck the vacuum nozzle under the stove and heard the distinctive sound of uncooked rice being sucked up.
Except, it wasn't rice. 
Illuminating the under-stove with the big honkin' Milwaukee LED shop light showed what appeared to be a small visitor's habitat. I sucked up as much as I could. The kitchen, now clean and all food put away, was ready for the weekend.
Easter Sunday I wake up to the smell of frying vegetables and eggs. Mrs. VCH was up at 4:30AM getting everything ready. My folks, who stay at a nearby hotel, hadn't arrived yet. it was about 7AM. Mrs. VCH is cheerful and busy, but at some point mentions to me that we had left the cover off of a container that we'd put the avocados in, and The Visitor had struck again last night.
A brand new bag of 6 avocados had been emptied and strewn about the kitchen. Hurriedly I moved the base cabinet (it's not attached to the wall, its just a temporary extra cabinet for storage until we redo the kitchen) the avocado container had been on and retrieved 4 of the green orbs from behind it. With the cabinet still pulled away from the wall, I vacuumed out behind it, and then, on a whim, grabbed my shop light and peered under the stove. Another avocado, barely small enough to fit in the gap between the floor and the bottom of the stove, was wedged in there, along with some more nesting bric-a-brac. I shoved the vacuum tube under the stove, peering under there with the light to make sure I got it all...
Suddenly, two beady little circles shot out from under the stove, right at me. In a split second I was on my feet, jumping up and down trying to squash the bugger. Somehow I also retained presence of mind enough to duck my head to keep from slamming it on the ceiling (being an old house, the kitchen ceilings are only about 6'6" tall, and I'm 5'10"). With the kids merrily eating breakfast I let loose a stream of obscenities that made even the Missus blush, but I missed the rat.
Gone. Vanished. WT actual F? We had to leave for Mass in about 15 minutes, and I did not want to come back afterwards, with my parents, and an errant rodent loose "somewhere". On another whim, I glanced under the cabinet I'd moved away from the wall, and saw Little Ratty crouched in the far back corner underneath. The cabinet sits on 2 x 4's resting on the floor, closed on 3 sides and open on the side that butts up to the adjoining cabinet when it's in it's normal place. Quickly, I ran downstairs, grabbed a 2 x 4 that looked long enough, ran upstairs, grabbing the first trap I could find (which turned out to be a glue trap), tossed the glue trap under the cabinet and slammed the 2 x 4 in place. It was _just_ long enough to cover the 4th side of the cabinet base completely. I slammed a 12 pack of seltzer water next to it and stared at my wife, my face saying to her, "Now What?"
She suggested I get my drill and screw the board in place, so I did. We needed to get the kids in the car, so I slid the cabinet back into place- and as I did, the sound of scurrying and dissatisfied screeching began. But, the bottom of the cabinet was solid, the sides were all 2 x 4s, and the floor was 3/4" hardwood on top of 3/4" subfloor, so we figured he was good and trapped.
When we got home later, I checked the cabinet and didn't see any new holes anywhere. I went in the basement, and the floor under where the cabinet is was sound. All Easter Day we didn't say a thing about the incident, and didn't see any other "visitors".
This morning before I left for work, I checked the cabinet and it was still un-penetrated. I moved it around on the floor and didn't hear any scurrying.
I have created Schrodinger's Rat.
Have you tried the bucket trap, yet?
you need poison.. use the poison...
smokindav said:Have you tried the bucket trap, yet?
Got one in the basement. Nothing's touched it.
Fueled by Caffeine said:
you need poison.. use the poison...
I thought about drilling a small hole in the wood and pouring some poison in there.
I'd just get a bait station.. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tomcat-Mouse-Killer-Refillable-Bait-Station-16-Count-0372110/300934078
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :
And how do I get that in to where the rat is now confined?
In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
Rats are not confined for long. It’ll get out.
You want a good dog or cat.
Our old dog slowed down some, and when we got a new 11 month old rescue, there were three dead rats lined up by the back door the next morning.
You need to step up your game.
I'm sitting in the kitchen now. After I sat still for awhile, quietly I heard it running around under the cabinet. I had moved the cabinet around earlier tonight, and lifted the 2 x 4 up enough (after unscrewing it) to slide a couple more glue traps underneath. But it won't go on the glue trap. It seems to be staying in the one corner. Its definitely gnawing at something wooden.
Little berkeleyer. I wish I'd gotten some poison on my way home from work. I can't find Wafarin anywhere, but TSC does sell something else that claims to act in a similar manner.
Our worthless dog is sitting right next to it. The rat makes noise, she lifts her head up and looks at me quizzically. Lazy old dog.
would carb cleaner spray put him down?
In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
Got any blue cheese? It's toxic for rats. Not the dressing, but the real stuff. Maybe mix it with some avodado since he loves those.
fasted58 said:CO2 rodent gas chamber
Did he really say “put them in the freezer till they are ready to be eaten”??
In reply to rustybugkiller :
Snake food
volvoclearinghouse saidsmokindav said:Have you tried the bucket trap, yet?
Got one in the basement. Nothing's touched it.
Fueled by Caffeine said:
you need poison.. use the poison...
I thought about drilling a small hole in the wood and pouring some poison in there.
Put in the kitchen WHERE THE RAT IS. Do I have to spell it out for you? :)
This thing is like the worst pet ever.
smokindav said:volvoclearinghouse saidsmokindav said:Have you tried the bucket trap, yet?
Got one in the basement. Nothing's touched it.
Fueled by Caffeine said:
you need poison.. use the poison...
I thought about drilling a small hole in the wood and pouring some poison in there.
Put in the kitchen WHERE THE RAT IS. Do I have to spell it out for you? :)
THE RAT IS TRAPPED UNDER A KITCHEN CABINET! THE BUCKET TRAP WONT FIT UNDER THERE!
In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
I can’t help you anymore :)
It sounds like this cabinet is movable? Is taking it outside/to the garage an option? If you can get it out of the house, maybe route a hose from exhaust pipe to cabinet? Cabinet might stink for a while tho. Not sure I could sleep at night knowing there's a rat "trapped" in a cabinet in my kitchen, knowing wood won't keep them trapped for long. I know SWMBO wouldn't let me sleep if she knew.
Mice are amazing. I had a few once. I was going nuts on one in particular, and I caught him under my fridge. I had it unplugged and literally rolled it into the middle of the kitchen, and various family members were all around the fridge. He did not scurry out, just sort of walked along as I moved it. I tipped the stupid thing on end and still never found the mouse. They are way too good at staying alive.
Get a pet black snake.
Fueled by Caffeine said:I'd just get a bait station.. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tomcat-Mouse-Killer-Refillable-Bait-Station-16-Count-0372110/300934078
For the love of god, listen to the man ^^^
He has a Kung Fury avatar, ferchrissake.
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