# Rats!



## 77_Bus_Girl (Dec 30, 2012)

I wonder if anyone with experience has any advice... 
I have on and off had issues with rats in my garage. I had it under control then something chewed a hole through the wall and opened the garage to rats again. I found a dead baby rat and have located the nest in the insulation (i can see her peering out at me) 

Should i tear the nest down or try to poison/trap it? I think the babies are still too young to survive. (the dead one still had no hair or open eyes) 

Sorry if this offends anyone, but i need to take care of them before they overrun again... 

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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

posion. And clean up the hole and close it off. Try to find where they are coming in from will help as well.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

We had a rat problem in our neighbourhood too, so I bought poison. I can't remember what type it is but it's the kind you put into the black safety boxes, and it dehydrates them after eating it. We ended up putting 6 or 7 boxes around (way overkill), but we\my cat haven't\hasn't seen rats here anywhere on our block for 3 years now.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Not offended. Hate rats (and raccoons too).

Good luck.


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## rich16 (Mar 25, 2011)

charles said:


> posion. And clean up the hole and close it off. Try to find where they are coming in from will help as well.


This. close up the hole, and use poison bait.


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## 77_Bus_Girl (Dec 30, 2012)

Well it turns out they had nested in the insulation. So i put on my fancy respirator and covered every inch of me and pulled it down. Five squeaking babies fell out. Sad, but better than them getting in my house. (the garage is currently open to the basement as i reno the basement) 
The mom got away, but I'll set traps and poison out for her. 

Funny. It i was a little more freaked as I picked at it than I expected to be.  

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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

lol...............


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## 77_Bus_Girl (Dec 30, 2012)

Thanks for all the speedy advise everyone! Hopefully I've nipped it in the bud! 

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## rich16 (Mar 25, 2011)

If you want to keep them out (IF???), a couple of things that will help...try to remove any cover along the sides of the house - dense shrubs, wood piles, etc etc. Cut back taller shrubs / trees so branches aren't touching the house, especially the roof...rats are great climbers but shitty jumpers (compared to squirrels). Even ivy type plants can give them a ladder..


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Check to make sure there is no source of food around as well. Grass seeds, compose box, etc.


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## mrbob (Aug 9, 2012)

You could borrow my Jack Russles. .LOL I never seen rats, mice, racoons or anything since I got Jacks!!


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## 77_Bus_Girl (Dec 30, 2012)

Well, a few days have passed. The first morning after I noticed one solitary poop, so I rearranged my traps and poison to put it on it's path. There has been absolutely no action in there since. Unfortunately it's an old garage, with two crappy doors that don't really seal. When the weather improves I'll see what I can to to make them seal up a little tighter. There is a lot of renovation junk in there (a double and a half garage that really only fits a motorcycle! And just barely! hah) 

but so far so good! It still stinks in there though.


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

It's harsh or maybe risky with kids and other animals around but if given a controlled enough environment anti-freeze, it is sweet to them and can't resist after given a snack of peanut butter or fruit then they go and dry up somewhere else. I know many will say its in humane to use a product like that but really no different than other poison just more readily available. I would only use for a home infestation not just one random passing rat out doors.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

I'd stick with the boxed in solid poisons, only unwanted rodents would likely be effected as they're the only ones that can squirm into the boxes, and they'd have to gnaw on the bait. As you mentioned anti-freeze is risky if kids\animals are around, my friend's little dog drank some when he snuck into his garage and died from Ethylene glycol poisoning.

Like you said, animals find it sweet and the dumb dog didn't know any better. I'm sure it'd be extremely effective on rats.


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## 77_Bus_Girl (Dec 30, 2012)

I've gone with poison and am keeping the dogs out of the garage. Still no signs of anything. Im glad I did the deed and took down the nest. 
There is no food in there, but my neighbours insist on putting their raw compost directly into their garden which is just a few feet from my garage. I've tried to explain to them it's a bad idea but i don't think they understand. (only the kid speaks English) 
Maybe i should take this as a sign it's time to tidy the garage!  

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