We recently caught and killed a rat in our house and thought that was all there was. But the other night we heard chewing again and I knew it was the sound of our dogs chewing on their dog house. at night we can hear the rat or mouse moving around. I know there at least has been or is a mouse in the house too because it jumped out of a dresser at me.
Just to describe our house it is a very old farm house that had been expanded since it didn't have electricy or indoor plumbing at one point. I believe they are getting in through the basement to escape the changing weather and the farm fields behind us. so any ideas on ways to deter them from coming in would be great.
Well we already have two cats but they are still young enough to be afraid of the rats. although the one did go after it until it got back into a corner and was growling back at him. several holes can't be sealed due to being the only way to get to certain pipes but the steel wool idea would help prevent them from coming upstair thank you! Now I just have to brave the basement to set the traps.
thanks again for several good ideas!
I'm telling you that cats are on this earth for a reason. We live in an old house as well and mine are consantly on the hunt. I can tell when a few have managed their way in by how my cats react. They know where they come in and the cats sit their all night on the hunt. I can also tell when they've gone away...then I just have to look for the evidence :)
I get mice every year.
Places I find them behind the stove, refrigerator, and water heater. I use poison by the water heater and traps in the other places.
All food in the cabinet should be well sealed. Opened boxes of cereal, crackers, chips, etc in plastic containers or ziploc bags.
Dog food in a tight fitting storage container.
No cardboard boxes. Use the plastic storage bins with tight fitting lids. Fill in any gaps or holes on your house, although they will come in through the door when it's opened or even the garage door.
Good Luck.
One word...Cat(s)!! :)
I was there last year. I was ready to up and move because I felt our house was being over run byt them! We tried traps and they worked but there were jsut too many mice. We ended up calling Orkin and they came out and sprayed once and we found some of the holes and filled them with SOS pads (apparently they die if they chew the wire???) I think the combination of both really helped but we ended up getting 2 cats also and I went from seeing 3-4 mice (and signs of many more) a day to not seeing a single one or any signs since March! Good luck! I know how you feel!!!
I'd stuff all the holes into your house with steel wool & seal. They can fit in a hole the size of a quarter (or nickel). So, not only will it take away entrance routes for the mice/rats, it will also help reduce your electric or gas bills by making your house more energy efficient. So, head off to the hardware store & get a lot of steel wool & caulk & go for it. Then you could call Orkin or someone like that to set traps.
Good luck!
J.
We have outside cats and they catch mice, rats and moles, or something like them. They bring them to us as a 'gift'. But they are not real young, about 2 years old and just being outside around the house keeps mice away some. I know of a lady who lived in the situation you are in and went to get her baby one day and a rat was biting him. Get rid of them fast if you can. They carry germs and disease and are mean. I hate them. I think chickens cause more rats to be around as they like to get the eggs. My grandma had that problem when she had chickens. I'm not farmer but I'm sure they draw rats and snakes both.
E., I haven't read through all your other responses but I've been working with this guy in Atchison and I know he does work in outlying areas (he was telling me about a church he was working for to seal off and erricate their bat problem). It would at least be worth a call to see if he has any other suggestions or could help out. It's Absolute Pest Control, Jeffery NOrris ###-###-#### his email is ____@____.com Good luck!
check out the rat zapper.
and do a google search on "rat zapper" they sell them all over.
If you're not allergic or simply opposed, get a cat. Females are better "mousers" than males. I strongly encourage you to get your cat (male or female) spayed or neutered. A male will eventually run off if not fixed (or cost hundreds in vet bills getting in fight after fight before running off) and a female will basically turn into a kitten factory. I live out in the country. When I first moved here, we had a mole problem. Our yard looked like all the dogs in the neighborhood came here to dig holes. Worse, yet, we had a snake problem. Somehow they kept getting in our basement. Most of the time, I'd find garden snakes or black snakes, but then I found a whole nest of baby copper heads (They looked like worms, but upon closer inspection, the were definately copper heads, complete with the metallic smell). My house mate (who lives in the basement) got a female kitten. The snakes were eradicated withing 2 weeks and we've never seen one in the house again. Alas, he didn't want to put out the money to have her fixed. She went into "heat" about 3 months later and drove us both nuts. He thought he'd just keep her indoors until she was out of heat, but she wailed and cried constantly and one night out of frustration and lack of sleep he just opened the door and let her out. I'd like to say that she never came back but the truth is she never came back inside. We now have 9 cats living under an abandoned camper shell behind our garage! The good news is we no longer have moles. The bad news is we have a freaking kitten factory on our property which produces ferrel cats at an alarming rate! At one point last summer we had 17 cats out there. The males usually disappear within a few months, but the females stay and keep producing more cats. I like cats but this situation is just ridulous! I have a male cat that I got just after we moved in here. I had him fixed as soon as he was able. When the garage cats go into heat, my cat becomes a target for all the males coming to answer the call of the wild. He's been attacked right on our porch. One male was brave enough to come up on the front porch after him while I was sitting there! That cat got a fatal case of lead poisoning. My house mate got another female within a few months of his first one running off. He got her fixed as soon as he was able. Now she's a target also! I've have to go out and rescue her many times. So please, please, please, whether you get a male or a female, PLEASE, get your cat spayed or neutered as soon as it's appropriate. Good luck!
