Rat(?)! Bold Little Rotter! Need ideas for bottom of pen

[Amiga]

Miss Lydia, it has occurred to me that we have quite an array of rodents here. Up to now we have all coexisted well. That translates to "they have stayed a distance from the house and duck pens." Among those I have identified are deer mice, moles, voles, and chipmunks (of course there are squirrels, too). Then there's this other thing - a tiny rat or a big mouse, maybe.

Perhaps they're looking for cover, bless'em. Last winter, under all that snow, SOMEONE(s) ate 100 or more of about 130 sets of sunroot tubers,

so there may have been a population explosion among the perpetrators.

We're on the edge of a wooded area, with over half an acre of woods ourselves. I love it here. But this is one of those out of balance years. We've struggled with a number of critter issues this year, that we usually don't need to deal with.

My Cat Ion has killed a couple of the rodents I think are rooting around the duck pen. It used to break my heart (hey, I was raised on Disney movies, what can I say?), but now I also feel that Ion is doing a great service around here. Due to coyotes and foxes, I don't let her out at night, but she'd like to go out and mop up the rodent problem single pawedly.

evansacres, thanks for the input.

I did get a bit worked up (we were getting ready to go to FIL's memorial service). And yes, now I've seen what I think it is, and it's bigger than a mouse, smaller than any rat I've ever seen. It's not a vole - I've seen those, and not a mole either - I recognize those little furries. (The cats have educated me on these things.)

I've read that in these parts we have at least one species of Neotoma (wood rat). If that's the case I'm not nearly as concerned, and it suggests they may indeed just be looking for cover.

 

[agregg15]

I would get some DeCon and put it where the ducks can't get it and it would remain nice and dry. For traps try using peanut butter. Peanut butter is high in calories and fat which is exactly what animals are looking for this time of year. I hope this helps.

 

[Amiga]

I probably need to give the traps more time. I did use PB, but had no takers. I take that back. They sprang one of the traps and then almost succeeded in getting the little bait cup out from the bottom.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

Hardware cloth all along the bottom inside, and pea gravel on top? Easy cleaning and no tunnels.

That is how my enclosure is and it is great. I put a little straw over the pea gravel on cold days, but it stays pretty clean.

There was a thread in the coop design section where someone found great hardware cloth prices online... Let me see if I can find it...

... this is not THE one, but one...

http://www.csnstores.com/Mat-308243B-308246B-BFJ1003.html​

 

[Amiga]

Thanks, m.kitchengirl, I need to turn in but I'll look into it tomorrow (if all goes as planned - need to take the car into the shop for a recall in the morning).

I priced hw cloth through a major retailer and it was, well let's say significantly over $500 to do the whole pen. yowza.

 

[seminolewind]

My tunnels were moles. They went everywhere. Inside my pen, I have hardware clothed the ground. I like the birds to be able to sleep outside, so my 10 x 13 pen is airtight including the ground.