The Old Folks Home

[getaclue]

I don't have a mouse problem, but I can send you a few rats to amuse the dog, and ease your conscience. I noticed yesterday that I had droppings in one of the feeders. They're BAAAACK!

I read something on one of the threads that I'd like to try. They were saying that a colony of rats/mice send out a sentinel to test the new food. If the sentinel dies, the rest won't eat the food. They said to make dough balls from flour, a little confectioners sugar, and just enough oil to bind it all together. Feed this to the rats for a week. As they discover it's safe, more of them will come to eat it. Just keep adding more, and more as needed, for a week to 10 days to ensure the whole colony is eating them. Then after 7 - 10 days, add in dry plaster-of-paris to the mixture. They won't notice it, and it will kill the whole colony. An added bonus is that it won't poison an animal that might try to eat the dead rat.

 

[MrsMistyReal]

 

[MrsMistyReal]

I don't have a mouse problem, but I can send you a few rats to amuse the dog, and ease your conscience. I noticed yesterday that I had droppings in one of the feeders. They're BAAAACK!

I read something on one of the threads that I'd like to try. They were saying that a colony of rats/mice send out a sentinel to test the new food. If the sentinel dies, the rest won't eat the food. They said to make dough balls from flour, a little confectioners sugar, and just enough oil to bind it all together. Feed this to the rats for a week. As they discover it's safe, more of them will come to eat it. Just keep adding more, and more as needed, for a week to 10 days to ensure the whole colony is eating them. Then after 7 - 10 days, add in dry plaster-of-paris to the mixture. They won't notice it, and it will kill the whole colony. An added bonus is that it won't poison an animal that might try to eat the dead rat.

Yes that poses a health issue in your home, doesn't? With scat and urine every where. Waiting 7-10 days, cleaning constantly this can t be good. Why not do the plaster right then and there

 

[chickadoodles]

Very pretty garden maw maw

 

[chickadoodles]

I don't have a mouse problem, but I can send you a few rats to amuse the dog, and ease your conscience. I noticed yesterday that I had droppings in one of the feeders. They're BAAAACK!

I read something on one of the threads that I'd like to try. They were saying that a colony of rats/mice send out a sentinel to test the new food. If the sentinel dies, the rest won't eat the food. They said to make dough balls from flour, a little confectioners sugar, and just enough oil to bind it all together. Feed this to the rats for a week. As they discover it's safe, more of them will come to eat it. Just keep adding more, and more as needed, for a week to 10 days to ensure the whole colony is eating them. Then after 7 - 10 days, add in dry plaster-of-paris to the mixture. They won't notice it, and it will kill the whole colony. An added bonus is that it won't poison an animal that might try to eat the dead rat.

The new arrival of one or two is not yet a colony. Best to get rid of them quick before they become one. Feed them for a few days then hit them hard!
Rats are Leary of something new so it might take a few days. But be quick. They multiply quicker than rabbits!

 

[chickadoodles]

When we rip out the floor this weekend and fix the leak to put the new floor in we will put a bunch of tomcat bait under the house.

 

[microchick]

I noticed something had been digging under the fence between chicken runs up next to the coop two weeks ago. Since I found the 'run' I've been putting out a tomcat bait trap at night, weighting it down with a concrete block and picking it up in the morning before letting the chickens out. I make certain there isn't any crumbs that have escaped the bait holder then set the concrete block down where the trap was set in order to make sure the birds don't dig around in that area.

I have the feeling that they sent out a scout and it discovered a way into the wall of the shed.

Seems as though it happens once in the winter, once in the summer and once in the fall so I have to be diligent. It's also time to bait under the small coop. I left a skirt panel that I can unscrew and toss bait under the coop and screw that panel back in place again. The chickens cannot get to it and the vermin can feast away to their hearts content.

@maddysmamaw I love your gardens, especially the pond. I used to dig and create my own ponds. Love ponding.

Bad night here. Storms rumbled through all night. I could sleep through a hurricane but doggo with degenerative myelopathy hates storms so he was scooting around the house trying to find a place to 'hide' and getting frustrated when he couldn't maneuver himself into his favorite hiding places. I finally got up, pulled a storage tote out of the closet and he wiggled himself in there.

He's sleeping this morning.....I'm a bit blurry eyed.

 

[maddysmamaw]

We recycle everything here. My pond is lined with a piece of an above ground pool that was squashed by a fallen tree. My goldfish love the extra room. They used to live in one of those little black ponds from Lowe’s. I never feed them. Haven’t fed them for six years. The pond is it’s own ecosystem now. It even has frogs! The frogs help with insect patrol. Every couple of years I have to divide the water lilies or they take over so I get Maddy and Draven to lift it out for me.

 

[pennyJo1960]

sounds great we talked about a pool for Moose his favorite was splashing in the puddles and digging the mud what he found was where the water inlet was

 

[ronott1]

I don't have a mouse problem, but I can send you a few rats to amuse the dog, and ease your conscience. I noticed yesterday that I had droppings in one of the feeders. They're BAAAACK!

I read something on one of the threads that I'd like to try. They were saying that a colony of rats/mice send out a sentinel to test the new food. If the sentinel dies, the rest won't eat the food. They said to make dough balls from flour, a little confectioners sugar, and just enough oil to bind it all together. Feed this to the rats for a week. As they discover it's safe, more of them will come to eat it. Just keep adding more, and more as needed, for a week to 10 days to ensure the whole colony is eating them. Then after 7 - 10 days, add in dry plaster-of-paris to the mixture. They won't notice it, and it will kill the whole colony. An added bonus is that it won't poison an animal that might try to eat the dead rat.

That might work. The best bates take three days to kill and then they take the bate back and feed it to the colony. Bate that kills very quickly is not good for rat control