Friends,
 
Thought I'd ask here since so many talents and knowledge under the radar in our personal lives outside our dedication to the Reaper DAW. Someone may have experience and thought of a solution. Words of wisdom, advice.
 
The plague has descended in our small island of Paradise on the Oregon coast.
 
Black rats, attic rats or whatever they are called. Wonder of Creation in their adaptation and skill. In the current state of the battle, the rats are smarter than I are. Neighbor to the north is also infested.
 
They can bend their bones to squeeze into a crack less than a half inch thick so on the mission to seal up everything where they can come in. Several days of hell trying to keep one step ahead. Did the urban legend of hanging mothball (napthalene) bags to repel them. They love it. Sonic repellents claimed to be worthless as well.
 
Must have trapped one of the critters inside because there was a pile of sawdust where they chewed their way through the garage door to get out.
 
What I know is that they are nocturnal feeders. Crap load of noise between the walls as they organize for the nightly raid outside. They only go about 30 meters max from where they find a place since they will be killed by other populations if they wander onto the other rat's turf.
 
Tried snap traps with peanut butter and then cheese. No takers. Set up glue traps. No takers either, but they will chew their arm off to get free.
 
The "warfarin" type poison pellets and the like not a good idea inside because the rat will definitely ingest the pellets and die inside a wall resulting in a major excavation to find where the smell in coming from.
 
Any advice?
 
John

See if you can teach them to bounce/jump on a bed, then stick some Velcro on the ceiling?
 
On a related note, have you heard Lionel Richie's retake of 'Dancing on the ceiling'?
 

.22 air rifle firing hollow points. Preferably with a scope and moderator.

JohnKenn
 
 
Any advice?
 

 
Move.
 
No, just kidding.
 
Buy a big snake.
 
 
Seriously, call a professional.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Pyu-Cj0gg

Did you put a dab of something rat-tasty in the center of the glue trap? Did you use the big glue traps, I think they are 5x8 inches or similar? I've had the best success with those.
 
Cheese I think they laugh at. I don't know how the mice-rat-cheese connection began. Peanut butter only slightly better. You might try a lot of sunflower seeds at the center of a big glue trap.
 
And then you've got only one.
 
Poisons will kill the neighbor's dog if he eats a poisoned dead rat. Which, of course, he will. Wouldn't you???
 
Random thought - find their hidey hole where they nest. Buy a few cans of really sweet, nasty room deodorizing spray. Something heavy on the fake lavender / rose / just disgustingly artificially sweet. Blast those cans up in there. It might drive them out. Worst case scenario, the rats smell better.
 
good luck!
 
 

Some good tips to run with. Patching every place they got in and there were many. If the wife weren't allergic to dogs, would rent several rat terriers and put them in the attic for a few days.
 
The idea of sunflower seeds on the glue traps may work. Cheese and peanut butter not on their menu.
 
A sign that I might be getting on top of the problem. No rat noise for 4 days now. They have moved next door and my neighbor is waking up at night to an increased circus between her walls. The pros coming in next week.

JohnKenn
 
The "warfarin" type poison pellets and the like not a good idea inside because the rat will definitely ingest the pellets and die inside a wall resulting in a major excavation to find where the smell in coming from.
 
Any advice?
 
John

There are several rodenticides on the market that cause dehydration in the target, causing them to leave your house to go find water (presumably you haven't given them a source of water) or die before they leave, which leaves no odor since they're all dried out.  Sounds kind of cruel and creepy to me, but that's what they get for coming into your house undocumented.  
 
Also, rats do eventually figure out bait traps.  I did not realize this until reading about it.  They even suggest leaving bait out before you bait a trap, so they'll get used to the free meal before you set the trap and poison them.  
 
I like the velcro idea too.  
 
 

Was looking at the dehydration stuff but may not have to do anything since I sent them all to my neighbor who says the festivities in the walls start just after sunset.
 
Tried the velcro as per Matron's advice and it worked great. Just didn't get any rats among the catch.
 
The critters are smart and do figure out the traps. We had one snap a few days ago but didn't nail the taker. Since then, they have completely avoided the snap traps.