Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.
Ninja and/or genius rat in garage.... help needed (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter nirad3
- Start date
GROOT
Footballguy
FIRST FIND OUT IF THERE ARE OPENINGS INTO THE GARAGE. If you don't do this you are wasting your time. Use the victor traps with the yellow platform. Take a pecan, shave it- make it look like another rat has chewed on it....will release oil the Rat can't resist. GLUE it to the trap/HEAT WAX/SUPER GLUE.. You could also take a small box/ cut a hole in it and put the trap inside. Don't set the traps for 5 days and set a bunch out at once. Rats are extremely smart and adaptive. That is why you need to set them all at once. If all else fails use this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfaDQJVplYI&t=20s. Best trap ever.
Last edited by a moderator:
realtruelove
Footballguy
I have trapped many large rats in my day. Rats love apple. Use a cut piece of apple for the bait and before you set the trap, rub the apple all over the trap. Thank me later.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Thought I’d give this one a bump for any shtick/ideas. I’ve been dealing with Norway rats for almost a month. They got in through the crawl space under my house. I’ve since fixed my crawl space door; so, no way in. But also no way out. I’ve caught two rats so far. At least one is still around and causing damage in my house.
I’ve had my professional pest control person out here six or seven times since this started. Stuff that they’ve laid down and stuff I’ve bought separately include… the wooden Victor rat traps, electronic rat traps, the T-Rex black rat traps, glue traps, and poison bait boxes. I easily have over a dozen rat traps in total. I’ve got some of these under my kitchen trash can, kitchen sink, cabinets, basement, attic (although no sign ever been there), and in the crawl space. Bait some with peanut butter, dog food, or the attractant gel. I sometimes lay one tiny kibble of the dog food just in front to try to attract it, but it will eat the one outside the trap and then skip the one inside the trap. I wear the surgery gloves when handling to avoid my scent getting on there.
Take out trash every night. All food is now either in fridge/freezer or in pantry closet with a door sweep under it (I’ve now secured all doors to closets and bedrooms with door sweeps). Not sure what it has been eating, particularly since closed off the crawl space.
Last night, I set up a handful of glue traps and other traps in front of my fridge — no dead rat, but found new damage to the drywall leading from behind my fridge and signs that it had been perusing my kitchen counter.
I was reading that Nutella could attract to the traps; was going to try baiting a couple with that tonight, since it is not going for the peanut butter.
What else should I be doing? Wife was making some angry comments to me this morning about not having caught it yet, and yelling to me obvious things to me about how this rat was going to chew a hole through the wall into the closet or potentially start a fire — even though I spend 45 or so minutes setting up some obstacle courses for this rat in the kitchen every night. Need some FBG to make me a hero.
I’ve had my professional pest control person out here six or seven times since this started. Stuff that they’ve laid down and stuff I’ve bought separately include… the wooden Victor rat traps, electronic rat traps, the T-Rex black rat traps, glue traps, and poison bait boxes. I easily have over a dozen rat traps in total. I’ve got some of these under my kitchen trash can, kitchen sink, cabinets, basement, attic (although no sign ever been there), and in the crawl space. Bait some with peanut butter, dog food, or the attractant gel. I sometimes lay one tiny kibble of the dog food just in front to try to attract it, but it will eat the one outside the trap and then skip the one inside the trap. I wear the surgery gloves when handling to avoid my scent getting on there.
Take out trash every night. All food is now either in fridge/freezer or in pantry closet with a door sweep under it (I’ve now secured all doors to closets and bedrooms with door sweeps). Not sure what it has been eating, particularly since closed off the crawl space.
Last night, I set up a handful of glue traps and other traps in front of my fridge — no dead rat, but found new damage to the drywall leading from behind my fridge and signs that it had been perusing my kitchen counter.
I was reading that Nutella could attract to the traps; was going to try baiting a couple with that tonight, since it is not going for the peanut butter.
What else should I be doing? Wife was making some angry comments to me this morning about not having caught it yet, and yelling to me obvious things to me about how this rat was going to chew a hole through the wall into the closet or potentially start a fire — even though I spend 45 or so minutes setting up some obstacle courses for this rat in the kitchen every night. Need some FBG to make me a hero.
Last edited:
Wingnut
Footballguy
As a restaurant pest control tech for 12 years, I've never met a rat infestation I couldn't take care of. Here's what I would do.
First, forget the traps and get some of THIS (you might be able to find it in smaller quantities locally or online) Then get some grape jelly. Not strawberry, not raspberry, but grape.
Traps work well in some situations, and not so well in others. So let's kill the bastards and not worry about trapping them. Still set the traps if it keeps the wife calm, but if they're not working, time to try something else.
It sounds like you've been doing good as far as sealing any possible entry points. That's step one. If a rat/mouse can get their head through a hole, they can fit their body through it, so look for small holes too and seal any up. Also check under your kitchen sink for pipe entry points and make sure they're sealed up.
Now take some bait blocks and smudge a little grape jelly on a few. Just a light coating on one side, like you would butter toast, and place one behind your fridge and wherever else you think they may be going or coming from. If you have any sort of an attic, put a few blocks up there as well, and space them out if possible. Attics are the #1 place rodents hang out. Anywhere else you think they've been or might be, place a block.
Then wait and give it 2-3 days. The only bad thing about bait blocks is sometimes you'll smell something dead, and then you'll have to find it.
If all possible entry points are sealed, this will take care of the problem.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Thanks - Will check out the bait blocks. My pest person set out some of those small rat bait stations, including one by the fridge, but it’s not clear to me that the rat has touched it (my dogs tried sniffing it; so, I’m sure it has dog scent now). He’s coming by for re-check of things tomorrow. Will see if they can do a bait block under the fridge or a cabinet where we know the rat is frequenting and where dogs both won’t be at risk of it or be able to add their scent to it, and will mention the grape jelly to them.
Also concerned this thing will die in the drywall because of the poison, but, **** it, I’m going to be paying someone to repair my drywall anyway when this is done and just want this thing dead.
Wildcat
Footballguy
We've had an issue with ground squirrels the past 3 years. They were causing damage to our lawn and digging holes everywhere. I bought these live traps on Amazon. They work great. We bait with peanut butter and then I release them miles away near a state park.
Wingnut
Footballguy
I wouldn't worry about getting yours or your dogs scent on bait or traps, rats don't care. And definitely put the blocks where pets or kids can't get it.
Grape jelly is best because the scent is stronger than other flavors and it will attract them to it, and much better than products labeled rodent attractants. You could do a dab of peanut butter on the blocks as well...sometimes they want protein (PB), sometimes they want sweet (JELLY), so maybe give them a PB&J. I've done this many times. With these blocks, they only need to eat a tiny bit of the block to work vs other bait blocks, so the jelly will get them to start nibbling, and even if they stop eating after those nibbles, they'll be taking a dirt nap soon after.
Good luck!
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
I hope it hasn't been taken already, but my next fantasy team is going to be called Ninja Rat Genius.
Chemical X
Footballguy
if they came all the way from norway, they must be truly dedicated.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Thanks again @Wingnut for the advice. I bought the bait blocks and put some PB&J on it. To protect the dogs and kid, I put it in a rat bait control station. I set it up at the bottom of the basement stairs, where I know the rat frequents (had pre-checked the area while waiting for it to ship, by leaving a small piece of peanut butter cracker a couple of night in a row, which was gone by the next morning both times).
I’ve had it set up for a few nights and, so far, no sign of nibbling on the bait block yet. The rat is pretty terrified of new things and thinks everything in my house is a trap (which, I mean, the rat is not wrong there). Anything that could help it encourage to enter the bait station? I put a little bit of the cracker in there too to give it a bit of the scent, but while it will eat it if not in or near a trap, it apparently won’t go inside to get to it.
Wingnut
Footballguy
What kind of bait station do you have? Can you post a link? Usually if there's no other food source close by, they will find the bait regardless if it's in a trap or not.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Wingnut
Footballguy
Yeah that should be fine. Do you have it so the flat edge is flush against a wall? Rodents tend to stick to running along wall edges and they like to investigate holes looking for safe places to hide/nest. If he's running along a wall and comes across the holes in the bait station, he will most likely go in it.
I also have a lot of success putting glue boards along walls where rodent traffic might be.
Keep at it, he's gotta get hungry at some point and eat some of that bait.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Thanks - Yep, flat edge against the wall. Hopefully this bugger heads in there soon to check it out.
Glue boards have not been successful so far. Bought some of these. I can see some rat footprints in there, but rat not sticking to it.
Soulfly3
Footballguy
didn't read thru it all, but watch the documentary RATS on netflix... you'll get into a rat's mind.
your trap is new, the rat knows it isnt supposed to be there... he wont touch it for days... maybe weeks.... he may even send in a minion to sniff it out for him. but odds are, he'll eventually bite. just stay patient.
Bucket traps are apparently phenomenal if you can set one up.
your trap is new, the rat knows it isnt supposed to be there... he wont touch it for days... maybe weeks.... he may even send in a minion to sniff it out for him. but odds are, he'll eventually bite. just stay patient.
Bucket traps are apparently phenomenal if you can set one up.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Woke up to one stuck in the glue traps this morning. My pest guy just came over to finish it off and take it away. I’m hopeful that was last one, but will give it some time to see.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Well, woke up to water gushing out from under my fridge because a rat must have chewed through the water line. So, that was not the last one. And getting close to “burn the house down but make it look like the rats did it” stage.
arrow1
Footballguy
Wingnut
Footballguy
Wow. I can't believe the bait hasn't worked. Just last week I had a restaurant in a shopping plaza that had literally 10-15 rodents in the kitchen, they were chewing through ceiling tiles to get into the store. They had to shut the store down is was so bad. I made 2 visits and the problem is fixed, not a rodent to be found. Bait has never failed me.
They're getting in your house somehow, there's gotta be an entry point somewhere.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Yeah - I thought it was crawl space (and that is what my rodent control person told me), which made sense because crawl space door was not tightly sealed. But once I locked them in by fixing that and cut off food, thought they’d be going for the traps and bait. But not having luck with that. There must be some other way getting in. I think I need to replace the rodent control people that I’ve been dealing with and go with someone else — need someone to do a really thorough check to see how they might be getting in.
Last edited:
