OK Folks, this is WAR!

[RachelP]

wow, sorry, but I am completely shocked reading your post... how awful for you! I thought that only NYC had rats invading people's homes

But seriously, what about a cat? I never see anything alive in my house that isn't supposed to be there.... I know you don't want another animal, but usually even keeping a feline or two keeps the unwanteds out... (mice, insects etc.) of course, I have no experience with rats!!

[Crebain]

Originally Posted by Joel

Tiki............Since ya won't find & buy the Have-A-Heart rat traps to catch them alive & release, I AM ROOTING FOR THE RATS!!!!!!!!!

Dude, you need profesional help.

[Joel]

Hey Crebain, my shrink is the one who told me about the H-A-H traps.

You aren't to far away from her, why don't you go over there and blow them away for her, being the good shot that ya are. :)

[TooLover]

Tiki,
Are you using cotton balls for the traps? The key to catching the little rascals is to put peanut butter on the cotton balls............I am so FED UP with waking up to little poo poos on my porch! I have a cat but he is declawed and I don't want to see him hurt. My chihuaha is a rat-hater, but she is asleep in bed with us at night when the little rodent comes to visit!
I had 2 rat snakes visit this year and I was so freaked out that the snakes were so close to the house................not sure which I dislike more, the rats or the snakes!

[BirdzRmylife]

Cummon Laurie,
Its the ratsnakes that help get rid of the rats :)

[Monica]

But its the rats who attrack the snakes in the first place! Kinda have to think about that to! So there wouldn't be any snakes in the first place if there were no rats! Darn them rats!

[TooLover]

Originally Posted by Monica

But its the rats who attrack the snakes in the first place! Kinda have to think about that to! So there wouldn't be any snakes in the first place if there were no rats! Darn them rats!

So true.....................

[Tiki]

Another unsuccessful night. :( I am not sleeping well imagining what these horrible creatures would do to my cockatiels. The past 2 nights they have been having night frights-something that hardly ever happens when they are free in my aviary. Anything that causes my babies to suffer is getting no sympathy from me. :x I have Taina and her 5 7 month old babies in the patio aviary. Normally it's just the 3 girls in there to keep them away from the boys. The 4 mature males are in a dome cage-normally I wouldn't keep even one cockatiel in such a small cage-it's just a spare cage that Goldie came in when I first got him. After he passed vet check and quarantine, he was put in with the other birds. I can't even let them have out time with all the traps in the house. The little buggers are fast flyers and can easily get past me if they want to.

The pest control people said that rats live in the area between the ceiling and the roof of my house-there is a very small crawl-space there. They don't live in my garden like I had thought. So a cat or terrier would be no help at all. Joel, I don't understand your support of rats-I would have thought you would be on my birds' side if anything. :(

These rats and mice are unwelcome invaders in my home-my aviary is indoors on a converted verandah-completely built in and known here as a "Sleepout". Theres a photo in the Aviary album. Baby boomers with expanding families and not enough bedrooms frequently turned their verandahs into small bedrooms-that's where the term comes from. Rats can also cause damage by chewing through wires so if I don't get rid of the B******s soon, I could have a huge electrician bill on top of everything else. The thought of snakes getting up into my roof is terrifying.

Thanks, EB. I will try your idea of cotton balls with peanut butter. They stole all the baits off the traps last night-don't know why they aren't working. I put poison pellets even though I don't like the idea of them dying in my roofspace and making a stink up there. If anyone else has good ideas of fool-proof baits I would appreciate it.

[Crebain]

Rent or borrow a ferret?

[BirdzRmylife]

Originally Posted by Monica

But its the rats who attrack the snakes in the first place! Kinda have to think about that to! So there wouldn't be any snakes in the first place if there were no rats! Darn them rats!

Got me their Monica lol!

And Tiki, don't worry I really doubt snakes would climb all the way to your roof for rats. In general they'res always plenty of rodents for them at the bottom, so all that effort to go and catch rats on a roof would be a waste for them.