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rodent problem

Started 1 year ago by alicekuder
Latest reply from velo_nut

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alicekuder
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Can anyone recommend a good local pest control company? I suddenly have evidence of rodents in my basement now that I no longer have a dog in residence down there.

Posted 1 year ago #
hammerhead
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Pesticide free you can relocate a feral cat and that should take care of the problem, and yes I am serious.

Posted 1 year ago #
cclarue
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HH how does that work??we have seen rats running along the back fence... ewww

Posted 1 year ago #
maplesyrup
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We've used Eden in the past. Not sure if it's exactly locally owned but they do have an office in South Park. And they got rid of the problem.

Posted 1 year ago #
HunterG
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Go for the feral cat!

Posted 1 year ago #
hammerhead
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Lots of info to much for this, but basically, you would be saving a feral cat(s) that ends up in a shelter to be killed. Well in general feral cats will hunt rats or mice, now that being said, not all ferals will hunt but the smell of a cat being around does help. We relocated feral cats to barn ALL the time and the process does work.

If you would like more info on this you can call me at 206-427-6454 or email feraltrapping@gmail.com.

Posted 1 year ago #
angelescrest
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Pam--Can you give a bit more info in your posting? Where does the feral cat live? Eat? Any social interactions with humans?
Thanks!

Posted 1 year ago #
hammerhead
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ok there is an acclimation period of about a month which mean the feral cat(s) would need to be a large pen or even a garage that it can NOT escape from. YES they will use a litter box don't worry about that part. All the human has to do is feed and water it and give it a warm place to stay or be safe. Again no rescuer can guarantee the cat will hunt. It is better than using pesticides and those nasty traps. Now as the caretaker of the cat(s) there could possibly be some interaction but this will depend on the cat itself NO it will NOT attack. Feral cats DO NOT attack, they will run away and hide.

I kinda wanted to keep this on the down low as there are some people who HATE cats (feral or friendly) outside pooping and/or spraying in their yard. (This is why you should always keep a litter box for the cat(s))

I am sure this will get some negative responses but whatever, trying give you another option instead of poisons. It does not cost anything other than feeding the cat(s). Now maybe down the road it may need something medically but lets not worry about that right now. So hopefully I was able to give you enough info with out boring you and even pissing some off.

Posted 1 year ago #
cclarue
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I will take cats over rats any day!! West seattle has rats and lots of them I was in denial until I saw them in broad daylight acting like they owned my back yard. We have 4 fruit trees which doesn't help. I thought my stepdad was crazy before i saw them when he wanted to add some caulking to my storage area that was built as an addition to the house fairly recently and looks pretty nice and secure... I'm glad I let him do it!! I would love to have a feral cat hanging around hunting!!

Posted 1 year ago #
christopherboffoli
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John at Adept Pest Control is excellent: http://www.adeptpest.com/

Their focus is on alternatives to poison and physical exclusion from the property.

A few years ago we had some rats coming over from an improperly-baited trap at a neglected neighboring property. John did a great job of verifying that there were no rats currently in the crawlspace and added metal mesh to places where they seemed to be getting through.

John actually came out recently for a check-up and he didn't want to charge me anything. Really nice guy.

Posted 1 year ago #
HunterG
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I still say go with the cats!!

Hello, food chain folks, ever heard of it? If a cat can get rid of a rodent problem without horrible chemicals being used, isn't that a good thing?

Posted 1 year ago #
christopherboffoli
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Just make sure the cats are fiercer than these softies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPK_ij0llc8

Honestly. What is the world coming to? If it were up to me these cats would lose their union cards.

Posted 1 year ago #
curiouslyinquisitive
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I concurr that cats are pretty good at rodent control... if they don't get all of them... their presence on the property will be a good deterence for possible future invasions... though as you may know cats like to play w/ their victims... so as in my personal experience ... my two cats easily dealt with the rat invasion living in the ivy surrounding the bldg... but they had fun doing it... there was usually one or two rats on my front door step over the next few weeks... I had the feeling that my cats were either showing off their kills or offerring gifts... so you may have to handle/deal with a few dead or living-wounded rats...

Posted 1 year ago #
hammerhead
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Curiouslyinquisitive you are right they are just showing you what they did for you:)

christopherboffoli great video, again not going to promise any feral I relocate will hunt, but the scent of a cat will detour the problem.

FCAT

Posted 1 year ago #
redblack
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coyotes also eat rats. i'm still not sure where you can find it locally, but i've heard that coyote urine is a good alternative to pesticides.

and, no, i don't know how people procure coyote urine.

oh. looky:

http://www.predatorpee.com/

more than you'd ever want to know... but with free shipping.

Posted 1 year ago #
Sue
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I had a cat many years ago that was so gentle that he would catch birds and mice, but would hold them gently in his teeth, without harming them, and then bring them inside and say "look mom, a gift!" and drop it on the kitchen floor, at which time it would run or fly throughout the house. :)

Posted 1 year ago #
alicekuder
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The feral cat idea is one I never would have thought of. I'm not much of a cat person and don't want to adopt a cat as a pet, but this might be a great alternative!

I'll give John at Adept a call as well, to hear his approach.

Thanks, all :)

Posted 1 year ago #
lucky chick
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Please, please, please reconsider a feral cat. They are really horrible for songbirds.
Please just think about it and read any of the widely available information.

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html

Letting a domesticated animal loose in an urbanizing area where native bird are concentrated on too-small breeding territories is not nature taking its course.

Posted 1 year ago #
justcuz
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lucky chick, "really horrible for songbirds" is not necessarily fact. There is widely varied opinion, research, support and many - including myself - believe that ferals are no more a "danger" to birds than human encroachment or people's pet cats who are allowed outside. This information is also widely available.

Posted 1 year ago #
lucky chick
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Actually, it is fact. Here's a very short list of peer-reviewed research, much of it local (and yes, I'm familiar with the outdated Comam and Brunner 1972-?)-

Actually, all the current lit is reviewed here:
Longcore, T., C. Rich, and L. M. Sullivan. 2009. Critical assessment of claims regarding management of feral cats by trap–neuter–return. Conservation Biology 23(4):887-894
and local lit here:
Marzluff, J.M., R. Bowman, and R. Donnelly, editors. 2001. Avian Conservation and Ecology in an Urbanizing World. Kluwar Academic Press, Norwell, MA. 585pp.
.
Marzluff, J.M and K. Ewing. 2001. Restoration of fragmented landscapes for the conservation of birds: a general framework and specific recommendations for urbanizing landscapes. Restor. Ecol. 9:280-292.

Posted 1 year ago #
justcuz
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Kudos, but I'm not going to engage in a battle of the Google with you.

Posted 1 year ago #
lucky chick
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It's not googled, it's what I do professionally.

Posted 1 year ago #
F16CrewChief
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Get another dog. Maybe a Schnauzer(sp)?

Posted 1 year ago #
West Seattle Art Attack
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Lucky Chick, who on Earth pays you to write on neighborhood blogs about how feral cats have an adverse impact on songbirds? Is there a big demand for your particular skillset? I want to be a fly on the wall at the unemployment office if you ever get layed off. Don't hate me - it's just a poor attempt at humor (at your expense). I am sure you are very good at what you do and are certainly very passionate about it. It just struck me as funny. I should have probably hit delete instead of post but occassionally we all make errors in judgement so here's mine. . . . . delete or post, delete or post, delete or. . . .

Posted 1 year ago #
hammerhead
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Woo Woo Lucky Chick, First you are dead wrong all those statistics are very ONE side, and a few of them are kind of old each area of the USA is different.

Here in WESTERN WA feral cats are nocturnal, birds in this area are diurnal.(yes a big word) I can take you to over 30 sites of feral cats and prove to you that bird population is NOT depleted. I have 5 and I have yet to find a dead song bird. I even have hummingbirds.

I even just got a call from the Seattle Center of a colony and they don't find dead birds ever, but they don't have any rats or mice.

So if you really want to come and see how feral cats survive then lets go for a ride and I can educate you. As of a matter fact I am trapping over 60 cats this weekend. So give me a call or get your facts straight for Western WA.

Again to make myself very clear this is for Western Wa. This is NOT Los Angeles where it always warm and different birds exist.

Pesticides are far more worse than a feral cat ever will be, do you fertilizer your yard?

Domestic cats are actually more a problem to birds in general then feral cats too.

FCAT

Posted 1 year ago #
Gale
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I recommend Safeguard Pest Control. I used them for a mouse infestation a year or so ago in my garage. The problem was handled in one visit, although they thought it would take two.

1-877-743-1896 http://www.pestfree.net

Posted 1 year ago #
dmc
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I strongly recommend John from Adept Pest too. He was a suggestion by our neighbor. He is great and very considerate of our budget constraints. AND he got rid of the rat population that was using our attic as their litter box. The feral cat idea in combination with John might be the ticket!

Posted 1 year ago #
tom kelley
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Some years ago a pest-control professional told me that I should prune the trees away from my house. He said that one rodent problem we have here is attic rats that climb trees and and enter houses by that route. He went on to say that they live quietly and can go unnoticed for years. When discovered the clean up can be quite expensive. I have seen rats in trees but had never heard of an attic rat. Does anyone know about this?

Posted 1 year ago #
hammerhead
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Rats live everywhere and can go anywhere.

Posted 1 year ago #
waterworld
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Tom: Your pest professional was talking about roof rats (species rattus rattus). Roof rats are smaller than the other kind of rat that is common here, which is the Norway rat (rattus norvegicus). Roof rats like to live in attics and ceiling voids. They are agile and have long tails. Norway rats are heavier and like to stay down lower. They usually live in basements, sewers, cluttered garages, and the like.

If you have roof rats living in your attic, they will come out at night and go looking for food. Trees and power lines are their highways. Keeping tree limbs away from your roof does make it harder for roof rats to get around. So does closing off any tiny openings that lead from the outside into your attic.

Posted 1 year ago #
lucky chick
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Honestly, hammerhead, I'm not trying to insult anyone (and I don't appreciate your nastiness) but it's clear from your last post that you don't have a science background. The one little sliver of a topic I'm actually qualified to speak on is the impact of urbanization on songbirds. I'll certainly not post here again, but if the people considering letting cats loose want to discuss this, I'd very much like to hear what they have to say and welcome the opportunity for discussion. They can contact me directly at gavia_immer1960@yahoo.com.

Posted 1 year ago #
SarahScoot
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Lucky chick, FWIW I agree with you. To West Seattle Art Attack: why would you not make the same comments to hammerhead that you made to lucky chick? Hammerhead is giving advice based on her line of work, just as lucky chick is, only hammerhead's statements are only tenuously based in any fact. Her statements (on this particular thread and elsewhere on the blog) mainly serve her own purposes.

To the O.P.: I'd seriously consider some of the other suggestions here. Coyote (or other predator) urine is supposed to be fairly effective at deterring rodents, and there are plenty of other effective pest control methods. Even the dog suggestion is decent, but only if you actually have time to spend with a dog and are up for the commitment. Obviously you shouldn't just get a terrier and leave him to his own devices. :-) Good luck!

Posted 1 year ago #
justcuz
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hahaha! "gavia immer"? Sorry, but that's funny and maybe not the best choice - or if you did it on purpose, I do like your sense of humor :P

Posted 1 year ago #
SarahScoot
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So you think it's funny, justcuz, because lucky chick is a "loon"? Yes, wanting to protect our native wildlife population sure is loony. Much loonier than suggesting people take on domestic animals on as free-roaming pest control...
Yes, hammerhead does good work, but I don't understand why so many on here defend her to the death, especially when she's consistently so incredibly mean-spirited toward anyone who doesn't do exactly what she wants them to. It really gets old.

Posted 1 year ago #
JanS
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ok...is it just me..or does this whole thread sound like it's getting a bit personal? Hammerhead has been doing what she does for years..it's her business. She has educated herself. You really think she says these things to just be self-serving? Lucky Chick hasn't said what she does for a living...simply that she has one. This isn't helping anyone with their rodent population. Feral cats exist..we're not talking about domesticated animals here. If it were up to me, it would be a perfect world, and cats would live indoors. To say that domestic cats need to be outside is simply not true. But people allow them outside to roam - and that's a people problem. Here we are talking about feral cats, ones that can't be domesticated. Might as well make use of them. Do they kill birds? Probably. Are they solely responsible for killing all birds? Of course not. That doesn't mean that they shouldn't exist. What would Lucky Chick have people do with them...euthanize? That's a terrible solution. So, I've said my say. Can we get back to the OP's problem now? Geez!

Posted 1 year ago #
justcuz
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No, seriously thought it was funny and lucky chick could certainly have done it on purpose..."irony". You don't have to share my sense of humor.

Posted 1 year ago #
SarahScoot
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Jan, I agree with you, but the only comment on this thread that got "personal" was from WSAA (mocking lucky chick's knowledge on the subject). Hammerhead was condescending and rude toward lucky chick, but didn't get personal.
I just don't understand why it's ok for hammerhead to give advice without citing sources, but lucky chick is being knocked down despite citing numerous expert sources. Something is wrong with that, in my opinion.

Posted 1 year ago #
Luckie
Member Profile

I second the recommendation for John at Adept Pest Control. We had a really tricky rat problem for years, and he stuck with it until it was solved. We haven't had a problem since. He's very knowledgeable about rats.

Posted 1 year ago #
funkietoo
Member Profile

SarahScoot....thank you for always being so balanced in your statements. I agree with you...same behavior, same judgement.

I started TNR and socialization of the kittens at age 17, and am old as dirt now. ;0) If anyone wants to have offline discussions on how to solve and/or reduce the feral cat population in a humane manner--while balancing the needs of other urban and rural wildlife--please email me at funkietoo@hotmail.com. It is a complex issue, with no one right answer...but together, maybe we can come up with some great, humane solutions and ideas.

Posted 1 year ago #
curiouslyinquisitive
Member Profile

another suggestion - live traps. Ace hardware sells several sizes... I had rats climbing a couple of stories of my apartment building to reach my balcony and get to my bird feeder... I did not know how to get rid of them... I certainly did not want to poison them in fear of accidently poisoning birds, squirrels, etc... so I bought myself one of these handy dandy 'Havahart Live Animal Cage Traps'
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/ProductDetails.aspx?SKU=82518

They work amazingly well... dammed if I didnt get a creature every time I set the trap... in fact, I got critters even without having any bait. Over all it worked too well. my balcony is three stories above the parking lot... that said... I never caught a rat, but they never returned either... and Squirrels are pretty dumb or rather I should say based on my limited live trapping experience. Squirrels - taste like chicken so i've heard.

I stopped setting the trap and it, the trap, is just a part of my balcony landscape hoping to put the fear of being the next chicken like dinner in the minds of any rat that dares to set paw/foot onto my balcony!

Posted 1 year ago #
F16CrewChief
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Crows and seaguls are extremely territorial, could they be part of the blame for songbirds?

Schnauzers (sp) are great rodent dogs.

Posted 1 year ago #
roddy3
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We had rat problems for years, went through several different companies, none of which could do the job right, until Dominion Pest Control. Small friendly company, whose workers are also contractors, so they can do big house exterior fixes that most exterminators cannot do. In our case the critters would burrow underneath the exterior part of our chimney on our side beds and get into the house. Dominion dug deep enough to actually crawl inside the chimney and found nests, carcasses, you name it. None of the other companies even looked there. Three-year problem solved. http://www.dompest.com/miceandrats.html

Posted 1 year ago #
edenpest
Member Profile

Hi Alice,

I see you are looking for a solution to a rodent issue?

I represent Eden Advanced Pest Technologies (I see someone already referred Eden here)... and we are very local. We service Western Washington and Oregon, our main office is located in Olympia, but our biggest branch is in Seattle. Our excellent technician, Jesse, provides service to clients in West Seattle.

We specialize in Integrated Pest Management, which means we use a 4 level approach to treating pest concerns in an environmentally-friendly way.

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like more information about the pest control service we provide.

Our website is: http://www.edenpest.com
Contact: info@edenpest.com or call: 800.401.9935

-Brittani
Marketing Assistant
Eden Advanced Pest Technologies
BrittaniD@edenpest.com

Posted 1 year ago #
farmgirl
Member Profile

Thought I'd chime in here in support of feral cats for rodent control. My husband and I care for a small colony of feral cats with our next door neighbors in West Seattle. (They are stray domestic cats that mated two generations and formed a tight colony of about 9 total). Our neighbors recently trapped them and had them spayed and neutered by Feral Cat Assistance and Trapping http://www.feraltrapping.com. We haven't seen a rat or mouse since they arrived about 3 years ago. I have bird feeders out March through October and the cats don't go after the birds at all. Let's just say I've never seen a "gift" left by any of them. Anyway, I am convinced from my own experience that feral cat colonies, when cared for appropriately, can live natural healthy lives and keep rodents away.

Posted 1 year ago #
ToddinWestwood
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chupachabras?

Posted 1 year ago #
MYZZER
Member Profile

Hope this helps someone later.

Wow! The ideas people spread. Hello everyone, I'm Myzzer, leading authority on poison free rodent control. How do I know that? Because while all the other pest control companies work on bugs & other things, we're RODENTS ONLY. It's the difference between a "shoe" & a Nike. We're the one's who come behind Orkin & Terminix to do what they can't. 22,000 houses in Wash, Ore., & California can't be wrong. We are the ones who suggested a rodent poison ban to the EPA that goes into effect June 11th, 2011. If you'd like to know more about me google Myzzer.

To your problem. Cats? Really? If you want a cat, get a healthy one for yourself & forget about using 'em for rodent control. Rats move through the walls where cats can't follow. I can show you pictures of giant rats & cats that needed drain tubes put in their head after a rat bite infection. #2 If the cat eats the rat he could get very sick. #3 Why would you invite a whole new set of problems with feral cats, like fleas, etc. #4 Although this may have worked for someone the same way pouring onion soup down a mole tunnel might work for a while. In fact, rats are very cautious about anything new. Lots of things can make them disappear for a short time, but to truly fix the problem #1 Find the entry points outside the house and seal with steel screen. #2 Get 6 traps/No poisons #3 Make sure there is no food available inside for the rat, like cat food, bird seed, fruit bowls, or anything in your pantry. If you catch more than 6 you need to go back over the house for additional holes. Also, keep the tree branches away from your roofline 3-5 feet. No rat ladders.

I hope this helped, or at least keeps you out of the feral cat business. Feral cats are a horrible problem in L.A. & I'd hate to see Seattle go the same direction.

Of coarse, you could always just give the rat a name... how about Louie?

Thanks for reading THE MYZZER
Call Myzzer if you need more help. (206)250-5895

Posted 12 months ago #
hammerhead
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Guess who is the cause of feral cats HUMANS.

Posted 12 months ago #
MYZZER
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Indeed. And I'm sure bringing feral cats around makes you real popular with your neighbors, does wonders for property values, and invites the worst flea infestation since the black plague. Most people I've seen who feed feral cats also have a hoarding problem that gives the cats lots of places to hide. DON'T MAKE YOUR PROBLEM WORSE with half-ass solutions. Rat problems are serious. Fix it right, be a good neighbor, & be done with it.

Posted 12 months ago #
justcuz
Member Profile

Excellent fear-mongering, myzzer, not to mention use of gross misrepresentations/assumptions. I especially like the references to the black plague and some mysterious disease from the Korean War (seriously?) on your website. Of course, you make money over there in Bellevue if you convince people to go your way, right? Not the case for those discussing ferals here. I'll give you points for being poison-free, but your sales tactics are less-than-desirable.

Posted 12 months ago #
hammerhead
Member Profile

I am not a hoarder nor do I have a problem, and a few feral cats are NOT going to bring down the value of ones property, the economy did that.

My neighbors are very pleased with me I got the feral cat problem FIXED and the mole situation seems to have disappeared too. People have pretty lawns again.

http://www.king5.com/community/blogs/the-pet-dish/Got-mice-King-Co-offering-free-barn-cats-121182819.html

Sorry I couldn't make the url smaller don't know how. King county animal control supports barn cats and they don't make any money on it, but our tax money is saved by NOT killing the feral cats.

FCAT

Posted 12 months ago #