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February 20, 2011 at 9:45 am #717543
GaleMemberI 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
February 20, 2011 at 8:46 pm #717544
dmcMemberI 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!
February 20, 2011 at 9:47 pm #717545
tom kelleyParticipantSome 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?
February 20, 2011 at 10:06 pm #717546
hammerheadParticipantRats live everywhere and can go anywhere.
February 21, 2011 at 12:31 am #717547
waterworldParticipantTom: 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.
February 21, 2011 at 12:50 am #717548
lucky chickMemberHonestly, 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.
February 21, 2011 at 1:01 am #717549
JustSarahParticipantLucky 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!
February 21, 2011 at 1:03 am #717550
justcuzMemberhahaha! “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
February 21, 2011 at 1:08 am #717551
JustSarahParticipantSo 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.
February 21, 2011 at 1:11 am #717552
JanSParticipantok…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!
February 21, 2011 at 1:13 am #717553
justcuzMemberNo, 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.
February 21, 2011 at 1:21 am #717554
JustSarahParticipantJan, 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.
February 21, 2011 at 1:32 am #717555
LuckieParticipantI 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.
February 21, 2011 at 7:36 am #717556
funkietooParticipantSarahScoot….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.
February 21, 2011 at 9:23 am #717557
curiouslyinquisitiveMemberanother 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!
February 21, 2011 at 2:01 pm #717558
F16CrewChiefMemberCrows and seaguls are extremely territorial, could they be part of the blame for songbirds?
Schnauzers (sp) are great rodent dogs.
February 21, 2011 at 4:52 pm #717559
roddy3ParticipantWe 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
February 21, 2011 at 10:26 pm #717560
edenpestMemberHi 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
March 9, 2011 at 2:11 am #717561
farmgirlMemberThought 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.
March 9, 2011 at 2:14 am #717562
ToddinWestwoodMemberchupachabras?
May 29, 2011 at 6:45 pm #717563
MYZZERMemberHope 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
May 29, 2011 at 8:37 pm #717564
hammerheadParticipantGuess who is the cause of feral cats HUMANS.
May 31, 2011 at 12:29 pm #717565
MYZZERMemberIndeed. 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.
May 31, 2011 at 1:18 pm #717566
justcuzMemberExcellent 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.
May 31, 2011 at 3:00 pm #717567
hammerheadParticipantI 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.
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
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