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Rats and Mice revisited

Posted by helen 
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helen
Rats and Mice revisited
May 02, 2018 08:31AM
We seem to have an ongoing issue with rats and mice that gets worse (obviously) at this time of year.
Today I bought a plug in sonar repellant thing. Don't really know how to explain it except that you plug it in and it repels rodents over an area.
I am thinking I might need to buy a few but at around $100 each I do want to make sure that they work.
Has anyone else used these?
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mantilla
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 02, 2018 11:25AM
I will be interested to hear how the sonar repellant plug in works Helen - we too have current problems with mice getting inside. But, I have been a bit hesitant around the safety of these being plugged in continuously - so does anyone else use these & receommending them too? Thanks, am keen to hear more
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Barbara Anne
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 02, 2018 10:35PM
We have had a couple of these devices for years (one at each end of the house) and I can report that they do work. They emit a high frequency sound (outside the range of human hearing), which rats and mice don't like. However don't expect immediate results - you need to have them on permanently so that said rodents get to know that your place is an uncomfortable place to be and they will gradually avoid it.

We live in the bush so you would expect to have a few problems, especially at this time of year as temperatures drop, but I can honestly say that the only evidence of rats or mice that I have seen for years are dead ones on the drive with a very smug looking cat hovering around!

Regards,

Barbara Anne



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2018 10:39PM by Barbara Anne.
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Irene Field
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 02, 2018 10:58PM
We also have two in our home and no evidence. My electrician son also said that by plugging them in there is something transmitted via the wiring (he gave a more technical explanation which went over my head), and due to this, it also prevents vermin chewing on wiring in hidden parts of the home.
I have also seen these used in a factory office where they used to find mice droppings in cupboards, in the lunchroom and on the desk - absolutely not a single dropping in sight now for several years
Definitely worth the cost
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helen
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 03, 2018 05:12AM
We now have 3 plugged in at our place and yes as well as the high pitched sound (not even dog is bothered by it) they do send something along the electrical current that makes it uncomfortable for rodents (and cockroaches) to exist in the area covered.
Our house seems to have a plague of rodents so I am really hoping these work.
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Irene Field
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 03, 2018 05:32AM
Cockroaches!! Don't get me started. I didn't know but they fly, and had one land on my neck. One huge black one scurry across my desk while I was working - they are all the horrible black ones, George even had one land on his face one night after we hopped in to bed - that sent me into violent hysterics.. I hate doing it but we have resorted to using cockroach bombs, but the frequency seems to be getting better. Initially it was every 3 months, and we have been able to extend that out to 4 or 5 months now. Have found the Mor***n 3 pack more effective with no messy residue as opposed to R**d, which also comes in a 3 pack

So after our experience with Cockroaches, followed by a bad bout of Pantry Moths, once I saw one mouse in the house - I insisted on two electronic zappers.
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CarolynC
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 03, 2018 07:10AM
Great hints, thanks for these! Although my occasional rodent problem is due to cats bringing them in and then losing interest, so I don't think a zapper will be of much use for thatsmiling smiley. I wish there was a rodent detector on the cat door that would slam it shut when it could detect a cat carrying one approaching. And can I add to that a skink detector as well.
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Jenna
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 03, 2018 07:44AM
Oh Carolyn, I'm with you there on the rodent detecting cat door. The last week one of our three cats have brought in about 20 live mice. Usually we can catch and dispatch them, but I am very quickly tiring of having to chase mice around the living room at 3am. I'm not sure which is worse, live mice or the same cat's habit of regularly bringing in half a rabbit, always the rear half, and leaving it under my desk chair to snack on at a later time.
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CarolynC
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 03, 2018 07:49AM
Argh, Jenna! Twenty in a week is hectic! The mice I don't mind so much, it's the rats. Getting rid of one of those required an all-nighter, so I sympathise with your 3 a.m. mouse huntssmiling smiley.
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Lorna
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 06, 2018 03:02AM
Irene, I've been scattering bay leaves around my pantry shelves for years now, and also putting one or two in every packet and jar of dried goods. Have never had pantry moths in any of the houses I've lived in! Wonderful deterrent and cheap, too.

Re the cats, rats and mice problem, I've had that for years, but now I keep my 'new' cat locked in from dusk to almost dawn and so far I haven't had a mouse or rat brought in. Can't say the same for the birds, though. And she always takes them under my bed to despatch them!
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Irene Field
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 06, 2018 03:04AM
Lorna we already had the bay leaves scattered and it did not stop the pantry moths!
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TPANDAV
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 06, 2018 04:27AM
I tried festoons of bay leaves to deter pantry moths and it had no effect. The cardboard pantry moth traps you can buy at garden centres work quite well. The eggs arrive in all sorts of dried goods, particularly grains and flours but also spices.

We've been clear of them since I changed our eating habits to grain-free; I cleared out the pantry of all grains, flours and dried legumes, checked and discarded many infested spices (including chilli flakes) and set up pantry moth traps for a few months.

These days I keep white rice, rolled oats and lentils, all in lidded containers, and so far so good.
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J1
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 11, 2018 05:03AM
There's a great trap to dispatch multiple rodents called Goodnature [www.goodnature.co.nz] It is for outdoors but if you're killing them outside your house, it means less inside it. And great for the environment as a whole - less rats eating birds' eggs, etc. Developed by New Zealanders for extermination of many of our pests in a much more efficient and labour-saving way.
Here's a video put out by Goodnature, showing how one urban NZ mother got rid of her severe rat problem within a month - [www.youtube.com]
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helen
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
May 17, 2018 02:52AM
Thanks for the reminder J1, I do think that having a Goodnature trap in the garden is sensible.
Our small street have been talking about collectively working to reduce rats in our neighbourhood so perhaps this is the way to go.
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Noel
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 11, 2018 07:55AM
I tried one of them in desperation to try and rid cockroaches from my kitchen, they don't work for them in fact I have seem the devils sitting on one while it was going! Can'T comment on rats and mice though.
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helen
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 11, 2018 10:51PM
We STILL have rats.
I have tried cubes of bait, bait granules (in different places), rat traps with peanut butter or jam or oats and honey, mint oil as a deterrent, plus I have 3 plug into the wall things that came at a cost of $119 each!
I am tearing my hair out.
I spoke to Good Nature and yes we could put up one of their traps outside but it has to be near where they feed and I have no idea where they are feeding. Our compost bins are garden waste only. Fruit and vegetable scraps are in the hungry bin that has a secure lid. I really don't know what they are eating. I know they are not in my kitchen as I have everything in plastic containers plus have tried dusting the floor with flour and checking for footprints in the morning etc...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2018 02:40AM by helen.
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J1
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 11, 2018 11:58PM
Good Nature (traps) supply rodent detector kits which "show the places where rodents feel safe to eat and where they can therefore be trapped. They contain a long-life lure and when setting traps around the home, bach, sheds they’re the most important tool to use in site selection." See the predatorfreenz website for easy access info [shop.predatorfreenz.org] and then this is a goodnature pdf document about the detector kits [www.goodnature.co.nz] and here's a goodnature video about using the rodent detector kits [www.youtube.com]
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Barbara Anne
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 12, 2018 02:42AM
Helen, until you find what it is that is attracting them, you are fighting an uphill battle.

The attraction may not be at your place in particular, but in the general vicinity - have you spoken to your neighbours? Do they have similar problems? Do they have compost bins?

Regards,

Barbara Anne



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2018 02:55AM by Barbara Anne.
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helen
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 12, 2018 12:04PM
Hi Barbara Anne, funnily enough my neighbours looked at me with pity when I emailed out to suggest we get the Good Nature traps as they don't have rats. It is only at our place...
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Barbara Anne
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 13, 2018 01:32AM
Well that's interesting, Helen. I am starting to wonder if the rats are attracted to something that you have growing in your garden (that the neighbours don't have). There are certain plants that they like to build nests in - flax, I believe, is one of them.

Regards,

Barbara Anne



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2018 01:34AM by Barbara Anne.
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helen
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 13, 2018 05:46AM
I do have citrus falling off the trees but am trying to clear that up as quickly as it drops.
Not sure if rats love limes or not. smiling smiley
I am feeling so guilty re the bait (cruelty) but it seems to be the only thing that is being taken. My lovely Pics peanut butter traps are just sitting there.
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Plates
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 13, 2018 08:17AM
Have you tried stopping composting to see if its the compost bin smells etc that attract them?
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jj
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 13, 2018 12:42PM
This is probably irrelevant because you have granules but when we had rats about twenty years ago in our garage we had cubes of poison which disappeared regularly and we still had rats. The council told us to crush the cubes because the rats were taking them away and storing them for the future. Once we crushed the bait we got rid of our rats.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2018 12:43PM by jj.
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helen
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 13, 2018 09:07PM
JJ yes I did use the cubes initially but now using blue coloured grain. I add a bit of peanut butter to the mix as well.
Plates the compost bins are prabably half way to compost so shouldn’t be creating any aroma. I do put fruit/vegetable scraps in the hungry bin and worm farm but these are rodent proof. In the last few days I have put the bait in a different spot and it has been eaten. Hopefully numbers will start to reduce.
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Barbara Anne
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 14, 2018 02:04AM
Yes, Helen, rats do like fruit. Also I was reading somewhere that rats behave a bit like ants in that they send out a leader to check out sources of food and then relay the message back to the mob who then arrive en masse. So there is something at your place that has attracted and continues to attract them.

I tend to agree with Plates - stop composting and see if that makes any difference.

Regards,

Barbara Anne
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helen
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 23, 2018 04:05AM
On a very funny (or not) note about rats and what they eat. Seems that this one had an expensive appetite! Yikes.
Rat consumes thousands of dollars.
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Lorna
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 23, 2018 10:42PM
A victimless crime! As nobody's bank account was plundered, and as the bank gets the money from the Reserve Bank, I suppose all they have to do is print enough to replace it. Nobody's loss. As they say in accounting, it was only a loss on paper. I wonder who ratted on the creature?
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helen
Re: Rats and Mice revisited
June 24, 2018 05:44AM
Haha love it Lorna.
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