[Jima64]

Originally Posted by Boomer

I hope concerned readers will take note of the general advice previously given here in this thread -- even though the rat problem getting the attention is in a specific area where earth is being moved.

I thought I had learned everything I could about queen palms when we bought a house that had them. I took very good care of them.....for a while. The maintenance of queen palms gets old........Then I read about palm rats........They got bigger and bigger (the queen palms not rats) and those palm fronds began to graze our roof.........and it looked to me like if rats could be in those palms, though unseen, well, it would not be much of a leap. (shudder) And so..........

We had our queen palms taken out.

I do not want a grill on our lanai. Mr. Boomer want(ed) a grill. We do not have a grill. We can get our cheeseburger fix somewhere else, like the Ramshackle Cafe in Leesburg. (If we were here all the time, I would be OK with a grill.....maybe. But I could imagine returning after being gone for a few weeks and finding Chuck E. Cheese and Templeton running a resort on our lanai.)

We do not provide cafeteria service for creatures outside.

Proactive Boomer

Agree with you about the palms. I do keep a small gas weber and keep it very clean. Rats I really do hate.

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by Boomer

I hope concerned readers will take note of the general advice previously given here in this thread -- even though the rat problem getting the attention is in a specific area where earth is being moved.

I thought I had learned everything I could about queen palms when we bought a house that had them. I took very good care of them.....for a while. The maintenance of queen palms gets old........Then I read about palm rats........They got bigger and bigger (the queen palms not rats) and those palm fronds began to graze our roof.........and it looked to me like if rats could be in those palms, though unseen, well, it would not be much of a leap. (shudder) And so..........

We had our queen palms taken out.

I do not want a grill on our lanai. Mr. Boomer want(ed) a grill. We do not have a grill. We can get our cheeseburger fix somewhere else, like the Ramshackle Cafe in Leesburg. (If we were here all the time, I would be OK with a grill.....maybe. But I could imagine returning after being gone for a few weeks and finding Chuck E. Cheese and Templeton running a resort on our lanai.)

We do not provide cafeteria service for creatures outside.

Proactive Boomer

What did you replace the Queens with?

[2BNTV]

I had a rat problem in my attic, as they ate through the telephone wires, twice!!!!! I called Massey and they sent a new person who was inexperienced. They did stuff the corners with metal meshing that rats can't eat through but the problem was not solved, as they caught nothing in the attic.

The second time someone came, they resolved the problem. Believe it or not, beef jerky works the best as bait. Caught two in the attic and one in a trap on the outside if the house. Usually, the bait on the outside traps is eaten but the offending rat, goes somewhere else to die.

Be sure the end caps are on your roof and they are secure. Rats can clime up the side of your home with no problem, palm trees or not.

If your phone line goes dead, you may have a rat problem. My friend thought I was crazy, when I suggested, this could be the problem. Telephone company verified dial tone into the house but lost the dial tone, at the jack.

The person from Massey informed me, there are a few homes, that have this problem. I wasn't the only one. YUCK!!!

Whew, I'm glad that's resolved!!!

BTW - Rats are everywhere. Some are the two legged kind.

[gomoho]

Be careful of putting out bait. If a rat eats it and still has an entry point into your home, that is likely the place he will go to die.

[Railcruiser]

we have been in Duval more than 8 years. The 1st 5 were rat free. Tried several companies. Traps just seem to attract more rats. Stopped wasting money. Seeing less rats

[Go Dawgs]

I would give Deans (352-787-5300) a call rather than trying to mess with these monsters yourself.

[aninjamom]

We took out most of our palms because we didn't like them. Nothing wrong with feeding the birds! Use good quality seed and the birds get it before any rats do. The joy we get out of seeing the birds outweighs any fear of rats. We had one hanging around, and a trap took care of that fast. If you didn't want to interact with "nature", you shouldn't have moved to Florida!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by aninjamom

we took out most of our palms because we didn't like them. Nothing wrong with feeding the birds! Use good quality seed and the birds get it before any rats do. the joy we get out of seeing the birds outweighs any fear of rats. we had one hanging around, and a trap took care of that fast. If you didn't want to interact with "nature", you shouldn't have moved to florida!

oic

[lamplighter]

Rats are all over Florida not just The Villalges and not just because you planted a palm tree or didn't feed a starving kitty in the morning only. New areas are especially prone but not enough to get paranoid. If they are around your place, call a pro, fix the problem and relax. Don't go out of your way to attract them just be attentive. They mainly are looking to eat so that is a big hint. It seems if a rodent, reptile or insect can live anywhere it can live in Florida but not just here in The Villages. For the truly paranoid, it's a good thing you are here and not in one of the more wild areas .... The nature lovers love.

[Kitty Litter]

Please do not leave poison outside to kill rats. If another animal eats the poison intended for the rat (or eats the dead rat) they too will die an excruciating death. All of you who feed and care for feral cats, please continue to do so. Feral cats keep rats AWAY simply by their predator pheromones. (Goggle using feral cats to control the rodent population.) I care for two ferals. They are neutered and vaccinated. They are fed twice a day, have fresh water and shelter. They earn their keep - WE HAVE NO RATS.

[Retiring]

I was truly looking forward to one day having lots of palm trees. Is that a bad idea? I had no idea there was a downside to palms. I did know they shouldn’t be close to the house where they can be used as a rodent ladder to your roof. I didn’t know they attract rats?

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Retiring

I was truly looking forward to one day having lots of palm trees. Is that a bad idea? I had no idea there was a downside to palms. I did know they shouldn’t be close to the house where they can be used as a rodent ladder to your roof. I didn’t know they attract rats?

As you can see, lots of people have palms, and The Villages plants palms. You can just call them Palm squirrels and continue with your plan.

[Chi-Town]

Originally Posted by Kitty Litter

Please do not leave poison outside to kill rats. If another animal eats the poison intended for the rat (or eats the dead rat) they too will die an excruciating death. All of you who feed and care for feral cats, please continue to do so. Feral cats keep rats AWAY simply by their predator pheromones. (Goggle using feral cats to control the rodent population.) I care for two ferals. They are neutered and vaccinated. They are fed twice a day, have fresh water and shelter. They earn their keep - WE HAVE NO RATS.

A well fed feral cat still enjoys killing rats. It's what they do.

[Retiring]

Oh brother, there’s always something.

I’m not a cat fan but I know they hunt rats. What is the downside to feeding feral cats? Is the problem overpopulation? If putting out some kitty chow and water keeps the rats away, isn’t that a good thing? When you put out cat food how do you keep the rodents from getting to it first?

I’ve not had good experience with bird feeders. The squirrels, or rats, seem to find a way to the food. The last feeder I tried was a “squirrel proof” feeder. Any more than an ounce of weight on the perch and the food is blocked. It actually worked as advertised. A squirrel, or rat, could not get to the food but it still tried. Still had rodents on the feeder, just not eating.

[Jima64]

Originally Posted by Kitty Litter

Please do not leave poison outside to kill rats. If another animal eats the poison intended for the rat (or eats the dead rat) they too will die an excruciating death. All of you who feed and care for feral cats, please continue to do so. Feral cats keep rats AWAY simply by their predator pheromones. (Goggle using feral cats to control the rodent population.) I care for two ferals. They are neutered and vaccinated. They are fed twice a day, have fresh water and shelter. They earn their keep - WE HAVE NO RATS.

Rat poison placed outside should always be put in the heavy plastic bait boxes. It is illegal for pest control techs to do otherwise. Homeowners should be required also. Some rat bait blocks are apple and also peanut butter flavored so you can see that other animals will get to it if left out in the open.