Keeping rats out of our homes

[HimandMe]

Feed him in the morning or leave him alone.55043

[graciegirl]

Feed him in the morning or leave him alone.55043



Please help me. Why is this nice cat's picture posted? I can't read the stuff on the picture.

As far as I have ever heard here in The Villages there are no rats trying to get into our homes. There are palm rats who hang around palm trees. But not the rattus rattus variety like in horror films.

I love cats by the way. Love, love, them.

[Chi-Town]

It's from the Foundation for Homeless Cats. Homeless, not feral.

[rubicon]

I am afraid of rats but only four kinds big, little, alive, dead

[manaboutown]

I smell a rat!

Actually, some cats are great mousers, including one in my neighborhood who leaves one it killed at my front door as a nice present from time to time.

[Whalen]

This is the program called TNR, trap, neuter, return.

This link explains it well:

TNR at Work - Disneyland Finds Balance with Feral Cats - Alley Cat Allies (http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=873)

[dbussone]

This is the program called TNR, trap, neuter, return.



This link explains it well:



TNR at Work - Disneyland Finds Balance with Feral Cats - Alley Cat Allies (http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=873)


For the rats?

[angiefox10]

Actually yes there are rats trying to get into our lanais and they are chewing through the screens to do it. Not just one home but several. Not just one hole but several. They are trapping them on the lanais

I have put out peppermint oil around the birdcage to keep them away.

[Gerald]

Well, what a nerve, trying to kill the rats.
How about the poor rats, All they are looking to do is find a little food. Say hello to a rat today. Protect the rats. Save a rat and you may go to heaven. Donate money to the rat fund. Care of me. No change please. They mess up the printer when printing them out.

[Jima64]

I smell a rat!

Actually, some cats are great mousers, including one in my neighborhood who leaves one it killed at my front door as a nice present from time to time.

Has it ever left a full size roof rat on your doorstep. Would be one heck of a cat if it did. Seriously the rats can get really large and I wouldn't want to depend on a cat for them. Try some rat bait in a plastic container that keeps other animals out of it.

[mtdjed]

Join AARP

Adopt a Rat Program

Rats in The Villages - Just take a look around the restaurants and in front of the Colony Plaza stores. What do you think those black plastic containers are for?

[Jima64]

If you are worried about rats getting onto the lanai make sure you do not leave any petfood out. They do make a rodent bait filled plastic container that you can set out. It is made so that when you catch the rat you throw it away. Of course the rat eats the bait and dies.

[gap2415]

When they were constructing homes here there were rats around, one got into our garage. He was about 3 times the size of a big mouse. Other neighbors were complaining about them too. It was the lunch bags left behind from the workers. Lately the new areas seem to be cleaner so someone must have looked after it.

Unless helped, homeless cats have short miserable lives. Putting a small dish food out in the morning stops some of the night predators getting it as you can take it back inside if not gone in a few hours. These homeless versus feral cats seem to know who the caring people are and when to come. They are fixed, vaccinated and just want to live.

[jpvillager]

If you have/leave a grill or cook on the lanai, leave food scraps or pet food rats will chew thru the screen to get in. Also keep you palms trimmed away from the roof so the palm rats have no easy access to the house.

[Topspinmo]

What if it's lazy cat like this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOMbCX691II

[FosterMomma]

Rats? Yikers!

[HimandMe]

Rats are everywhere not just here but we have disturbed the environment than has been a haven for creatures until we got here and began building.

[Jima64]

My car was giving me problems hard shifting and a low power engine warning common to HHRs. Dealer found two cable bundles which had been chewed on and caused a short in a sensor. I never chase cats away that might be hanging out near my car after that.

[Patty55]

I read on the internet that a new hunting club is starting up hunting all the wildlife in the villages. Rats, possum and coyotes better watch out.

[justjim]

Never seen a rat in TV and it's been 10 years. Don't know a neighbor or friend that has seen one either. I'm not saying they aren't here but Iam saying they must be pretty rare.

[Topspinmo]

Seen few palm rats, about tripped over one at Miona rec center by the basketball court.

[big guy]

Actually yes there are rats trying to get into our lanais and they are chewing through the screens to do it. Not just one home but several. Not just one hole but several. They are trapping them on the lanais

I have put out peppermint oil around the birdcage to keep them away.

A neighbor had rats chewing into her birdcage. She doesn't have a pet and there was no food source there. Massey told her that the overgrown situation and banana trees (with little bananas) behind her were attracting them. And they were rattus rattus.

[rubicon]

There has to be a source of interest (food) for rats to want to enter a lanai or birdcage. Nothing is full proof but I keep foilage low and open and away from my house. I keep my grill very clean to remove as much food odor that may draw them and I keep my garage door/screen down all the time

This place is loaded with rodents and all sort of other critters anywhere and everywhere and to ignore that fact may create future problems for you

[gap2415]

Our two cats have now been put on patrol! They may not catch anything but what creatures come near seem to run away and go elsewhere.

[Love2Swim]

We recently had problems with them on our lanai. We have no food source out there or anything that you would think rats would be attracted to. The side panel on our hot tub was off and they actually went in the hot tub and bored holes through the insulation and probably established a nest in there. We managed to get them out of the hot tub by trapping, but they are still chewing holes through the screens on the lanai and getting in the lanai. We found out our next-door neighbor has also had an issue with rats chewing the holes in their screens onto their lanai and they just have a hot tub on their lanai, again, no food source. And the neighbors on the other side of us have heard noises overhead in their attic which they are wondering are rats. They spoke to the Massey people who said there is a large infestation in one of the villages near Sumter Landing so these are not isolated cases. We live in a tropical environment and rats are certainly present. The reason people don't see them during the day is because they tend to be nocturnal.

[Sandtrap328]

Our two cats have now been put on patrol! They may not catch anything but what creatures come near seem to run away and go elsewhere.

Please do not let your cats loose outdoors.

It is dangerous for the cats as well as for the birds.

[Jima64]

We recently had problems with them on our lanai. We have no food source out there or anything that you would think rats would be attracted to. The side panel on our hot tub was off and they actually went in the hot tub and bored holes through the insulation and probably established a nest in there. We managed to get them out of the hot tub by trapping, but they are still chewing holes through the screens on the lanai and getting in the lanai. We found out our next-door neighbor has also had an issue with rats chewing the holes in their screens onto their lanai and they just have a hot tub on their lanai, again, no food source. And the neighbors on the other side of us have heard noises overhead in their attic which they are wondering are rats. They spoke to the Massey people who said there is a large infestation in one of the villages near Sumter Landing so these are not isolated cases. We live in a tropical environment and rats are certainly present. The reason people don't see them during the day is because they tend to be nocturnal.

When I cleaned my tub I found a lot of nesting material underneath it. Put some bait there and no more problems. Most rat bait now will cause them to leave and seek water. This helps keep them from dying in isolated spots with the terrible odor. They are also going to lookf or the tubs for the warmth as the weather starts cooling down.

[gap2415]

Please do not let your cats loose outdoors.

It is dangerous for the cats as well as for the birds.

OuR cats are restricted to house and lanai where they hold court.

[Chi-Town]

Our two cats have now been put on patrol! They may not catch anything but what creatures come near seem to run away and go elsewhere.
Our cat patrols the lanai and birdcage like a Roman centurion protects the Empire after watching Natural Born Killers.

[gap2415]

Our cat patrols the lanai and birdcage like a Roman centurion protects the Empire after watching Natural Born Killers.

Our cats patrol in opposite directions passing in the middle, pity the poor little lizard that might choose our lanai to enter.

[graciegirl]

We recently had problems with them on our lanai. We have no food source out there or anything that you would think rats would be attracted to. The side panel on our hot tub was off and they actually went in the hot tub and bored holes through the insulation and probably established a nest in there. We managed to get them out of the hot tub by trapping, but they are still chewing holes through the screens on the lanai and getting in the lanai. We found out our next-door neighbor has also had an issue with rats chewing the holes in their screens onto their lanai and they just have a hot tub on their lanai, again, no food source. And the neighbors on the other side of us have heard noises overhead in their attic which they are wondering are rats. They spoke to the Massey people who said there is a large infestation in one of the villages near Sumter Landing so these are not isolated cases. We live in a tropical environment and rats are certainly present. The reason people don't see them during the day is because they tend to be nocturnal.





Hmmmft.

[Jima64]

Any business that puts food out in the dumpster is feeding rats. It falls on the ground when emptied and if not covered they can climb in. They go where the food and protection from the cold is.

[gap2415]

With professional thieves working the area, keeping the rats out takes on a whole new meaning. Has anyone installed good outdoor cameras that they recommend?

[Love2Swim]

I googled rats in The Villages, and found an old thread from 2012 where people on TOTV were discussing the rat population here, so apparently it's nothing new.

[graciegirl]

I googled rats in The Villages, and found an old thread from 2012 where people on TOTV were discussing the rat population here, so apparently it's nothing new.



Here is one of my all time favorite rat threads.

Boomer does give us..."Never smile at a crocodile" and another poem... and that was entertaining. I am predictably defending the developers and there is back and forth and back and forth and back and forth between two posters ...on and on an on...apparently the moddies were on vacation. There are folks who post who still post under different names.


No wonder people are sick of me. Nothing changes around here.


https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/rats-alligators-14999/?highlight=rats+center

[CatskillBill]

Rats are everywhere not just here but we have disturbed the environment than has been a haven for creatures until we got here and began building.

You make me feel so guilty for disrupting the environment here, that I think I will dismantle my home and let it go back to nature. Maybe I'll go live in a tent in the Ocala Forest. On second thought, that wouldn't work either. I might disturb some other creature. Humans are the root of all evil in the world.

[pbkmaine]

Our cats patrol in opposite directions passing in the middle, pity the poor little lizard that might choose our lanai to enter.


+1. My husband and I have had to form our own Lizard Rescue Society to pick up the lizards they catch and put them outside. They were great at catching the field mice that occasionally found their way into our prior homes, so I assume they would really enjoy a rat.

[gap2415]

+1. My husband and I have had to form our own Lizard Rescue Society to pick up the lizards they catch and put them outside. They were great at catching the field mice that occasionally found their way into our prior homes, so I assume they would really enjoy a rat.

Yes, but my overfed two do not kill anything but render them unconscious after playing catch and release. They are so proud of what they catch showing it off as if to say they could help fill the food supply if really necessary. We trap what they catch in a upside down jar, slide a paper or cardboard under it and flip over....then carry it back outside sometimes to a field for release. Now a rat, I think I would put a pail over and a rock on top and wait for someone big and strong to come get him.

[gap2415]

You make me feel so guilty for disrupting the environment here, that I think I will dismantle my home and let it go back to nature. Maybe I'll go live in a tent in the Ocala Forest. On second thought, that wouldn't work either. I might disturb some other creature. Humans are the root of all evil in the world.

Ha,ha....that's not my response but especially as I get older the awareness that we live in a shared world looms brighter and more often. The nature preserve is quite an addition to The Villages.

[FosterMomma]

I'm willing to share the earth with rats and critters as long as they take the outside and I can have the inside. :(

[graciegirl]

I'm willing to share the earth with rats and critters as long as they take the outside and I can have the inside. :(



I like the way that sounds. I bet we will see it on a plaque soon at Bealls.

[OhSunny1]

Please help me. Why is this nice cat's picture posted? I can't read the stuff on the picture.

As far as I have ever heard here in The Villages there are no rats trying to get into our homes. There are palm rats who hang around palm trees. But not the rattus rattus variety like in horror films.

I love cats by the way. Love, love, them.

Yes, there are rats in The Villages!!
A few years back I had a bird feeder in front of a kitchen window --and I began to hear "chewing" noises under my house. On inspection --I found I had rats --they had dug a hole against the house under the feeder--needless to say --it was me or them ---I had D-Con put under the house --got rid of the feeder---no more rats for years now.

[graciegirl]

Yes, there are rats in The Villages!!
A few years back I had a bird feeder in front of a kitchen window --and I began to hear "chewing" noises under my house. On inspection --I found I had rats --they had dug a hole against the house under the feeder--needless to say --it was me or them ---I had D-Con put under the house --got rid of the feeder---no more rats for years now.



One of the first things we heard, words of advice from veteran Florida dwellers is not to feed the wildlife. Some say that the beautiful big birds will peck holes in your screen if they get used to you feeding them and stop.


Feeding birds brings a lot of critters and their food chain friends, none of which I like to hang out with; snakes, rodents, opossum, coyotes. etc. etc.

[Fallchicks2]

Graciegirl, if you click on the picture of the cat, it comes in clearer and you will be able to read it.

[JohnRR]

Go on line. Look up how to get rid of rats? Google it.

[Love2Swim]

This is a link from the University of Florida that contains a lot of good information about roof rats, their habits, how to control, etc. Apparently September - March is the season when they show up doing damage. SSWEC120/UW120: Control of Roof Rats in Fruit Trees (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw120)

[stujake]

I friend of ours in the Village of Sanibel found a rat who got its head into her bird feeder. The rat had such a good time, he filled its mouth with so much food that it could not swallow or get its head out of the bird feeder. It must have suffocated and died in that position - head in the bird feeder and the rest hanging out. End of rat and end of bird feeder. A word of advice: If you have a bird feeder on a post of any kind, do not put it close to the shrubbery, even if you have a circular ring to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeder.

[Linda Ann]

Yes, I have seen rats in The Villages. One area I saw them was the outside of the pool wall at Lake Miona rec center Pool. Rats dwell in the dead palms of the palm trees, where they take shelter. The dead palms should be dealt with.

[Jima64]

This is a link from the University of Florida that contains a lot of good information about roof rats, their habits, how to control, etc. Apparently September - March is the season when they show up doing damage. SSWEC120/UW120: Control of Roof Rats in Fruit Trees (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw120)

Yes they are looking to get in out of the weather.

[mulligan]

Yes, I have seen rats in The Villages. One area I saw them was the outside of the pool wall at Lake Miona rec center Pool. Rats dwell in the dead palms of the palm trees, where they take shelter. The dead palms should be dealt with.

they also nest in the live palms. Should we deal with those too ?

[graciegirl]

they also nest in the live palms. Should we deal with those too ?



Mulligan. Mulligan. Mulligan. You are a silver tongued devil.


Your fan,
Gracie.

[graciegirl]

Central Florida Rodent;




http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140917132903/the-disney-roleplay/images/d/d4/Mickey-mouse-659.jpg

[Jima64]

They do make a sealed bait box for rats that pets cannot get into. You could put one at the base of the palm. Ther are also bait boxes that look like stones.

[Topspinmo]

They do make a sealed bait box for rats that pets cannot get into. You could put one at the base of the palm. Ther are also bait boxes that look like stones.


Goodwill by Walmart off 466 by the railroad tracks has them in the back brand new plastic looking thing with two holes and sealed bait middle you can put rat food in. You the kind when they check in but don't check out!

[Jima64]

Central Florida Rodent;




http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140917132903/the-disney-roleplay/images/d/d4/Mickey-mouse-659.jpg
My favorite next to chip and dale.

[Virgo]

I just had my entire lanai screening replaced because of rats eating through the screens.
None have gotten in the house but in two days my neighbor and I have killed 4 in traps! The peppermint oil does work and now I will put pots of mint all around the lanai and hopefully it will do trick!

[kittygilchrist]

Eating Rat (http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/togo_eatingrat)
Not my cup of tea.
Nat Geo video....

[graciegirl]

I just had my entire lanai screening replaced because of rats eating through the screens.
None have gotten in the house but in two days my neighbor and I have killed 4 in traps! The peppermint oil does work and now I will put pots of mint all around the lanai and hopefully it will do trick!



Been here about nine years now, lived in two villages and read this forum all of the time and this is the first time I have heard anything like this. Do you have fruit trees on your property? Palms? Do you feed birds? Do you have a compost area?


Oh and welcome to the forum.

[virgind]

Do you have palm trees in your yard. Cut em down. Thats part of the rat problen especially the one they refer to old man palm or bearded palm.

[red tail]

Please help me. Why is this nice cat's picture posted? I can't read the stuff on the picture.

As far as I have ever heard here in The Villages there are no rats trying to get into our homes. There are palm rats who hang around palm trees. But not the rattus rattus variety like in horror films.

I love cats by the way. Love, love, them.

ah but yes they are rattus rattus!

Palm Rat | Control & Removal of Palm Rats | Catseye Pest Control (http://www.catseyepest.com/pest-library/rodents/rats/palm-rats---roof-rats)

[virgind]

Years ago on the farm,yes farm, put out some concrete or plaster dry mix in corn meal in a dish and put a dish of beer beside it. they eat the plaster and corn meal get thirsty and drink the beer. If the plaster doesnt harden in them the beer gets them. They cant belch. Trust me it works.

[dbussone]

Years ago on the farm,yes farm, put out some concrete or plaster dry mix in corn meal in a dish and put a dish of beer beside it. they eat the plaster and corn meal get thirsty and drink the beer. If the plaster doesnt harden in them the beer gets them. They cant belch. Trust me it works.


Would that be called a T&D brewski?

[Love2Swim]

They do make a sealed bait box for rats that pets cannot get into. You could put one at the base of the palm. Ther are also bait boxes that look like stones.

I've noticed a number of the rat bait boxes at the neighborhood post offices. They are black plastic, usually in the corners near the building, in the grass. Our neighborhood has had an infestation of rats, and between three houses we've trapped almost a dozen. We don't have palm trees or bird feeders, but other neighbors do.

We've contacted Orkin Pest Control and they said that since The Villages has become more developed the rats have have been driven out of the citrus groves and ended up here. They've chewed through our screens in several places on the lanai, but after putting out bait boxes we think we're finally getting a handle on the problem.

[Barefoot]

Been here about nine years now, lived in two villages and read this forum all of the time and this is the first time I have heard anything like this.
Same here GG. No problems with rats ever since we bought in 2007. And we have palm trees.
Perhaps there are some Villages that are heavily invested with rats. Luckily we've never seen a rat in our Village.
Maybe cuz we have two dogs??

[borjo]

We live in Ashland. Score is: Our dog got 2, we got 3 (rat trap)

[zcaveman]

I see them when I am driving down the MM paths and around the starter shacks. They are nothing new here.

Z

[twoplanekid]

As some people might leave their trash out overnight for the trash pickup the next morning, would this procedure attract rats especially since no trash bins can be used?

[graciegirl]

I've noticed a number of the rat bait boxes at the neighborhood post offices. They are black plastic, usually in the corners near the building, in the grass. Our neighborhood has had an infestation of rats, and between three houses we've trapped almost a dozen. We don't have palm trees or bird feeders, but other neighbors do.

We've contacted Orkin Pest Control and they said that since The Villages has become more developed the rats have have been driven out of the citrus groves and ended up here. They've chewed through our screens in several places on the lanai, but after putting out bait boxes we think we're finally getting a handle on the problem.



Oh my goodness. What general part of The Villages do you live?? The Ashland pool. Now that rings a bell in my mind.

Ah Hah....read this..........https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/rats-alligators-14999/?highlight=rats+ashland+pool

[mickey100]

With all due respect, just because some people don't see them, doesn't mean they aren't around. They tend to be nocturnal, so what you'll generally see is the damage they do - like the holes in lanai screens, the noise they make if they get in your attic, the droppings, etc. We had a neighbor who insisted he had squirrels in his attic. It turned out to be rats.

[maribob01]

Do alligators like rats? (I think snakes do...) We had an alligator in the bushes outside our lanai this past spring! But as far as putting holes in the screens goes, the sand hill cranes are quite a culprit. Is there a deterrent for them? Maybe they eat rats...?

[OhioBuckeye]

I think the idea of the picture of the cat is so you get the idea that all you need is a cat. You're suppose to understand how t get rid of rats just from looking at the picture, the print doesn't really have anything to do with it.