I saw something that looked like a rat or a very large mouse in the pine straw under a palm tree in the golf cart parking area at Truman Golf course.

That is the only time that I personally have seen a rat. I have smelled a rat on this forum from time to time, but I was told it was something else.

My husband said the body of a roof rat or citrus rat is approx. 6 inches and with the tail it was 9 or 10 inches, which is much smaller than a Norway rat such as found in Boston, New York City, all cities.....in sewers, farming areas, across the country...........typical ship rats. We saw one on the road in Saint Augustine that the total length, body and tail , was a good 18 inches or larger, maybe even 24, but it was BIG.

The ones in Venice were dark brown or blackish. Not grey.

Now in Vermont we have lots of field mice that seek to come into warm homes in the autumn months........they are about 2 to 4 inches....they come in various colors, tan and grey, dark brown and light brown. You'd never confuse them with a rat. People set traps in their garages to discourage their entry into the house. My husband said he would set a trap in TV in the garage. Another poster, earlier, said NOT to grill in the lanai as they can tear through the screen when they smell the food. Her husband set a trap to catch the critter.

p.s. My husband just suggested that if the Homeowners Association raised everyone in TV by $5 a month, they'd have plenty of money to hire a crew of ten, buy all the necessary poisons to handle this rodent issue and keep everyone happy..........We sold our Venice beachfront condo in 1995, however, recently have noticed that all condos now come with "pest control" as part of the Homeowners fees, etc.
It wasn't part of the deal back then. He still recalls the fisherman pulling out rats from the the waterway down by the Venice Jetties.......they would cast with a lure and catch rats for "sport" every night. There were vacation homes on this waterway.........LETS JUST SAY IT WAS DIFFERENT TO US. To deny their existence is foolhardy.

There is not a Homeowners Association in TV.

And we can thank our lucky stars for that!!!!

I'll second that..........:thumbup:

Well, then to whomever we would pay our "fees" for garbage removal, and so forth.....general upkeep of the grounds of TV.

Must be some group.

Perhaps it would be paid to the same place that we would pay the ammenities fees to.

What he meant was that it could be a small amount shared by all to exterminate whatever vermin do exist and to stop their growth.

In a condo it would be the HO Association. That is what I was referring to. 16 years ago there was no pest control "fees". Now there are.
Meaning...........they addressed the problem and at least are trying to eradicate it. TV could do the same......whoever the "powers that be" are.

senior, here's a link from www.districtgov.org that should help answer your questions:

http://www.districtgov.org/faq.aspx

Bill :)

Senior, Have you made that first trip here yet to see how this place looks and works? It is so much fun, if you haven't done it, you will love it, and it is an eye opener for sure. There isn't any place to my way of thinking that even comes close to how great it is, and how well maintained. It is the CDD form of government, where the people who live here do not have a direct vote in affecting change, but so far to me at least, I like everything the way it is.

I think that there is no rat problem. There are probably wild ones here and there and maybe they are trotting around colony parking lot because all their natural habitat just across the street has recently been stirred up and really destroyed making the way for new homes. Kathie saw some there and that may be the reason....or they may have hitched a ride on a truck from some highly poplulated urban area up north, but I sincerely doubt it. We DO have a lot of sandhill cranes, mourning doves, geckos, fire ants, blue herons, and alligators hanging around, not to mention the sweet furry dogs who lead their owners up and down the streets.

I can't remember reading Senior that you had made a visit yet, but I may have missed it. I am sure you will love it here.

Thank you Gracie.......and believe it or not, we are finally on our way at the end of this year.

The "sighted rats" are no doubt stirred up and "relocated" when the new neighborhoods go in. 50 years ago, the land TV sits on now, surely must have been horse farms, general farming lands and just rural Florida. I'm certain the critters were here long before any of us........(I mean their ancestors).

Our daughter in law was raised on a horse / cattle farm in Oregon and relates how she would shoot rattlesnakes with a shot gun. Critters were in the barns and such.

Where ever there are animals, farms, "feed", etc. there will be "critters".

I'm not using that other word anymore, since it seems to evoke such disdain.

If The Villages did not appear to be such a lovely place with such great folks, we never would be researching it in the first place. Thanks again.

Believe it or not, Vermont has "farm" rats as well......much bigger than those citrus rats.......oops, critters......but as one other poster said, they are nocturnal, and definitely not seen running around, which would give anyone the creeps. No one would be ostracized for calling a "critter" to someone's attention up here. Everyone would want them exterminated pronto.

Up until 16 years ago, "critters" never once entered my thought pattern.
But the experience made us "think" that they are indeed around.

They are all over, in every state, city, and rural area.

Not to worry. Hubby is a good hunter. Three years ago he caught at least two dozen (or more) huge groundhogs / woodchucks, which are much bigger, much more ornery, etc. in our have a heart trap and "relocated" them to the forest.

We had a literal groundhog invasion for several summers , until we tore up their habitat, their underground tunnels and "rooms" right off our back patio........had it all excavated, put on a deck and new low evergreens that they could not hide within..............didn't see a single one until this spring......he transported "it" away also.........and we put in sonar? thingies and mothballs which seem to repel these critters...............but still see the red fox walking up and down the road.

We are used to all types of wildlife........just don't want them running around on our property....or getting into our home. A family of deer cross through our backyard all the time........looking for apples. This area used to be apple orchards. Nuff said. I do believe the posters who saw the critters.

Bump...I am sorry Patlyn.

Rats! NOT!!!
 

What you are seeing is the Village Vole which resembles a mouse and/or rat and are quite prolific. They are also a favorite food of most of the other wildlife we have in The Villages. Primarily, they are the favorite food of snakes,owls, hawks and coyotes. IMO pehaps we ought have the VCDD invest in purchasing some additional snakes, and release them into our most overrun villages so as to feed upon the rodents and keep them under control. They, the voles, have about 4 litters a year and grow exponentially.

Next year we can discuss getting rid of the snakes.

THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just printed out the pages from both hyperlinks above, to read at our leisure.

Last month our daughter in law alerted us to a book that was shown on the front page of this forum, referring to all the rules and regulations, thinking we better be prepared.........at the time I told her that we pretty much understood what TV was all about.......and in our opinion, the majority of those rules and regulations were to actually protect the homeowners, their property and keep the place looking as good as it obviously does.

Up here in New England, zoning is pretty lax and whether in Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine, people can pretty much do what they want on their own properties........for good or ill. We've experienced both sides of the coin, so to speak. This is why we do our research to make sure.

Home studios and / or businesses are allowed in New England.
People can have as many vehicles as they want parked all over their own properties, whether it is an eyesore or not.......basically, anything goes.
Each man's home is his castle. Again, there are downsides to all of this.

However, in New Hampshire in particular and also amongst the old Maniacs, Vermonters, etc........freedom of speech is paramount.

We respect them for that......having lived here for well over 42 years after spending our first 20 something years in New Jersey, in the city and suburbs..........so we do have a frame of reference as to where the rules and regulations were (Venice, Florida) as opposed to say Vermont.

We had remodeled a condo on the beach, top to toe, attended our first Home Owners Association meeting at which we were the only 49 year olds........and simply asked if we could install a stackable washer and dryer in our condo unit while remodeling the kitchen.

You'd think we wanted to land an alien U.F.O. on the roof.

They wouldn't even "listen" when we explained that it was difficult to go up and down the elevators with my early stage Alzheimer Mom in tow, carrying the laundry to the designated laundry rooms (every other floor).

It was just the little things that made us happy to be back in a normal house again.

It would be a house and not a condo situation, this time around.
THANK YOU; WE WILL READ THE LAWS OF TV.

Oh Senior, wait until the first time you really come here and see this place with your own eyes..
Senior...reading is one thing, but NOTHING is like your first sojourn down the streets of TV...and I have said this before, each time we return from the "outside" and enter the greenness, the lushness, the perfectly paintedness, the prettiness, the plantedness, the sweet waving peopleness of TV, the colors brighten, the music comes on and the sun shines brilliantly.

It is just like when the color came on in the Wizard of Oz.

Amen.

senior -

Here's another link from www.districtgov.org that lets you download the deed restrictions for homes in any part of TV. Always best to look through such things prior to buying:

http://www.districtgov.org/departmen.../download.aspx

Bill :)

I had no luck trying to copy the hyperlink........but this is what I found on voles.......the link would have been better as it showed various pictures.

Vole Species
Meadow Vole
Florida Salt Marsh Vole
Arctic Voles
Southern Red-back Voles
Bank Vole
Water Vole
Prairie Vole
CA Vole
Red-backed Vole
Snow Vole

Vole FAQ
What a Vole Looks Like
What do Voles Eat
What is a Vole
Mole & Vole Difference

Vole Control

How to get rid of Voles
How to Kill Voles

Vole Picture
Field Mice Classification
Vole Species - Approximately 70 vole species have been discovered which include: meadow Vole, Florida salt marsh vole, Arctic voles, southern red-back voles, bank vole, water vole, CA vole and red-backed vole.


The meadow vole is one of the most common species of vole. Meadow Vole behavior is consistent with that of most vole species in that it is mainly nocturnal. The meadow vole life cycle is usually complete in less than a year.

Meadow Vole

Microtus pennsylvanicus is the most widespread vole in North America. Its east to west range is continuous from central Alaska to the Atlantic coast. South of the Canadian border, the meadow vole's western limit is the Rocky mountains. It can also be found as far south as the states of New Mexico and Georgia.

Meadow voles eat mainly green vegetation

This is invariably the familiar 'mouse' that you see scurrying about in grassy meadows or stubble fields on your outdoor rambles. Meadow voles have a body about 4 inches long and a tail of about 1 1/2 inches. They weigh roughly 1 l/2 ounces and their ears are short. The back and sides are grayish brown and belly is much lighter. These small mammals can be distinguished from mice by their relatively short tail.

The Meadow Vole is active usually at night and only occasionally during the day. The diet of this vole consists almost entirely of green vegetation and tubers, including many grasses, clover, and plantain. The animal produces grass cuttings as it reaches up and cuts off the stalk, pulls it down and cuts it again, until the seed heads are reached. The vole apparently consumes flowers, leaves, and all but the tough outer layer of the stalk, eating almost its own weight daily.


The most relevant links we could find, placed here free
FCPS - This page has information about meadow voles as well as pictures and video clips. www.fcps.k12.va.us

Animal Diversity - This page lots of information about the characteristics and behaviour of meadow voles. animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu


Like many vole species it constructs a system of surface runways and underground burrows. The spherical grass nest may be located in the burrows in summer or in a depression on the surface under matted vegetation. In the wintertime, the vole's life changes. They live above ground, but under the snow where it is warmer than the open air. Meadow voles must find food above ground and they will gnaw on the bark of bushes for nourishment, leaving behind fine tooth marks.

Meadow voles live in burrows

Female voles have three to six litters of four to seven young in a year and most voles live much less than a year. The vole population in any given area tends to pass through a boom and bust cycle over a three- or four-year period. Although these animals tend to live close together, they are aggressive towards each other. This is particularly evident in males during the breeding season. They can cause damage to fruit trees, garden plants and commercial grain crops.



Again, I TRIED TO COPY AND PASTE THE HYPERLINK TO THIS, BUT IT WOULDN'T WORK............but now it sounds like voles are common field mice???????

The Florida voles seem to be on the endangered species list. Those would be the salt marsh voles.....limited to a certain area near Cedar Key.

I do remember when a vole walked past President Obama's podium and was caught on camera; everyone thought it was the "other critter" but experts then claimed it was a vole.

Also, while in South Dakota enroute to Mount Rushmore we thought that the prairie dogs (big rat like things) who scurried around our feet in and out of their holes........were adorable. Guess other critters just get a bad rap. But up here, field mice have long tails........these voles are FURRIER with short tails.

You do paint a lovely picture Gracie and I truly believe you.

Summer and autumn, Vermont sees many Floridian tourists who come up here to escape the heat......and they likewise enjoy our most unpopulated state roads and byways while viewing the beautiful emerald green mountains, tiny quaint villages and numerous horse and dairy farms............not to mention our gorgeous fall foliage which we call "leaf peeper" time....

Alas, the winters can be harsh as we age, the mountain road driving not the easiest thing to do and that is why so many Vermonters either winter in Florida or move down permanently.

I doubt if you could find a greener state than Vermont. It would remind one of Ireland. When my mom, who retired up here from New Jersey and enjoyed 30 years of retired life......would return from a Senior Citizen bus trip, she would say she felt like kissing the ground.....that it was indeed "God's Country" and she was right. It was a great place to raise a family.

Springtime with the tulips, apple trees in blossom and all the wildflowers along the roadsides, also is a lovely time of year..........of course up here, one always has to watch out for a moose or deer in the road (they do cause accidents).

Warmer climate is what we seek for our golden years. Hubby just retired in January but spent a few more months closing up the store and packing.
He ran himself into the ground and ended up with pneumonia......this is why our trip to TV has been delayed.......as they say, "Life is What Happens When You Are Making Other Plans".

Ohio is also a beautiful state which we've been to many times when our son lived in Cincinnati and worked for Proctor and Gamble Corporation. We always take the "road less traveled" and try to stay off the major highways if we can........we enjoyed the Ohio Amish countryside a lot. Very pretty.

Critters
 

Smalldog SEZ
when in Honolulu in many areas you will see a section of tin arround the palm trees which is to prevent critters from climbing up into them and nesting :BigApplause:
I heard on WVLG that when a gator gets to be 5 feet long it is removed and becomes shoes or a briefcase or on the menue of an eatery:throwtomatoes: when you see gators in the wild it is hard to feel sorry for them but this seems somehow unfair :(
WE seem to beare missing our pet gator from the Pond at the corner of Baily Trail and Buena Vista ............ya don't suppose do ya :22yikes:

And the only thing missing is Toto.......

Pack your bags, Lexi, we're heading south!

thank you so very much bill and brillo....

woodchucks
 

Senior, reply to your husband hunting woodchucks, I originally came
from Pa. and we use to hunt woodchucks continually and my mother
use to prepare it just like chicken, if you never ate woodchuck you and your husband should try it its better than chicken
Pivo

Leave the gaters in the ponds. If you remove them, you will give dummies a sense of security and that is the real danger.
Leave the gaters in the ponds and follow the rules of nature that protects Florida Natives and anyone with good sense from harm. Gaters will come into the ponds from outside over and over again. Even if you could rid all the waterways in The Villages of gaters, you have snakes that live close to the water. Better to follow natures rules and cautions rather than try to alter it.

Reminds me of the Geico commercial where the farmer is yelling at the woodchucks to stop chucking his wood.

Well, I do realize that some hunters eat that stuff as when he'd go up to deer hunting camp, some of the guys would bring stews made out of all types of these critters. (He just told me it was opposum / possum...and Gary the cop made it.......he also made soap from the fat and then with the meat he made a stew). I would send up chili made the normal way. Others made rabbit stew.

I didn't say he hunted the groundhogs, but that he trapped them in his have a heart trap in our back yard....then relocated them to the forest. He didn't shoot them. With all the ones he captured, he said I could have had two great fur coats, gloves, hats, etc. Kidding of course. I have pictures of these groundhogs (I mentioned woodchuck as it is another name for them).

Well, if our economy crashes we may all have to get your mom's recipe.

I grew up very poor, however we never went hungry. And yes we ate woodchuck, squirrel, raccoon, rabbit, venison, bear, moose, and a few others I probably didn't know about. And we didn't exactly follow the hunting seasons if the animal was available. But there was almost always some type of meat on the table along with home grown vegetables. Mom used to can everything from the garden. We used to have cows, pigs and chickens so plenty of milk, butter, cream, eggs and bacon. We did our own maple syrup and made lard for pie crusts. We never had any money but we did eat well and very little was wasted. Extras would be sold to buy sugar and flour and a few other staples. Did our own dried beans and apples. Had a big root cellar where lots of food was stored through the winter. We made pickles and grape juice and jellies and jams and cured the hams. And the good news is I remember how to do most of that stuff.

So, maple syrup would mean you were raised in Vermont?

When we first moved up here in 1970 from New Jersey, we soon discovered that most of the native Vermonters did know how to live off the land, such as you described. They also made their own ketchup and soap, candles,, etc. in addition to consuming all the foods you've mentioned above.

It's hard to believe, but there were some parts of Vermont that did not have electricity until the 1960's. We've seen this on Vermont Public Television.

Being a very unpopulated state, people learned to live off the land and provide for themselves enough food to last through the long winters.

Squirrel and raccoon were the others that found their way into stews up at hunting camp.

Nowadays there are Price Choppers and Shaws Markets in all the larger towns, but in the old days, the simple life was led by most Vermonters.

Your family's ways are a lost art. We'd all starve to death nowadays.
I often say that if , by some act of terrorism, our electric grid nation wide was destroyed.......the supermarkets wouldn't even know how to tally up the customer's bills.......plus the food would eventually perish.....and the rest of us wouldn't know what to do.....once our dried pantry staples like rice and such ran out.

I recently read an article that explained world wide the most consumed meat was goat.

Actually NH not VT. If I grew up in VT, I would have been hunting the people, not the game, there way to liberal for me in VT. :D

Off topic - but I love Goat! Portuguese stewed style!

NOT EVERYONE IS LIBERAL. Vermont was a very conservative state at one time. Lots of newcomers may have changed the politcal scene, not to mention the hippies from the 1970's. You'd be surprised how the average locals do not agree with the politicians.

That's not nice to say you'd hunt the Vermont folks.

Whenever we pass through New Hampshire to get to the seacoast and up to Maine........there is always that one traffic cop up in the mountains that pulls everyone from Vermont over and gives them a ticket. Is that you?????

LOL, no but I need to find his name and go congratulate him on his common sense. I grew up in the White Mountains.

I agree a lot of the change in Vermont was because of the influx of people. The same has happened to NH with all the Mass people moving there. It is the strangest thing. People move from Mass to NH to get away from the high taxes and government control. And then they demand all the services they no longer get and the cost of government and the taxes go up. Still great country to live in, at least in the summer.

Amazing!..I am really new to this forum, but after reading the comment from Gracie, I wonder why I am even on here at all. I have only shared what I have personally seen. I am not new to TV, and I have seen a rat (once in a while), but recently it appears to be an increase. I was hoping for a solution to the problem. I am choosing not to comment in the future. I will be leaving this forum. Life is too short!!

Patlyn, don't be discouraged. Just like all forums this one has it's click. Right now the click has been on some sort of which hunt accusing posters of being someone else that the click banished in the past.

This is a really great site with tons and tons of useful information. I would call this site the Google of The Villages. There are also many good vendors who advertise here.

George

Patlyn.

What comment would that be? Perhaps you could find it and press the quote key below so that we would know.

Kindest wishes,
Gracie

George T.

Are you the same George who came to our home? I enjoy your good natured humor on here so much!

I don't think there is a clique. There are frequent posters on here who banter back and forth, but I have always felt that everyone is welcome. We all have our own views and our own styles and our own opinions...and we are older and a little stubborn and a little opinionated. Most of us have never met the other posters in person.

The recent get together on Sunday for Kathy and Gene from our home town in Cincinnati, who we met here on TOTV, was open to anyone who PM'd me.

It is never my intention to exclude anyone.

So could you tell us a little more about your view on the clique?

Kindest wishes,

Gracie

OMG, a click, or is that clique? Finally, I belong to a clique, after all these years. Thank you GracieGirl, we had a ball meeting everyone in "your clique." After being called a domestic terrorist by our government, I am a retired disabled veteran its great to belong to a clique.

Have a great day Gracie, PTurner and the rest of that wonderful clique I am now a part of. See you all at Crispers for the TOTV clique meeting.

I hate to out this nice fellow, but he is no more a domestic terrorist than I am a skilled golfer.

It was lovely to meet "Figmo" and his lovely wife in person.

Just noticed this post and need to tell you that what you saw at Colony Plaza wasn't a rat at all. It was me! I had to take a leak real bad and was heading for the nearest bush on my scooter! Time to get the goggles checked dear! :1rotfl:

been there also. i call it the TOTV girls club !!

What's really amazing to me is how one can feel that it's beneith them to accept an explaination and TWO apologies from someone and not just move on and enjoy this great site.

IMHO, with all due respect, perhaps you are making the right decision to leave this forum if you're going to take every little comment personally and be a frequent unhappy camper, even if it does make you miss all of what it has to offer!