Muskrats
 

OK, OK, SO I FORGOT ABOUT MUSKRATS !!!!!

fumar

I've only lived here 5 months, and I've seen some rats. Rats live everywhere, just like snakes and bugs, and people! While swimming in the Chula Vista pool the other night we saw the cutest oppossum! Face it folks, we and the animals are all in this world together.

Some folks don't think it is important to clean up after their pooches. But rats are attracted to and eat dog feces. So, the next time you walk your dog TAKE A PLASTIC BAG WITH YOU!

"...Unsavory as it may be, according to the experts, about forty percent of dog feces are undigested food products. When dog owners don´t pick up after their pets, they are literally leaving a rodent buffet."
-- Source: Chicago Streets & Sanitation Quarterly News

Back in 2008 when this thread originated, I'll bet they could have eliminated the rats if everyone had been picking up after their pets!

When you live here for awhile, you learn more. I still haven't seen a rat or a mouse and no one of my neighbors have mentioned them so I am guessing that because this area is two years old they haven't found their way here yet after the place was cleared right down to the sand before building.

It was a while after moving in that we saw our first gekko, but the ants were the first welcoming committee. Snakes have been reported and we have three trillion dragonflys right now.

After re-reading the old posts on this thread I think that K9-lovers have hit the reason for the attraction for the rats. Yucky.

My relatives had a place for many years in Venice, Florida and they never mentioned rats and we didn't see any during our frequent visits. So as tpop pointed out on another thread, we come to our life conclusions by our own experiences.

I would guess that the developers are in charge here of ridding this place of critters that are a threat to health and safety and I don't know how that works. I don't know how long or how hard it was to get the exterminators to take care of the rats, but apparently they did...until they come back again.

I have had good experiences for asking for things from them and getting them. Here is my recent experience. When we returned the plantings near the wall in back of our house that separates us from the Odell center was just filled with big ugly weeds among the ornamental grasses. I knew that I had seen people weeding there before but bein' a farmin' Ohioan, I took them on and was soon covered with little itchy picky seeds. Sweetie joined me but we both stopped when we saw that we would have to wade into the planting beds. We couldn't see our feet so we figured we couldn't see snakes either. So I walked over and to Odell and told the manager about the problem.

She apologized, said that some team of inspectors from The Villages had told her the same thing and she said that whoever was supposed to do it would do it or would be replaced. In two hours two fellows were out there getting themselves all hot and sticky and seedy pulling those weeds.

However, I don't know since we are on the newer side that help is faster to come. I certainly do not put weeds on the level of rats.


Correction added two hours after original post. Girls in neighborhood just had driveway chat. Massey was there this morning at neighbors house for mice. Mice officially in Hadley.

Random Thoughts
 

I live south of 466 and have seen dead rats on several occasions while driving my cart. At one time I lived in south Fla and witnessed rats as well as bob cats, snakes, alligators and frogs that were deadly to dogs. When I lived up north we had a serious problem with racoons and coyotes. As a matter of fact my dog was stalked by a coyote as we walked on our lawn. Personally I'm more concerned with red ants and wasps both of which have attacked me in my yard here in TV. When I moved to Miami I was attacked by a purse snatcher while at a Mercerdes dealership. He jumped out of a tree on top of me and ran off with my purse. boom: Such is life. I do what I can to take precautions and since living in TV, my quality of life has never been better. The closest I've come to danger in TV is when small children driving golf carts swerved into my lane. I love being close to nature and feel blessed. I do admire the Morse family but we're also active members of the POA. My motto is better safe than sorry.

I admire your attitude. :clap2: And you make a good point. There are dangers and inconveniences everywhere. Of course there are snakes and rodents and wasps in The Villages. Such is life.

The Villages is as close to perfection as it gets. :thumbup:

First and only rat I've seen was at the Arnold Palmer Pro Shop....it just walked by on the sidewalk that goes in the front door. It was mid afternoon. Frankly, I was surprised and I don't know why....we had rats, specifically roof rats in CA and they were really a pain in the butt. Luckily they never made it into our attic, but goodness, they tried.

One can expect rats, mice and all other sorts of wildlife creatures almost ANYWHERE they live these days.....we're encroaching on their territory. It's the responsibility of individual homeowners to make their property less attractive to rodents. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't and that's when steps must be taken....they do carry diseases...to make sure illnesses aren't spread from rodent to human.

Damnation, that rat was bold though.... :D

Barefoot, Gracie, Russ, Duffy, Pooh etc.
This post was not about animals you find in wildlife preserves or on private yards or in nature. If you read this post it was about a major infestation at the Ashland pool and mailboxes in 2008. Gracie, Ashland is south of 466. The infestation was many rats. Yes, it was because there is water and dog feces there but the main reason is because the Developer had decided to eliminate a full time exterminator. This became so bad that a professional exterminator was called in. A professional exterminator can use much stronger poisons than what they were trying to use. The pool and mailboxes were cleaned up and new traps are set every month.
Pooh, for every rat you see, there are about 10 unseen. Once you start seeing them in public places there is a problem. My only reason to comment is these recent posts didn't seem to understand the difference between animals in nature which are natural and an infestation in a public area which could have become a major health problem. Rats carry many diseases. Hope I helped clear up the confusion.

As you mentioned this was two years ago.

Is everything under control now?

Thanks,
Russ

Well, yeah, but did he slow the pace of play? :22yikes:

Boomer

RATS BOOMER!!!!!!

Buy ya books and buy ya books......

If he had slowed the pace of pay he would have been eliminated immediately!
This is a golf community!!:a20:

I hope I did not marginalize your post.

I just cracked up..thanks for making my day!!:a040:

roflmao

Welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy the discussions here.

Larry touched on another problem that occurs all too often and is much easier to prevent: dog feces in the public areas. I have not observed many dogs running free, so that doggie doo must be coming from dogs being walked by their owners. As distasteful as it may seem, let's all make an extra effort to police up after our mongrels. Less food means less rats and one problem partially solved.

As far as our colorul gators go, Northerners new to Florida shouldn't be overly concerned about the gators eating your pets. I would imagine the incidences of gators gobbling up pets on leashes are as rare as UFO sightings.

Never heard of a Roof Rat - must of a SoCal critter.


.