Rats getting into shed

[kevmor99]

I have a shed building next to my garage, it's on a concrete slab and has wood siding. It's on the edge of the property and has about a 1 ft. gap to the fence. In this gap the rats are entering in at the bottom of the siding, chewing through it and even some of the framing.

I've tried using spray foam to fill the gaps (they chewed right next to it making a new hole), used the old fashioned wooden traps (caught a couple this way), then glue traps (which didn't work at all).

I'm thinking of placing hardware cloth (1/4" to keep out mice also?) on the entire side of that wall facing the fence. If I attached it with screws, would this cause leakage problems in the siding though? Would they be able to climb the hardware cloth a couple feet and make a new entry point? Any other ideas? I'm not sure what the correct way to keep them out with wood siding is (I hope they don't go towards the outward facing walls).

 

[CNGsaves]

CURE the problem . . . . don't Band Aid.

I would recommend "feeders" on OUTSIDE of shop and . .
. . . . let them eat all the POISON they want !!!

Get . . . TomCat . . . style poison houses like below and keep them FULL !!

https://www.zoro.com/tomcat-tamper-...fTJmnCfrichGXlO1qbxZgaAnCd8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

For your gaps . . . . use STEEL . . . . galvanized flashing like you would use on a roof is good solution to make permanent stop for those varmits chewing their way into building.

 

[kevmor99]

I forgot to mention, I have one of those Tomcat boxes with the green poison outside. They don't seem to be touching it? They avoid all of the traps it seems, they'll walk right past the clamp traps as they come in their entry points.

 

[kevmor99]

I'm thinking of putting the wooden clamp traps outside but I don't want to catch the neighbor's cat...

 

[matt_i]

You have to tighten up the gaps. Excellent choice to use sheetmetal. Unless you kill the last breeding pair or at least half of it you will be trapping forever.

 

[Jazz1]

Rats don't like any change to their environment which is why it could take a week before they are comfortable with environment and will eventually take the bait. RATAC is a good poison,,you may have to get it from feed store.. Rats are not at all like mice as mice take to poison and traps right now!

 

[CNGsaves]

If they're getting into your shed for heat . . .
. . . .
. . . . . . . then put a little doghouse OUTSIDE shop with electric floormat heater
. . AND . . . whole slew of the TomCat poison boxes !!!

Throw a few real food scraps in there . . . you know . . . to get them IN the house !!

Word Of Warning - - - - the bastages may chew your electric cord in half to the heater. Put that baby in steel conduit !!

The bastages like straw too . . . . so give it to 'em !! That's how I knew I had problem in stored car in barn. There was big straw nest under hood of car and fawkin' rats had chewed through a bunch of wires . . . . INCLUDING . . . my Battery Tender 120v feed wire !!

 

[My Old Tools]

Get a snake.

 

[jkwilson]

Is there a food source in or near the shed? If there wasn't food in the area, they wouldn't be there, so the first step is to eliminate the food if you can. That makes them move on and encourages the ones that are there to eat the bait.

When I have trouble getting them to eat the blocks, I switch to the bait that looks like green dog food.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Make a rat bucket trap?

 

[ratdoggy]

Make a rat bucket trap?

Yes...The wheel of death.

 

[Arkansas COB]

Rats will figure out the wheel thing on a bucket and it wont do no good after about a week. Trust me i know. I fight them fuckers everyday due to the swampy area behind the house plus the chickens.

Best thing i have found is a poison called One Bite. Comes in a small bag of pellets or in bars that kinda look like an ear of corn.
If you dont have any pets then put some in the shed. They will take it with them to the nest if its the bar kind. If you use the pellets in the small bag just toss it behind a shelf or something. They will chew it open and feast.

 

[nadogail]

IMHO, they are looking for Food, Water, Shelter, or warmth.

Deny them access to the above and they will look somewhere else.

Foam, as you have found out, does not stop them. Sheet metal or hardware cloth has proven effective. Rats have a keen sense of smell, so avoid handling traps or bait stations.

When I used sticky boards (glue traps), I nailed together little tunnels and put the traps inside the tunnels.

 

[landrover bodger]

mix broken glass in with the expanding foam the one thing they don't like here is glass

 

[theoldwizard1]

The combination of 1/4" galvanized hardware cloth and foam (to fill the holes they have already made) works well.

Like nadogail said, they Food, Water and Shelter. If they ind all 2 they will start nesting. What is in the shed that they might want to eat ?

Also see if they are burrowing under the slab.

 

[ZRX61]

Mothballs, get a few boxes & scatter them all over the inside of the building & all along the outside where they are coming from. They hate the smell of Naptha.

 

[four.cycle]

get a cat.

my grandmother told me the rats chewed through the cement foundation of their old house on East 28th Street in the 30's.

grandpa used to take old bread, and wearing rubber gloves (so as to not put "human scent" on it), spread a little peanut butter on it (very thinly, as peanut butter was a precious commodity), and then sprinkle dry Plaster of Paris on it. (I would imagine "Fix-All" would work even better.)
rats eat bread, plaster hardens in their gut, rats die.

but cat is still the best solution. my buddy had rats invading his shop - big ones. never knew a rat could get to that size. started feeding the feral cats that wandered in from the neighborhood. no more rats. just a fairly high cat-food bill.

 

[Richard Cranium]

once a wooden rat trap catches a rat, you will never catch another rat in that trap. They can smell the blood of the other rats.

 

[Itsahobby]

Couple of things that the section guy told me:
1. Place traps and bait boxes close to the fence or side of the shed. Rats have very poor eye sight and use a wall to get around.

2. Rats can squeeze through a 1/2 inch gap. Fill gaps with steel wool where you can not patch.

Soon as I placed my traps close to the fence, I started catching the bast$5Ds.

 

[krux]

Mice problem

Hey guys,

Well I noticed mice in my house. My house is super clean like I am the king of neat freak in my house

It started Sunday night when I was sitting in the living room. I noticed something dash across the room. Went to my dad's right away and got two traps. That night I caught one near my kitchen . The next night aka Monday I caught another in the basement. Then Tuesday at 8pm caught a 3rd. Do I need to start worrying? I now have 8 traps in the house. I am nervous that it's bad.

 

[Tree Cutter]

Re: Mice problem

Hey guys,

Well I noticed mice in my house. My house is super clean like I am the king of neat freak in my house

It started Sunday night when I was sitting in the living room. I noticed something dash across the room. Went to my dad's right away and got two traps. That night I caught one near my kitchen . The next night aka Monday I caught another in the basement. Then Tuesday at 8pm caught a 3rd. Do I need to start worrying? I now have 8 traps in the house. I am nervous that it's bad.

Keep trapping them. What about getting a cat?

 

[krux]

Re: Mice problem

Not to thrilled about getting a cat. We want one but not the responsibility.

 

[bgarrett]

Re: Mice problem

Whiny liberals pressured the EPA to prevent D-Con from selling rat poison. Anyone know of another brand that works?

 

[Tree Cutter]

Re: Mice problem

Whiny liberals pressured the EPA to prevent D-Con from selling rat poison. Anyone know of another brand that works?

"Just one bite" works for sure. If you have dogs you need to be really careful.

 

[djjsr]

Re: Mice problem

Look around outside and find their access. I had some about 10 years ago when I bought by workshop building. Fixed a few gaps and holes and haven't seen one since.

btw, baiting the traps with peanut butter is very effective.

 

[jd_1138]

Re: Mice problem

Here's our little critter killer -- Chloe. They're called "rat terriers" for their superior critter killing capabilities, plus she's lovable. We rescued her from a dog rescue place 2 years ago when she was a pup. Came to us housebroken already and is just a great dog. Helluva a watchdog too. They were used in the trenches during WW1 to rid them of rats and to deliver messages.

 

[FTG-05]

Re: Mice problem

Not to thrilled about getting a cat. We want one but not the responsibility.

Rats or cats, take your pick. And if it's rats, get ready for snakes that are not far behind.

Cats are the antithesis of "responsibility". Leave some food somewhere for them, a place to get out of the rain and wind - rat/mice problem solved.

 

[G McKay]

Re: Mice problem

You need to try to find out how they are getting into the house. Check around the outside perimeter and see if there are any cracks or holes in the foundation. Do all of the doors (don't forget the garage door) seal up tight at the sides, top and bottom? Can they get up into the wall underneath the siding? Do all of your casement/basement windows seal tight? And remember, mice can climb. So that garage window that may not go all the way down tight could be their doorway. A mouse only needs about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch to squeeze through.

Keep trapping them and for goodness sakes- don't get a cat!! I would rather put up with mice than some smelly cat and the litter box stench. You might as well have a skunk in the house. Good luck.



_________________________

I hate being bipolar!! It's awesome!!

****

 

[CNGsaves]

Re: Mice problem

They're getting in somewhere . . . . . time to investigate entire perimeter of house.

I'd put out a HEAVY DOSE of POISON that is OUTSIDE the house. They are coming from somewhere. Are you near any open fields/farmground or whatever that mice are now "shacking up" in your house for winter ??

Put bunch of TomCat style poison station like below OUTSIDE along fences:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_333956-446-22478_0__?productId=50192367

 

[Roberts210]

Get one of these. Wild Thing was a rat-assassin for many years before a raccoon got her. She was an aggressive and completely feral cat that would have been put down at any shelter. I rescued her out of a trap and brought her to my barn. I would routinely find half a rat lying around. She always preferred eating the front half for some reason.

 

[osu69]

Re: Mice problem

One day I watched a mouse climb straight up the brick exterior of my house and tuck under a shingle where a hip roof met a gable roof. A pair of outdoor cats solved the problem. That was 22 years ago and the cats have been replaced periodically but no more mice.

 

[Blazinzuk]

Re: Mice problem

Not a fan of poison. Like has been said figure out where they are coming in. Remove good sources. In our last place that we were renting putting all our food in plastic drawers or totes made a difference. Check traps often. I also used peppermint oil soaked cottenballs. I love the smell of peppermint so not hard to convince me to do that.

Natural predators are your best bet though. When we bought our hose the yard had been destroyed by voles. My 2 cats didn't eat any if their food for 4 months. Sitting out in the hammock after spraining my ankle I watched my cat kill 6 mice in about 4 hours. He then took a long nap

 

[cbusters]

I have a shed building next to my garage, it's on a concrete slab and has wood siding. It's on the edge of the property and has about a 1 ft. gap to the fence. In this gap the rats are entering in at the bottom of the siding, chewing through it and even some of the framing.

I've tried using spray foam to fill the gaps (they chewed right next to it making a new hole), used the old fashioned wooden traps (caught a couple this way), then glue traps (which didn't work at all).

I'm thinking of placing hardware cloth (1/4" to keep out mice also?) on the entire side of that wall facing the fence. If I attached it with screws, would this cause leakage problems in the siding though? Would they be able to climb the hardware cloth a couple feet and make a new entry point? Any other ideas? I'm not sure what the correct way to keep them out with wood siding is (I hope they don't go towards the outward facing walls).

Your are not going to force the animal to do what you want him to do. Use his habits to your own benefit. Make a funnel out of mesh or sheet metal and attach it over the hole he uses and channel them down a tunnel to your trap or cage. You can even fit the exit of the tube to a square shape and put a T-Rex trap in the end that he will have to run into, and then bait will be irrelevant. Do it in steps. Let them all use the tube without the trap for a few days and then start setting it. Reuse the trap, rats are cannibals and could care less about another rat being killed before. The body odor on the trap will actually attract other family members. Trap everything you can before you use poisons, they will die and end up in the worst spot there is to remove them. Cats eat more birds, reptiles and amphibians than rats (government research project). Steel wool will rust and dissolve fairly quickly unless you live in the Southwest. Don't use anything an animal can chew through, smell through, or see through as a repair to keep him out. Stick with Stainless or Aluminum materials, no rust! Rats can climb most building materials. Rats are everywhere and you will never eliminate them, you can only control their access. 21 yrs of experience. Good luck.

 

[OkRider]

Re: Mice problem

Not a fan of poison either. Don't care for liquified rodent smell in the house. When they die in the ventilation system is the worst. I have no idea how they get in there. Got a house cat a couple months ago and he's confirm killed four already. Good kitty. Uses his cat box. Even better kitty.

 

[HOTFR8]

Caged traps work well. Drown them in the cage to get rid of them.

 

[Aaxmym]

Re: Mice problem

Chew up a little piece of tootsie roll until its pliable then wrap it around the mouse trap trigger. It's like crack to those vermin.

 

[TonkaJoe]

Re: Mice problem

Hey guys,

Well I noticed mice in my house. My house is super clean like I am the king of neat freak in my house

It started Sunday night when I was sitting in the living room. I noticed something dash across the room. Went to my dad's right away and got two traps. That night I caught one near my kitchen . The next night aka Monday I caught another in the basement. Then Tuesday at 8pm caught a 3rd. Do I need to start worrying? I now have 8 traps in the house. I am nervous that it's bad.

Someone beat me to it! DON'T use poison... those little bastards will stink to hell and back if they die in your walls etc as they presumably will.. We had that issue at work in our lunch room, the mice were really bad so they baited it.. well it definitely worked! too good!.. the smell was terrible for nearly a week before they dried out finally so we had to take our breaks elsewhere during that time.
Below is a really good option.. Good old death wheel!.. Easy to see how it works, CHEAP and self resetting!. Good for use in your basement or garage.

I at one time had a problem with mice in my home as well.. couldn't for the life of me figure how they were getting in!. Come to find out after a lot of searching harder than I actually needed to looking for some tiny little hole outside that the previous owner had at some point moved the washer and dryer 10' or so along the same wall and left the old dryer vent piping unblocked and wide open to the outdoors creating a 5'' in diameter super tunnel into my drop ceiling in the basement
UN F****** believable.

After that fix I simply set out the good old snap traps without any bait on them and the mice finally weeded themselves out. I have had 10 set in the house for over a year now and none have been tripped. I also make sure to keep things very clean... in behind appliances etc. No droppings, No mice,

 

[Shiftless]

I have has good luck with these. Rat Zappers. You load it with 4 D cells and put some bait in the back. The circuitry increases the voltage to deadly levels. Two metal plates inside the tunnel. Rat crawls in and is electrocuted. No blood, no guts splashed around. A little red light comes on when you have a victim so checking the trap is super easy.

 

[krux]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I actually noticed a mouse in the basement in November. I ripped all the insulation up and found several holes by previous home owner. To be honest I thought I scared the mouse away. After that I didn't see anything to out of the ordinary. Some poop on the ground which I kept thinking it was from before I sealed holes and one day a shredded bag which was barely shredded. To be honest the wife and I were in denial since we kept our house so clean. My worry is did I seal them in all winter and now they reproduce. I would think I would have seen them more but who knows. Since last night I haven't caught anymore. Total has been 3 in 48 hours. Total traps is 8 and two stickies.

 

[Ajustable]

Re: Mice problem

Here's our little critter killer -- Chloe. They're called "rat terriers" for their superior critter killing capabilities, plus she's lovable. We rescued her from a dog rescue place 2 years ago when she was a pup. Came to us housebroken already and is just a great dog. Helluva a watchdog too. They were used in the trenches during WW1 to rid them of rats and to deliver messages.

Thumbs up on the rat dog, ours was named Sassy, she was so small, yet still took on a raccoon. I loved that little guy.

On the rat issue, they love bacon fat, and ju jubes candy, pour some melted candy on the poison. That helps allot.