Mice. Who knew!

[Dog's Life]

My home remedy for the night, as I think with the 1x1 gap closer, I didn't seal anything out, but sealed something in, as I see continued damage, will be tinfoil around the bases. Along with the traps.
I appreciate all the input so far. I know so much more about rats eating pot right now than I ever wanted to!

Any more rat/rodent stories?

 

[HidingInTheHaze]

I know so much more about rats eating pot right now than I ever wanted to!

They are a tough pest, I basically had to become a rat expert to catch mine.

Mice are easy, rats are very smart and very crafty. They can get into high places that make them hard to find.

The easiest way to catch a rat is to learn where it is and how its moving around.

Sprinkle some lines of flour on the floor and see if you can get what ever it is to walk thru it. It will tell you if you have mice or rats and how many you might be fighting.

 

[Ichabod Crane]

I use the sticky traps as well. Caught a mouse today with one. Make sure you get the baited traps and place it along the walls. Rats and mice rarely walk in the open. They prefer to move around the perimeter. If you can set up something to guide them to the trap you will get them quicker. Something like a broom laying on the floor so they follow the handle to where the trap is.

 

[Dog's Life]

Thanks HITH

My area is a perfect rodent area (except for its cleanliness) for hiding places. It's been so cold and dry outside I can understand why they like my place.

I appreciate your ideas. I thought of putting snap traps in the crawl space when I closed it up. Duh…

 

[Dog's Life]

Thanks, IC !
Rodents, like cockroaches, follow the perimeter. I put the mouse cube by the wall. That's good info for sure.
Snow is falling heavy here. I like it.

 

[aridbud]

I think if I put up wire mesh the chewer might walk up it and chew at the next available stem… ?

Agreed - Pot is resilient. Incredibly so.

I've chased a bunch of them, but never heard a skink hiss. Ever heard a Cow Killer ant hiss?

You need to make a dome to cover young plant from top to base. There's mesh with <1/2" holes....get that in hardware stores. Peeing around the plants wards them off too....but indoors, I wouldn't recommend it! Cough.

Grind up rat poison w/ peanut butter out for the munchers to partake....you'll see decrease in those rodents. I use a hammer in a cloth to break down TOM CAT or DCON.

Oh yeah, skinks HISS....seen/heard it many a time.

 

[Crooked8]

Sticky traps didnt work for me. They would get stuck and then free themselves! They make humane ones. They have a door the rodent enters and it closes behind them. You throw a cracker with some peanut butter in there and it goes in and gets trapped. Then you can take the misplaced bugger and get rid of it elsewhere without killing it.

 

[HidingInTheHaze]

Sticky traps didnt work for me. They would get stuck and then free themselves!

The Tomcat, heavy duty ones work really good. They have a plastic tray and about a 1/4" layer of glue. I've even caught snakes with them in the garage.

 

[Kant C Shyt]

Hey ya'll, had this problem last year. I tried d-conn, traps, sprays, and I already had them completely enclosed in a cage with 2 types of wire (but the holes were too big I found out). What finally work was the small mess hex wire that someone mentioned earlier, so small certain insects can't pass through it. I literally had to wrap the stem in it from the base to about 3' up the plants. It was very tedious because the plants were constantly growing and I had to move and replace wire every few trips but its the only thing that finally got the mice to leave my plants alone. I will always use this wire now in my OD grows no exceptions, it saved my grow last year. Take care 1

 

[SaBeS]

Had this happen to a friend where the rat got into his ducting and ate through it to get into the room and then completely chopped 4 plants about 4 feet in height right at the base. It managed to do this in two night, little bastard.

 

[Granger2]

I had rats in my utility room off and on for years till I finally found their entry point and fixed it [water heater vent on roof]. None since. They'd drop in, and couldn't get back out. Very damaging, shit and piss on everything. One gnawed thru a hose under my washer. Tuned it on and water everywhere. Others [I'm not shitting you] gnawed thru 2x4's. They are attracted to and will gnaw electric wires. It's good to keep poison in the attic.

Killed 8-10 over a 10 year period. Mostly with rat traps. Stickies are inhumane cuz sometimes they'll gnaw off a leg to get free. Don't get me wrong I HATE the mofo's, but once there was a really big one who had a foreleg snapped that saved his neck from being broken, but he couldn't get free. I'm sure his neck was seriously harmed but not broken. I had to pick up rat, trap and all with long channel locks and hold him under water in a plastic bucket till he was still, clinching my teeth the whole time. Took over 30 seconds, lots of flailing. Still makes me cringe.

Now every fall I put out a rat poison called Just One Bite. It's decisive. I put it under my rear store room, the attic, and the water heater closet.

Just One Bite will kill your pets-and children, but if a pet [or child] eats a rat killed by Just One Bite they will not be harmed. Dogs can of course smell the poison [bait] and will eat it if they can get to it. Be very careful.

If you read up on rats, they're amazing, smart, seriously destructive, Filthy, loathsome. I used to think that the idea that elephants are afraid of mice was an old wives tale, but it is based in fact. Two circus elephants in France had to be euthanized because of so much damage to their feet from a throng of rats. Horrible, right. I hate them. Good luck. -granger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHrKUosSM7s

 

[Dog's Life]

Thanks all of you.

A couple days later and whatever it was seems to have gone. Nothing caught in the traps. I put tinfoil around the bases about 4 inches up, just in case. I assume this would do little if a beast wanted to chew, tho.

The plants that were chewed all the way around look a bit weaker than the one that wasn't. But they look like they'll survive.

 

[Razzurrection]

hey man....mice need to get high too, i guess!

 

[Bud Green]

My house is back in the woods, so I expect to have mice as neighbors..
And as long as they stay in their own houses, fine, but when they come in my workshop they get trapped and thrown out in the snow...

 

[Dog's Life]

Not so fast. It's back, and is chewing off branches and putting them places. It's eaten the peanut butter from the cube trap, and the tops of two plants are gone.

Leaving for the store soon for sticky traps. This thing will be dead soon, if I have to wait with a .357

 

[Bud Green]

Not so fast. It's back, and is chewing off branches and putting them places. It's eaten the peanut butter from the cube trap, and the tops of two plants are gone.

Leaving for the store soon for sticky traps. This thing will be dead soon, if I have to wait with a .357

I had a rat in my shop one time that was big enough that I used my .22 rifle on it...
Don't use peanut butter, they love it but they can lick it off without tripping the trap...Instead, use a slice of cheese. just tear off a small piece, but with your fingers, thoroughly knead it around the bait holder. They can't lick it off, and when they bite it, BAM. you got 'em ! If you need to stuff access holes where they come in, use steel wool instead of tin foil...

 

[Granger2]

Yes, they don't like to gnaw steel wool. They make 22 ammo called Rat Shot. A 22 long rifle shell loaded with #12 shot, crimped. So you don't shoot holes thru your barn roof. Used it when I was a kid in my uncle's barn. Very effective. Safer in close quarters. Wear eye protection. Ricochets might sting a little if you get hit, but np. Good luck. -granger

 

[Dog's Life]

I think I found the access. Had to pull out the washer and dryer (no easy task) found a gap where the dryer vent comes in. Used a can of expanding foam. Also six sticky traps placed around. I think one plant is chewed too far to live. Think I'll chop it as it probably won't perform, and I can get another in to maintain max # of plants.

 

[Dog's Life]

I'll look into rat shot. Sounds kinda fun. Hopefully the steps I took solves the problem.

I'll be moving soon back down to town. Anybody intrested in a cabin in the woods?

 

[Dog's Life]

I think it's been stated by others, I fear it'll be a small gap here, chewed hole there thing if I don't get this quick. While I may seal it out for the moment, It's still living in the voids of my walls. Breeding….