For Rodents - Has Anybody tried the Bucket trap with the Cheap Plastic Yellow Top ?

[LBL]

I made a mistake a few years ago when investigating something else underneath the house.

There is a cube shaped space - with a wood top - to gain access to the crawl space.

I didn't put the wood top back ... and then the blackberries overgrew it ... 3 times.

Now I have to do 1 blackberry session in order to get the lid back on the space. I think that will help some.

Also, cleaning the garage will help some. I stopped feeding the chickens in the garage coop, and now the rats come outside to get their food.

 

[Al Gerhart]

You need a treadle feeder. Look over the negative reviews first, those will be the ones with an actual rodent problem. The key is a narrow and distant treadle and a spring loaded door so the rodents don't just push the door open.

Traps never work long term. The rodents figure them out and avoid them.

 

[LBL]

You need a treadle feeder. Look over the negative reviews first, those will be the ones with an actual rodent problem. The key is a narrow and distant treadle and a spring loaded door so the rodents don't just push the door open.

Traps never work long term. The rodents figure them out and avoid them.

I am getting close to having a sort of Manual treadle feeder. i.e. just giving the birds what they will actually eat, with maybe a 20% overage that the rats eat.

I have a LAZY indoor cat who just ignores the rats and mice.

He has some Scarecrow effect, but mostly they are not afraid of him.

Having a cat that actually eats & scares the mice & rats might end up being a part of the solution.

I concerned that bringing a new male cat into the house, that will probably be Bigger than the existing cat, will cause Kitty Cat Dis-harmony.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Grandma always said that the best mouser is a momma cat feeding babies. Then what do you do with the babies?

In the end you pay for a treadle feeder whether you have one or not. But cleaning up the paths the rodents use to eliminate any cover or concealment helps the cat and other natural predators control their numbers. Getting the bulk feed stored in metal drums or trash cans of course is the first step.

 

[LBL]

Grandma always said that the best mouser is a momma cat feeding babies. Then what do you do with the babies?

In the end you pay for a treadle feeder whether you have one or not. But cleaning up the paths the rodents use to eliminate any cover or concealment helps the cat and other natural predators control their numbers. Getting the bulk feed stored in metal drums or trash cans of course is the first step.

There's a large meadow, with 2 BEAUTIFUL California Kingsnakes, about 50 yards from the house.

Also, I have seen neighbor cats, as well as my own cat, "hanging around" the entrance to the meadow.

So that is where I release the rodents I catch. The ONLY thing that is working is the large Sticky Traps.

One day, one of them caught -5- mice (or young rats) in one trap.

But now I'm down to 1 or 2 a night. The rats are smart.

Even the chicken I allow to be indoors - so I don't have to deal with the heat and chickens fighting - has learned to avoid the sticky trap.