get some cats!

Cats occurred to me, too. I'll tell you our situation for what it's worth. We live next door to a dairy farm, and I've seen rats on telephone wires by our house and have had them under roof space in part of our house. Yuck. They're not there currently, but they got there by way of roofs and wires, not by plants on the house. We have a wisteria pergola in front of our house and touching it; our cat uses it to enter and exit the house, as we leave the first (not ground) floor bedroom unscreened window open much of the time. We've never seen or heard a rat in the pergola or had one try to enter the house by way of the pergola. We HAVE had dormice come in our bedroom looking for a place to hibernate, and presumably they got up like the cat did, climbing the persimmon tree and then crossing the pergola.

In Concord, CA we had a horrible time with roof rats, partly because we have many fruit and nut trees and a neighbor with a shed full of old newspaper in which they lived. We occasionally get them in the attic from a trellis over a patio. I got a device called the RatZapper (see ratzapper.org). years ago. Got 26 rats in the first 2 weeks. They do climb up the shrubbery on the posts of the patio cover, which is star jasmine. I haven't had problems with them in the roses there. but I do not have any climbers. They are smaller than many rats and some we had looked like they may have crossed with domestic pet rats. Creepy.

If you have a lattice, the rats will use it regardless of whether a rose covers it or not, if there is a reason for them to hang around. Rats have regularly used the pergola in the front of my house as a pathway to goodies even when it's been bare. What attracts rats most is the availability of food. If you have fruit trees or ornamentals with edible fruits (they love golden currents -- that was what they were going for via the pergola) or leave pet food outdoors, there will be rats. I have grapes, figs and citrus, which rats adore. (I have trapped 8 this year so far, both in the attic and outdoors, and still have at least one rat to go, though that one has been living in a remoter part of the yard -- so far. My best little feral kitty hunter has been working on that one lately, though, and she has caught many in the past, so I am hopeful.) Tangles of shrubs and climbers and vines (and English ivy!) provide rodent shelter, but rats will not be bothersome unless there is also food for them to eat.

The
rats will use any method possible to get where they want to go. Anything that
affords protection, shelter and something to hide them while they make their way
where they want to be will be efficiently used. Critters hate walking out in the
open as that makes them more vulnerable to predators. Anything that camouflages
them will help them be more active. If there are openings in your eaves to
permit them entry, they will eventually find them. If they have shelter for the
journey (plants or anything they can hide in or under) they will find them
sooner and be more difficult to keep out. Just because you haven't heard or seen
them doesn't mean they aren't there. Provide habitat and they will make use of
it. Not meant to prevent you from growing what you want, where you want to grow
it. Just meant as information so before you provide the cover of climbing
plants, make sure there aren't easy access points for them to use. I've
lived and gardened in the hills and chaparral, as well as "in town" and dealt
with them in attics, crawl spaces, sheds and overgrown plants. It is NO fun, but
they can be dealt with. I second the Rat Zapper suggestion. That thing WORKS.
Another, which can be left out in the elements and not require batteries nor
protection against rain or sprinklers is theOrtho Home Defense MAX Secure Kill Rat Trap. (No, I don't work for Ortho nor otherwise benefit from advertising them.) It is inexpensive, extremely easy to load and empty and it works. I
found the best bait to be a tiny piece of the cheapest pepperoni stick you can
find, securely glued in with peanut butter. If the bait is simply set in the
trigger cup, it's possible for the rodent to slip it out of the cup without
triggering the trap. Glue it in with something sticky and they get trapped. Rats and mice will walk out in the open and obsessively work to get at cheap pepperoni sticks. So will dogs, so protect against that possibility. Good
luck!

Trees that hang over your house, also provide access to your home. I had to cut all mine back because I didn't have another way they could get in, so they used the trees to drop onto the roof.

I am so disturbed by all the rats I'm reading about that I don't know what to say. I thank you for all the responses. I do have 2 indoor cats but as I can't allow them outside alone, I don't think they would be much help. They are pretty spoiled house cats. I'm thinking Mel's Heritage will have to go somewhere else. I am just horrified at the thought of rats. My boys have very recently moved out, and I can't handle the thought of setting traps and dealing with the aftermath. Call me silly, but I have an almost phobia of rodents. Thanks so much for the replys. I'm really going to have to rethink things.

Eliminate food sources, or fence them off so rats cannot get to them. In So Cal, those food sources are going to be bird seed feeders, citrus & avocado trees, palm trees (rats love the fruits and seeds), tomato plants. Make sure the lids of your trash barrels are firmly closed.

We had a bad infestation a few years ago because the neighbors would throw out a couple of pounds of birdseed onto their patio every morning. Yes it attracted birds, but the rat population exploded as well.

Where roses are concerned, the issue is ripe, fleshy rose hips--rats will eat them! It is not their preferred food, but when there is nothing else, they will eat them. But all you need do in that instance is deadhead before the hips ripen.

Hoovb is right on concerning the food sources. Except, rats and squirrels LOVE rose hips. The flesh and seeds are high in nutrients. They will go after them as eagerly as they will fruit and vegetables. Until my current residence, they have always been obstacles to my rose breeding efforts. Rodents are FIERCE competitors for hips!

My favorite kind of trap is the one Kim shows -- not as dicey to set as the traditional wooden kind that puts your fingers in peril unless you are very, very careful (or have fast reflexes!). I'll have to try the pepperoni -- this latest rat (or rats) has been snubbing the peanut butter by itself for some reason.

Glue
a TINY piece of the pepperoni stick in with peanut butter, Catspa. You would be
surprised how dextrous the beggars are getting anything out of that cup that
isn't glued in well! As soon as I began gluing the pieces in firmly, they
stopped being able to feast from the trap without triggering it. I bought a
thin, short packaged one from my local convenience store for about a buck. I cut
smaller than quarter inch long pieces of it and glued them in with peanut butter
and a toothpick to load the stuff in the hole with, pressing it all in well so
the rodent would have to work to scoop it out. Works like a charm! If you have many rodents to send off 'over the rainbow bridge', you might consider also buying a small, inexpensive jar of peanut butter so you don't have to worry about not touching it with "trap tainted" hands. I hate the thought of touching anything in the house until I've thoroughly scrubbed after working with the traps. Keeping the small jar out with the gardening supplies specifically for trap use made dealing with keeping the traps set after "successes" a lot simpler.

Thanks, Kim. I've loaded up a bunch of traps with pepperoni and peanut butter tonight-- let's see how Ratso likes it. But, if no luck at that site tonight (for all I know, my feral kitty may have actually gotten that one -- she's been hanging around up there all week....), I'll be moving those "7-11 Specials" down near the orange tree, where the oranges are getting ripe and I heard some suspicious scampers of little feet on the roof nearby tonight.

Good luck! Unless the cat is starving, I don't think it should attract her. Usually, felines aren't as attracted to peanut butter or pepperoni as dogs.

Rattus rattus (the black true rat) will not only make use of climbing plants as a pathway but will also nest in the bushy foliage in crude bird-like nests. Given half a chance, Rattus rattus will never stray on the ground not to mention an open area. I don't know how much the black rat is dispersed in North America, but he's is very common over here. I often see them up my stone fruit and other trees.

When I see Lara hysterically barking up a tree or pergola I know there's a rat looking at her from up there..

Catspa, in my experience, if we are talking about true rats, there's never just ONE rat out there. Where there's one, there are many. They are also creatures of habit so they tend to use the same paths over and over never straying far unless they decide to change their food source (which they often do even if the previous one is not exhausted - they do it for nutritional variation). So, the path must first be identified and the traps set accordingly.

Yuk!

Oh, I know, Nik. We are not nearly to the end of the rats here (which are indeed "roof rats" or Rattus rattus), nor ever will be. All one can hope to do is control numbers, since eradication is impossible.

I spoke of one rat in this case because that is who I saw last week in the part of the yard where I have been setting traps lately. It was late afternoon and it was using an established pathway that runs along a wooden fence, close to a neighbor's fruit trees on the other side. I actually had a cat with me (on a leash, a once-feral kitten of 8 months that I have been socializing), but he, as usual, was far more interested in the wintering birds in the yard and ignored the rat. The rat just stood there watching us (under 'Alistair Stella Grey', in fact) as I exclaimed, "There's a rat, a rat, Pirate (the cat's name)!", to no avail...He has hunting instincts, having been feral his first 4 months, but not the "right" kind, so far, apparently.

So, I had 6 traps laid out along the fence last night, with Kim's pepperoni and peanut butter bait, and no catch. I'm beginning to believe that the rat I saw has either moved on or already been dispatched by a cat or owl, as they are not, usually, that difficult to eventually catch, given an enticing bait and an effective trap. Plus, as you point out, a rat on the ground is a very vulnerable rat. The ones that cats catch are traversing open ground. I'm going to be moving operations to the vicinity of the orange tree, which is the next likely rat attraction -- they can, and do, jump into it from the roof of the house.

Rats also love liverwurst. My husband ties up little bags with it in it so they have to tug at it and this set off the trap (not the Rat Zapper, the ones with the plastic cheese). Some rats are adept at eating the food withpout setting off the trap.

Just bought and set up a couple of 'Telco' brand Chinese made rat-zapper style traps. We'll see what they'll do. They weren't cheap mind you. Good thing is they operate both with the mains and with batteries. I set up the one in my veranda connected to the mains, where I have seen the obvious signs (...) of a rat passing through these last few weeks, and the other on the grapevine pergola, where I've seen Lara barking at in the evening. This one battery operated. Lara is a fine dog, temperament wise is a mix of a Sheltie and some terrier I think, not sure what the neighbours think though..

Just protect them from water, Nik.

Two bricks should solve the problem of the rat getting the bait without being trapped…..
Place them on edge in a V shape then set the trap in the V. Simple as that.

Up to now the rat just reaches over and picks out what he wants without putting any weight on the trigger. With the bricks there he has to climb up onto them and reach down. Once he is off balance he will step onto the trap and it’s all over…. lol

You may have to move the trap away from the bricks just a tad so he becomes off balance.

Let us know if it works…… :-)))

Gosh, I almost wish rats were my problem. My pests are possums (a giant rat in my opinion) and raccoons, and I have dozens of them. I can't count the number we've live trapped and hauled off, but DH says they probably beat us back home.

Great success....... in feeding the rat.... Is there a way to test this contraption to see if it works without being zapped?

Vintage Gardens, back when it was a rose nursery, had the owners' pet rat terriers roaming the growing grounds. They were charming dogs, delightful, affectionate, and loving toward humans, but deadly to rodents. The nursery has since been replaced by Vintage Roses, a not-for-profit organization which is dedicated to preserving rare roses. The beloved dogs lived out their lives and are with us no more.

However, in my own garden two young rat terriers live on. So far they have not fulfilled my hopes of eliminating gophers and ground squirrels. However, the other day I saw Archie and Nero playing with a not-longer-living rat, so I am hopeful about their rodent eliminating prowess.. I could use a little help keeping the rodents from destroying my garden! I was inspired by the Vintage dogs to get my own Archie and Nero. Even if they do not work out as vermin-elimatinating dogs (fingers crossed), they are wonderful pets.

Dogs are no good with tree venturing rats. A terrier can become a vermin in its own right in a garden with its digging tendencies. In a farm with barns and stables, that's where a terrier belongs.

Not that I know of, Nik. The Zapper we have here has a green light on top which illuminates when it is turned on (or off, then back on) to let you know the batteries are good. As long as they are, it works, in my experience. For that, I always smeared a bit of peanut butter on the back wall of the unit, inside, through the holes in the rear wall, then slid it against something so the rodents couldn't access the food from the outside.

Toy Fox Terrors should also make tremendous ratters, too. Mine hunt ANYTHING that moves, even each other, sometimes. They're marvelous watch dogs, too. Lula hears ANYTHING when the slider is open at night and she's out like a shot, policing the area and running any "invader" out of the yard.

Similar green light and back end holes here. This must be a Zapper copy. I just put a couple of pieces of cheese in the back, the cheese was gone but the device was not set off. I'll try something stickier though the back holes. No peanut butter in this household I'm afraid, I'll try some cream cheese. I will also try to do what toolbelt described to force the rat to really get into the trap.

Nik, Nik -- I know several people who garden, and own terriers.

As far as digging holes -- I'll put my Dalmatians up against terriers any day. They have dug up and slain many a gopher. I still garden, and bless them for the reduction in the gopher population.

But then, I never planned to have a perfect lawn. (Which is a good thing, because what we had is now pretty much dead -- thanks to the drought.)

Shenanigans is the only one of these to have a digging problem, but I chalk that up to her still being a puppy. I'm sure if there was a critter under ground, the others would be encouraged to dig it out, but they don't "dig" as a normal habit. Even without the digging, having a "perfect lawn" is virtually impossible with dogs. Grass was made to "potty" on and that will knock it off as quickly as anything.

All right. It works. I tested it the hard way. It wakes you up if you're feeling sleepy..

I always just used dog kibble with the Rat Zapper and got plenty of rats, no mess either. I love the way you can just dump the deceased rats in a bag and throw them in the garbage with touching them!

You're too much, Nik! LOL!

One down. Fat juicy one..

Good news, Nik!

Congratulations, Nik! Remember, as long as you don't have dogs, coyotes, etc. which will dig them up, rats make WONDERFUL fertilizer when planted beneath (or very near the base) of roses and other plants. In the old Newhall garden, I could walk down paths and identify those which had "something" buried beneath them. Wasn't it Gertrude Jekyll who advocted killing rabbits to bury under her roses? I won't go that far, but if you have something like that, why not make proper use of it?

Mmm, rabbit + banana skins.....now, there's a thought...!

Lol Kim, I'm sure my dogs would love the challenge of playing find-that-dead-rat-under-the-rose-shrubs!

As would mine, I'm sure. Fortunately, I only had to deal with coyotes digging them up in the old garden. And, just as fortunately, I don't have any of those critters in the new one!

Yes, an exterminator told me to keep all tall trees and foliage away from the house as it enables rodents to gain entry to the roof. We bought this house 6 mths ago. The first thing i did was to cut down a bougainvillea that the previous owner had painstakingly grown to cover the pergola that runs along the front of the house. Im going to put my climbers along the fence. What i have done is to order artificial foliage panels to put up across the rafters for shade in Summer then i will take them down when the weather cools off until i think of a more permanent solution.