We've got one. I hope it's only one. Not sure how it got in, but it either couldn't find its way back out or decided to stay. It seems to be living somewhere behind the dashboard or under the engine cover. It has sprung traps and taken poisoned bait, but its still here. Has anyone ever had one of these and gotten rid of it?

Here is Southern Arizona, they are everywhere. The most success I've had is to put some peanut butter inside of cheese cloth, and then attach it to the trigger. The rat snags his teeth in the cheese cloth which triggers the trap, and it nails them everytime.

Thanks Jim, I will try that. First, I have to get a bigger trap. DH refuses to admit that we have a rat. He wants to believe that it's a mouse. He is horrified at the idea of a rat. But I've seen mouse droppings and I've seen rat droppings. We've got a rat.

Jean S wrote:Thanks Jim, I will try that. First, I have to get a bigger trap. DH refuses to admit that we have a rat. He wants to believe that it's a mouse. He is horrified at the idea of a rat. But I've seen mouse droppings and I've seen rat droppings. We've got a rat.It seems to be living somewhere behind the dashboard or under the engine cover...Whatever you do get rid of it ASAP!They WILL eat the wires in the engine compartment AND wires leading to dash. Been there done that and it was not cheap to fix either.:(BTW: DNR agent told me to use fish heads to use in trap. When nothing else worked trapping an animal I found this really DOES work. It's the only thing I use now. Just go to grocery store and buy a cheap fresh fish and whack off it's head for the trap.I'll make bet you catch it that same day. :W

Use a piece of aluminum foil under the trigger. Pack rats are attracted to shiny objects. I've used a piece of apple along with peanut butter, not too big, but pack rats are very difficult to trap plus they get trap shy if you don't catch them on the first attempt. Decon or other "bait" has been a waste of time for us, and I find a pile of bait in their nest, along with other misc. items. Good luck, they can be very difficult to trap.

I'd recommend using snap traps with a wider trigger. Check Amazon for "JAWZ" traps, and place these along paths the vermin run along. Even without bait, those have been instrumental at removing critters.Sticky pads work as well... but I wouldn't even think of using them if I had dogs or cats.

pack rat | Good Sam Community

rockhillmanor
Explorer
May 04, 2015
Allworth wrote:

In Florida we get rats and squirrels trying to set up nests in the trailers year round....

Boy you got that right!
I just bought a house down here in Florida and a raccoon (at least we hope that is the animal doing it) has chewed a "2 foot hole" in my roof!!!

We blocked him out and the dang blankety, blankety, blank raccoon went around the whole house pulling up all the edge shingles and pulled back flashing.:R

Starting to wonder about the decision to move to Florida. Just yesterday the showed a panther in someones' attic.
westend
Explorer
May 05, 2015
Chupacabra, maybe?
CavemanCharlie
Explorer III
May 05, 2015
I don't believe in poison. Even after it is dead you may accidentally kill a pet that chews on the dead rat.

Pack Rats ?? !!! Yet another reason you have all scared me to the point I will never leave the upper central Midwest.
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
May 05, 2015
CavemanCharlie wrote:
I don't believe in poison. Even after it is dead you may accidentally kill a pet that chews on the dead rat.

Or any wild animal that will pick at a carcass, including hawks, eagles, foxes, etc. The "Second Generation" poisons are particularly lethal - my dog gnawed on a bait that hadn't been anchored down (mouse must have dragged it out) and it was 6 weeks of vet visits and daily Vit K to save his life.....

On a lighter note - I have a Pack Rat, too.....his name is Ed :-(

Deb
Jean_S
Explorer
May 06, 2015
Thanks everyone. Found what we think it was. Ground squirrel. Dead. It ate the poison bait but not the peanut butter. Ground squirrels never occurred to us. Not sure if they chew wires, etc. We'll have to look.

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