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joshuajim's avatar
joshuajim
Explorer II
Jan 06, 2020

Rats!

Last fall when I was winterizing my Wildwood, I noticed that rats had chewed off one if my brake wires. Fixed that at the time and put out rat bait to eliminate the problem. Just before Christmas we were having the grand kids over and they like to stay in the trailer so I dewinterize it and noticed that fresh water reading did not work. Not a real problem at the time since it was just sitting out by the barn so I put off investigating, but I was pretty sure it was the rats again.

I checked this past week because the temps were in the high 50’s and determined that they has gotten into the enclosure around the water tank. This is what I found when I dropped the lower cover.





†he issue is that the hole that was cut for the slide out rod was far too big. About 3” x3”. I cut a piece of expanded metal with a tight fit to remedy the situation. I used expanded metal because the compartment is heated and if there is no relief, no hot air will enter the compartment.



Fortunately, FR placed hardware cloth over the duct entry to the compartment so the rats could not get into the interior heating system.
  • 2oldman wrote:
    buta4 wrote:
    Acquire a cat!
    Good for mice. Rats, not so much.
    You bet. I've seen rats bigger than most barn cats. The cats are smart, they won't take on the rats.
  • 2oldman wrote:
    DarkSkySeeker wrote:
    We use spring traps and leave the bodies on a fence railing where the local crows know to check for a free meal.
    That's cool!


    Could be owls eating them too.
    We watched a demonstration of an owl eating a (dead) mouse. It was amazing how easily it pulled it apart (like Oprah going through a case of Weight Watchers).

    Either way, I sure like the idea of recycling!
  • 2oldman wrote:
    buta4 wrote:
    Acquire a cat!
    Good for mice. Rats, not so much.


    Actually, that depends on the particular cat's temperment.

    I've had one who attacked full grown large dogs with claws digging into their flanks and sent them on their way screaming in terror!
    Imagine what he'd do a a puny rat?

    Just saying.
  • Naio's avatar
    Naio
    Explorer II
    My old man cat got rid of the rats at the place we stayed five years ago. He was only a middle aged man at that time, though.

    My young man cat attacked a large, and soon very confused, dog, to defend me once. I still don't know if this cat hunts. But if did I'm sure he would go after rats.

    He's ridiculously brave. I have to hold him hard to keep him off of pitbulls. Trying to teach him a little sense.

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