they usu follow the smell of their paths so if u can figure out the paths & clean that up (with a broom or vacuum) most usually your smell (the human smell) will let them know your presence & that will help erasing their memories passing from one generation to another. u can also stuff up the holes with steel wool but keep in mind they are capable of digging up new holes thru walls etc
of course the first thing to do (not saying ur not doing it) is to keep all their food source away from sight & smell作者: szasz 時間: 2013-10-14 03:20
and if nothing works then you are going to have to make friends with them
i myself had set traps before but i ended up killing a diff species
and don't forget if you have other pets or even children at home it isn't such a good idea to use poison作者: Quest 時間: 2013-10-14 06:05
I opt for option 2.
I've had just about enough experience dealing with norway rats in Rmd area (my parent house garage)....and they are extremely smart.
Let me know if you need any further advice on this.
Q.作者: TurboDoe 時間: 2013-10-14 07:23
Thx for all the inputs. Saw traces of droppings in the basement crawl space. Tried moth balls and peppermint oil but no luck. Might have to find professional to do the job, but no sure which option to go for? 阿信 said option 2 would be good enough to do the job. Another company said no guranantee they won't come back with option 2. But with option 1, mice can always dig/chew out new holes right? Anyone has experience?作者: Quest 時間: 2013-10-14 14:01
(1)what size is their poop? rice? or elongated red bean?
(2)you said something about having holes on the wall? How big is the hole?
If the answer to (1) is rice, then those are mouse/mice...easily dealt with. Get those small victor brand spring traps, + a piece of cheeze block (the hard ones)+ peanut butter on the top. Set the bait side towards a wall or something...within 2 days time....you'll catch something.
if the answer to (1) is elongated red bean size (diameter), then you are dealing with rats. For rats: you shall buy the large size victor brand spring traps. Use a piece of cheep sausage (those packs from supastore or similar) + peanut butter. Set trap with bait side close to the wall...within 3 days time..you should catch something.
Dispose them outside (industrial garbage bin or similar) with care. Also: wash away the blood afterwards.
As for victor brand spring traps: you can get them from crappy tires...
I would not use chemical sprays; old style anti-coagulant rat bait such as warfarin is no longer effective and the mice/rats know. Be extra careful when using chemicals for if you aren't careful, those chemical will get into your body.
Q.
p.s. I know enough to deal with rats in my area....作者: TurboDoe 時間: 2013-10-14 14:47
Heh thx Quest. Holes in the crawl space? Too dark inside, do not know how many and how big they are! That's why thinking to hire professional to deal with hat.作者: baubau 時間: 2013-10-14 14:51
TurboDoe are you in Vancouver / Burnaby / Richmond?作者: TurboDoe 時間: 2013-10-15 17:23
Hi Quest:
Why would you go for option 1? Do not seal off the point of entry! Pls kindly advice. Thx作者: szasz 時間: 2013-10-15 19:05
不介意我在這裡發表嗎
the thing is when they first came into your personal space the reason was:
a. seasonal rodent growth
b. the neighborhood ur in
c. climate changes
d. no reason
once you figured that out and started taking actions towards it
at sum point they really drove me nuts cause they waited till night time to come out (or kept waiting till i turned the light off) and were making all these noise siksiksaksak (no idea where they were, what they were doing, took so much time to investigate) n when they started jaywalking across the living room during the day when ppl are still in (instead of the sidewalk along the walls, behind the cabinet etc) & yeah city bylaw already says: no defecate, urinate, nor expectorate on property ...
once u spend so much time cleaning up after them u will see things from their perspectives n understand (as long as they are not mutant rats from Iran) and also they always wanted to be hidden in the dark n away from sight of human, and light. and every move, even very subtle move that we human makes can create extreme fear and alertness in them
but once you 'make friends' with them and bridge that gap, at least for me that was a crucial step
and imo avoid killing as much as possible (that was my previous approach that I m most comfortable with up to the present)作者: TurboDoe 時間: 2013-10-15 20:27
Thx Szasz for ur input. May I ask how you finally made those little creatures disappear? Thx作者: szasz 時間: 2013-10-16 02:17
1. listen & move quietly, locate their base
2. observe their routes, derive entry n exit pts from there
3. clean up their smell, droppings and urine included
4. once u done dat ur now real close to the ground and u smell n see n move like they do, then you will know what they were eating (e.g. 餅乾碎）作者: szasz 時間: 2013-10-16 02:33
Sorry folks, as much as my religion does not allow me to kill, I have no choice but to deal/handle these rodents the "proper" way.
rats/mice carries a lot of parasites and diseases, and if they have fleas, they might even carry the virus similar to black death (I know it's been long gone now since the last outbreak bit the virus still around), and I don't welcome rodents such as these and share the same living area with them.
With that I'd have no choice but to rid of them. So far, there's not such thing called "humane way" to deal with rats/mice simply because they breed so quickly (a pair of brown rats can have 2000litters every year!)
Spring trap is the only way to go (in my case) although you may be able to get those HK style rat traps in Chinatown...my sis did it once with those rat traps and caught one but didn't know how to dispose them of, ended up being a mess.
Anyways: you won't be so "kindhearted" when your living quarters are invaded by rats. Trust me.
Q.作者: TurboDoe 時間: 2013-10-16 11:25
Thx Quest. Thx for ur input! So u used Victor brand spring traps? Used several at a time and then checked on them from time to time. If the spring trap caught one, disposed and washed/reused that spring trap again? And also without sealing off the point of entry? After a while, they did not come back at all? Pls advice.作者: Quest 時間: 2013-10-16 11:30
Yup!
You just need to first deal with the "moving" ones that frequently comes in-n-out of the house, rid of them first (using spring traps, I know it's messy but you throw them away one-by-one when they are "filled up")..then after a week of no spring-trap activities, you then proceed to sealing off the hole.
Also: inspect it from the outside to see if there's any holes or crevices big enough for them to get in-n-out. Seal those holes/cracks accordingly.
Yeah, rats are difficult to deal with for they will "memorise" your inside house surroundings and work their way through to seek food and shelter. So you have to give them 3 ~5 days to let themselves off guard if you are to set spring traps.
Remember: for rats: use cut chicken hotdog sausage (slightly cooked) smeared with peanut butter on the spring trap. Guaranteed success!
(*was taught by my former manager whose parents live in the interior in a farm*)作者: Quest 時間: 2013-10-16 11:38
Also: I would not immediately/casually resort to using poisons or chemicals of any kind...humans get affected by it if not handled properly.
Traps are messy but still get the job done chemical/poison-free way...you just have to learn to become "cold-hearted" when dealing with rodents.
Q.作者: fatman-w 時間: 2013-10-17 22:42
Go to the dollar shop, buy the glue boards & the bottles of red hot (pepper?) spice (<$10.00). check the droppings, sweep clean, place glue boards. If mouse caught, throw a piece of newspaper on top & throw it away, see nothing, touch nothing.
Locate its possible entry points (gaps between pipes?), sweep clean, fill the gap, sprinkle the spice around it.
Never use poisons, I have seen dead mice near air diffusers in the form of powder (aged) in restaurants.
