Warning: Rats can chew through those 2.5 gal water jugs...

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Went down to the basement this morning only to discover water on the floor. Seems we have a rat who loves to chew threw plastic. So far, 3 of our 2.5 gal water jugs have been chewed. We're moving the remaining jugs to another part of the house...

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), July 22, 1999

Answers

Libby:

How can you know it's rats? I have a 2.5 gal water jug in the garage and suddenly one day it had a triangular hole at the TOP. Some of the 1-gallon numbers have what looks like a razor slit, and NOT at the seam. I've seen no evidence of rats or mice in the garage. When I've had mice at other homes, I've noticed "droppings." I've used up every excuse I had for these things leaking, including "I stacked them....shouldn't have done that."..."Someone bumped into them." They're now located where NOTHING can bump into them and they are NOT stacked. Still the leakages continue.

-- Anita (spoonera@msn.com), July 22, 1999.


I've read accounts of rats chewing through *six inches of concrete* to get into grain elevators. A plastic jug shoud be a piece of cake.

Remember that rats *must* chew. Their teeth grow at such a rate that they will become unable to eat if they do not keep the teeth worked down.

-Greybear

It's not being in the rat-race that bothers me, it's the feeling that the rats are winning.

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), July 22, 1999.


Rats also like chewing soap too.!

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), July 22, 1999.

Anita:

Those razor slits could be just that: slit open by accident while opening the boxes that the containers came in.

-- Jon Williamson (jwilliamson003@sprintmail.com), July 22, 1999.


Jon:

Nope. I turn these suckers upside-down and sideways and inspect carefully before I ever put them in the cart. I reject more bottles than I accept simply because I notice slight dents. I'll not buy them again. I've lost a good 15 or so of them...not that my flowerbed minds when I dump the last bit of water remaining. The 5- gallon heavy-duty containers cost twice as much, but these 1-gallon and 2.5-gallon numbers are literally money down the drain if you intend to store them for any length of time.

I don't want Libby to experience the messes I experienced when I stored these bottles in the house. Leaking on a cement floor is MUCH more ... um...convenient?

-- Anita (spoonera@msn.com), July 22, 1999.



Anita -- How do I know it's rats? I saw one out of the corner of my eye! Yuck!! Guess I'll have to think of another way to store that water. We have some extra 5 gal things of delivered water. Also have a couple of 55 gal drums. Guess I ought to go more in that direction... Good idea about emptying it on the garden -- especially under these drought conditions.

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), July 22, 1999.

Hi Libby!

Sounds like rats to me, get some good traps and load em up with peanut butter or a good mouser(cat). It won't be long before the weather starts changing,rats and field mice start looking for places to hole up for winter. And what better place to hole up in than someone's basement or garage where there's plenty of stuff!

Agree, they will chew on anything, whether to get food, reduce teeth size or obtaining nesting materials. They simply have no scruples!

Take care of those valuable preps!

-- Ex-Marine (Digging In@Home.com), July 22, 1999.


Strawberry jam is another good bait for mouse traps, and may stay attractive longer than peanut butter.

-- No Spam Please (nos_pam_please@hotmail.com), July 23, 1999.

Libby here, off to buy strawberry jam and PB. If rats don't eat it, I will. Thanks for the help!

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), July 23, 1999.

If you're experiencing drought or drought-like conditions, consider that the chewing into your water storage containers could be intentional. Rats and other animals *can* smell water. Could be that their usual water source has dried up and they're improvising by going after your stored water.

Stranger things have occurred. I do think that the large blue poly barrels will be more rat or mouse resistant than the smaller containers you're presently using.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), July 23, 1999.



Consider putting aluminum foil around your jugs. The rats just hate it when it get's in their fillings. {;^}`... Kidding about the fillings but not about the foil. They don't chew metal. I can't figure them for knowing how thick the metal is, can you?

Also rats don't chew PVC, but I can't tell you why it differs from your plastic jugs, other than the thichness of the pipe. Maybe they can't smell the water through that much plastic. (shrug)

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), July 25, 1999.


I've noticed a poster on another Y2k forum having the same leaking problems, and noticed a response suggesting that he simply save one- gallon milk containers and fill them later. This is NOT a good idea, as the slightest remnant of milk film could contaminate the water (even if it showed up in the lip of the container.) However, I can't immediately find the link to this one, and I don't want to simply respond that it's not a good idea. Does anyone remember where to find the link? I believe it was the Cassandra site that discussed this.

-- Anita (spoonera@msn.com), July 31, 1999.

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