No, this is not a post about the Clinton White House. ;-)

Actually found a rat's nest today in the basement. They used raisins! Cardboard packaging is out, folks. Stick to cans!

-- cgbg jr (cgbgjr@webtv.net), November 25, 1999

Answers

a good cat is part of PREPARATIONS!!!!

Also a good source of protein if you need it.

-- bob brock (bb@myhouse.com), November 25, 1999.

cgbg:

You put food in unprotected cardboard containers in the basement??? I don't have a basement and even before Y2K my "soft-packaged" stuff in the pantry and cabinets was all kept in protected containers. For your basement stash, buy galvanized garbage cans and set them on pallets, store your food in these and wire the lids on. Read the preps forum for more suggestions on storage. Oh, and get a cat.

-- Old (timer@helping.out), November 25, 1999.

Thought you were talking about DeeCee where the rats are as big as cats.

-- Rats 'n Cockroaches (Y2K@heirs.earth), November 25, 1999.

...and DON'T EAT THOSE RAISINS THAT WERE LYING AROUND ON THE FLOOR!!!!!

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), November 25, 1999.

cbgb jr Don't forget to find out how and where they got in, and close off the openings. You can use 1/4" hardware cloth,or in a pinch stuff steel wool in any openings that are bigger than a U.S.quarter. Of course a bit of plaster or mortar is a more permanent solution. Those are your preps,you may have to share with two-legged rats,but don't even consider the four-legged variety !

on de rock

-- Walter (on de rock@northrock.bm), November 25, 1999.

Sorry- cgbg (not cbgb)!

on de rock

-- Walter (on de rock@northrock.bm), November 25, 1999.

Had the same problem before we found their entry point. They ate 4 Fels-Naptha bars and some cold storage potatoes before we found out. We did a full perimeter check and found an open vent where the dryer hose went outside, so we secured it with hardware cloth (like aviary wire) and then put several traps around. (Victor brand.) We baited them with cheese, although some people swear by peanut butter. Within a few days we had trapped two rats and had no more evidence of rats. You have to secure every opening, though, or you'll never get rid of them.

-- (fiver2000@yahoo.com), November 25, 1999.

AND DO NOT!!... come in contact with rodents. Disease breeders!

-- maid upname (noid@ihope.com), November 25, 1999.

Mice can get through holes the size of a dime.

-- Joe (paraflyr@cybernet1.com), November 25, 1999.

Beware!!!My minions have Infiltrated your homes, Your places of Dwelling!!!Your food is not Safe!!!We will Destroy you all!!!And what My Followers cannot eat, we will Desecrate with our Droppings!!!We laugh at Your Puny Attempts to secure your Dwellings!!!Even now, We are Attempting to draft several Large Canaine to our Cause!!!Your pathetic Attempts to Stop Us with Felines will bring you Nothing!!! Resistance is Futile!!!Surrender Now!!!Long Live the Fowl-Rodent Revolution!!!

-- The Squirrel King (StillNuts@upina.Tree), November 25, 1999.

Don't forget rats also like plastic & soap!

-- Rat Hating (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), November 25, 1999.

keep the rat holes open ,their fresher meat than you'll get post new years. One rodent will yield a couple days protein mixed with your rice,yum yum eat it up!(much safer than hormone treated beef or pork)

-- King Rat (oldsubwaytunnels@nyc.org), November 25, 1999.

Thanks for the good ideas.

We didn't have that much in cardboard to worry about, but what we do have is now secured.

They better not eat our soap. We were counting on that as a means of exchange. ;-)

-- cgbg jr (cgbgjr@webtv.net), November 25, 1999.

SQUIRREL KING:

Great to see you're back! We need some levity here, but I thought that a fate befell you that I warned you about the last time I saw a post from you--some prepping GI collecting squirrel pelts to make themselves a warm Y2K WINTER coat!

Seriously, I have heard MANY people swear by peanut butter, as it cannot be removed by the rodent, as a chunk of cheese sometimes is, before the trap springs. Also, it has lots of aromatic oils, and can be smelled a room away at least.

For sealing around pipe/vents etc. I have found that the BEST thing is plain old steel wool--the bulk kind in a bag, not SOS pads.

It's really cheap, and the rodents will give up trying to eat through it, as it wears down their teeth too much(which grow continuously), AND the fine filings that get in their gut will make them bleed to death.

-- profit of doom (doom@helltopay.ca), November 25, 1999.

Cbg jr, My 13 year old mama cat recently had 4 kittens. Yesterday, I found the kittens munching on a large rat provided by mama. Each had started on one leg and were eating their way to the middle! So if you have Clintons or other rodents even squirrels in your abode, get a couple of good all-American felines.

-- doktorbob (downsouth@dixie.com), November 25, 1999.

A 13 year old cat had kittens...? Wow. Isn't that like a 70 year old woman having a baby? Or 50 year old, I'm not sure; either way, I'm impressed.

BTW: Is anyone else's cat acting strangely today, or is it just mine?

-- furry with (whiskers@squinty.eyes), November 26, 1999.

For bizarre reasons I won't go into here, I became a rat\mouse expert.

Setting good ol' snap traps works fine, however to keep them out of enclosed areas like storage rooms, try one of the following. A. Mothballs. They arte very irritating to rodents, as well as people- I hate that smell. B. Ammonia in a shallow dish, will do the same at least until it evaporates.

Believe it or not, rats will develop a tolerance for poisons, especially the arsenic based ones. For squirrel hunters: Many farmers put out rat pison which squirrels also eat and develop a tolerance for. If you hunt squirrels- very delicious- check the pelt carefully when you skin them. Do not eat any which have green spots on the inside of the pelt, this is where the copper arsenide collects. (Also reject any squirrels or rabbits that have discolored spots on the livers, this indicates infection with a virus).

I have seen many metal cans gnawed through. They will actually gnaw and EAT lead...... go figure. An adult Norway rat of the sort found in most large cities can reach 8 pounds! Too much for a cat. A rat terrier type dog will kill them quicker and with great enthusiasm.

How did I become a rodent expert? I've had a wierd life, that's all I'll say.

-- Forrest Covington (theforrest@mindspring.com), November 26, 1999.