30 replies to this topic

[MSgt]

I see rats (I think they are rats) running along my fence line at night. We had some in the attic last Spring and had to get a pest guy to take care of them. It is creepy seeing them run along the fence. I don't know where they are going. If my neighbor didn't have kids I would buy a pellet gun or something. Maybe set up an ambush (Rat Patrol). I could put leaves and branches on my hat.
Anyone else in Natoma Station see rats?
If so what are you doing about them?

[folsom500]

I see rats (I think they are rats) running along my fence line at night.  We had some in the attic last Spring and had to get a pest guy to take care of them.  It is creepy seeing them run along the fence.  I don't know where they are going.  If my neighbor didn't have kids I would buy a pellet gun or something.  Maybe set up an ambush (Rat Patrol).  I could put leaves and branches on my hat.   
Anyone else in Natoma Station see rats?
If so what are you doing about them?

We have seen only one rat and he decided to take a swim in our pond where we found him floating....
We did see quite a number of mice or voles earlier this year and we let them be, until they decided to invade our garage. We used rat bait and a few traps ( caught 3 or 4 in the traps) and most of the bait was gone--
Have not seen any outside or inside since then,...

We used to see Squirels all the time on the fences ( we have bird feeders in the back) but ever since we were walking up on Miners Ridge ( now a descimated flatland with building going up) and saw 6 or 7 layed out in a row from someone that had killed them- we have not seen any this year.

Cheers
F500

[bordercolliefan]

For the first 3 1/2 years we lived in our Natoma Station house, we saw no rats.

In the past 2 weeks, we have found 2 dead in the backyard.

I believe we have had some kind of rat population explosion here. I also think one of my neighbors must be poisoning them, and they are coming to our yard to die.

Yuck!!

[benning]

We see an occasional squirrel on our fence (the same one, I'm pretty sure), and the night before last between 3 and 5am we had an owl prowling our backyard, I'm assuming for the squirrel. We also heard the cry of another bird (hawk?) shortly after the owl starting whoo-ing.

[folsom500]

LOL - just after posting here, I went outside to stretch my legs and I find a dead rat on my driveway at my office...

F500

[Farley]

This past Sunday we were having wine with some friends in our back yard. My dog, Farley, was rummaging around the redwoods. I saw him pick up something, so I called him over and took it from him. It was a block of rat poison.

I was so shocked as someone must have thrown it over the fence. We suspect a neighbor. But Farley only had it in his mouth and did not swallow any. I am worried that there may be more out there though that the dogs could eat.

[brown]

Ew. Ever since I had rats in my last apartment, I've hated 'em....filthy creatures! We haven't seen any in Natoma Station yet, but maybe our 3 cats have something to do with that.

[benning]

My sister recently had two cats die within a day of each other due to poisoning.

[brown]

My sister recently had two cats die within a day of each other due to poisoning.

Where was that? We had a cat disappear...haven't seen her in a month now Now I wonder if she got into the poison...

[folsom500]

Where was that?  We had a cat disappear...haven't seen her in a month now    Now I wonder if she got into the poison...

It could be- seems alot of people are using the rat/mouse bait chunks and if they do not have pets of their own and leave them out in the yard, they could seem as tasty morsels for a cat or dog.
As we have three dogs, we are very carefull where we put them and check them daily.

That is why it is even more worrysome that one of the dogs found one way up in the back of our yard as all the ones we have used were accounted for.

F500

[JMH]

I have seen a few rats at the park on the corner of Hopfield and Turnpike. They come running out of the bushes at the back.

Now if I am walking on the path through the park I make alot of noise. I hate rats and mice. Yuk..

[TheCourtJester]

Please for the love of God DON'T leave rat/mouse poison out where cats and dogs can get it. My uncle and aunt had people throw various poisons over their fence and it killed two of their dogs...all the deaths were slow and extremely painful for the dogs. If you can, get traps or one of the noise deterrents (high-pitched units that the mice and rats HATE...they DO work)...A nipped toe or foot is certainly preferable to extended internal bleeding that poisons give animals. It's an extremely slow and painful way for ANY animal to die.

And there are plently of deterrents for squirrels...Personally, I LIKE having them in the backyard because they're funny to watch. As far as I know, all teh birdfeeders are squirrel-proof or are the thistle-filled socks that Finches like so much...so the squirrels can only scavenge for what the birds drop.

And if you just don't feed them, they won't come or they'll go away soon enough.

We have this orange cat that likes ot hang around our house...so she takes care of all the mice and voles that creep about. All we find is the occasional spleen (or whatever it was) in the garage when she's "finished." She usually gets rid of those or we just throw them away.

Boomer (our dog) also likes to...er..."play" with teh mice in the middle of the night. You can hear a little jingly noise from the collar and there he is grabbing them up in his mouth and throwing them in the air. It's about the funniest thing I've ever seen a dog do . We brush his teeth regularly too, so we don't have to worry abut him getting mouse (or anything else) breath.

[forumreader]

This may be pure rumor, but a friend recently told me that there has been an outbreak of Plague (yeah, the Bubonic type) among Folsom cats.

Has anyone heard about this? Could it be related this rat problem we are discussing?

[Flowerlady1]

It could be- seems alot of people are using the rat/mouse bait chunks and if they do not have pets of their own and leave them out in the yard, they could seem as tasty morsels for a cat or dog.
As we have three dogs, we are very carefull where we put them and check them daily.

That is why it is even more worrysome that one of the dogs found one way up in the back of our yard as all the ones we have used were accounted for.

F500

You may need to check around the trees and along the fences to be sure the poison is not being tossed into you yard from somewhere else.
We use SOME poisoned bait, but it is in seed/pellet form and is dropped ito rock crevices in our retaining walls and under the wood stairway (I hate that thing...the voles and mice and rats - mostly wood rats--seem to be living under there.) They get the bait, and die under the rocks and wood. And the dog and cats--and my rabbit-- can't get into the bait.
I believe we're having a run on the critters because of the construction up on Prairie City Rd. While they pretty much buried the snake dens and snakes, they displaced the rats and stuff, so we get a double whammy--get rid of the predators AND send them scurrying for new homes.

Goody.

[bordercolliefan]

This may be pure rumor, but a friend recently told me that there has been an outbreak of Plague (yeah, the Bubonic type) among Folsom cats.

Has anyone heard about this?  Could it be related this rat problem we are discussing?

I have not heard about the bubonic plague being found in Folsom cats, but a few weeks ago the Bee reported that cases of it have recently occurred in the Placerville area.

The cats get it from killing infected rats. If a cat has it, there is a danger it could pass it on to humans. The Bee article recommended keeping cats indoors.

If you do have an outdoor cat, I'm not sure if there are any precautions you can take to make sure it doesn't bring the plague home to you.