How do I get rid of wild rats?

One of the cats discovered we have the cutest little squatter I've ever met living between our wooden fence and the neighbors'. The old cat looked like she was going to try and make it to the top of the fence to eat her (which would more likely hurt the cat than the rat; she's too old to make it that high). I gave the fence a little tap to scare off the rat, and she dove between the fences. I heard a squeaky scuffle in the gap and the poor thing burst out with a fresh bite on her shoulder and fell onto our patio! I quickly used a plank of wood to shoo the cat inside and keep her from catching the rat. I think the rat made it under the fence, but we're keeping the cat inside to be safe. My family and I have been seeing flashes of something by the fence out of the corner of our eyes for a couple months and the little visitors aren't bothering us or chewing anything up. I'm worried my neighbors are going to start putting out poison (my dog once got violently ill after eating a cockroach I'm pretty sure they poisoned) or they could pass diseases on to the cats. I'm not sure how to go about getting rid of them before they face a grisly end. It would be no big deal to tear down our fence to eliminate the gap they're living in (it's an ugly old fence, anyways). But what if they have tiny babies in there that are hard to move? Or they just move in to our garage? I heard about something called Varpel Rope but Amazon doesn't sell it. Do you know if a place like Home Depot would sell that or another decent repellent? I'd love to live trap them and move them, but those traps are crazy expensive. I live in Orange County, CA if anyone has a live trap I can borrow. I'm not even sure if that's a good idea since I did hear wild animals almost always die when moved away from home like that. Anyone know what to do?

That's an issue I wouldn't want to deal with! Where I live, wild rats are pretty well hidden and stay away from people. Only the sick ones approach and get caught. But it sounds like you've got one living very close. I don't know if destroying their home is the answer. I wish I knew more about wild rats. Can you call a wildlife refuge and ask them what you should do in this case?

Have a look on ebay at live traps. They are pretty cheap on there and you might be able to get a second-hand one cheap. I would keep asking around or put an ad up and some kind person might respond to your ad and let you borrow it. I think it's your best option really. That rat is running out of time. The cat will get it sooner or later and it might upset you if the cat does get hold of it. Then again you're right - what if there are babies that need their mama. It's a tough call. But if you trap it and you discover it's female, is there a way to tell if she's rearing babies or feeding them? Nipples enlarged perhaps?

I have wild mice that I won't live trap just in case there are babies in the walls. The people down stairs set traps for them and I feel bad for the meeces but at least it's not on my conscience. I feed them and leave out water and treats in a designated spot and they don't step foot in the house. I'm too soft! I understand your predicament.

Oh, just read about your neighbors. Yes, there are tons of people that don't have the same affection or compassion for wildies like us. I suppose they have their reasons and you've got your other critters to think about. It really is a sucky situation!

Thank you for the responses! A local ad sounds promising, and we do have a wildlife refuge nearby I can try. One of my housemates made a really good point as to why they may have moved in. We have a giant, thick vine covering the wall behind our community (which we are directly in front of) and a couple months ago some construction workers accidentally knocked down a section of wall, including the vines. I bet that displaces some critters. It's all safe again at the wall now so maybe if I trap them I can just pop them back over at the vine and they'll remember how nice it was to live there. :thumbup:

Oh bless em. Sounds logical to me and I bet that's what happened. Get in touch with your local wildlife refuge asap, great idea. Poor little critters.

Just know that wildlife refuges often use small animals such as rats as food for other animals

That's just terrible SQ. I really despair at people at sometimes! Perhaps it's best not to call them. I wouldn't trust it. I think the live traps are the best thing to do here. Just keep moving them to a safe place a ways away until they are all gone. Set them up with some shelter and some food etc. Give them a good start.

I did email my local wildlife refuge. Basically, I asked if they had any live traps I could borrow, or if they had any other suggestions. I haven't heard back yet. It would be awful if they came out and took them to feed to some animal they have, but I think we live too far for the effort to be worth it. If they don't get back to me by tomorrow I'll put and ad on Craigslist and maybe contact a feral cat TNR program to see if they have any traps small enough.

Claireybell2477 said:

That's just terrible SQ. I really despair at people at sometimes! Perhaps it's best not to call them. I wouldn't trust it. I think the live traps are the best thing to do here. Just keep moving them to a safe place a ways away until they are all gone. Set them up with some shelter and some food etc. Give them a good start.

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I don't know whom SQ is referring to, but I do not personally know of any wildlife rehabilitator that would feed off an animal admitted regardless of the species. That is beyond disgusting. It seems to me it is also against our rules that we follow under the MNRF (we have very strict rules that we follow and are regularly inspected without notice to ensure we follow them), but I would have to dig out my books to confirm.

Cavy said:

I did email my local wildlife refuge. Basically, I asked if they had any live traps I could borrow, or if they had any other suggestions. I haven't heard back yet. It would be awful if they came out and took them to feed to some animal they have, but I think we live too far for the effort to be worth it. If they don't get back to me by tomorrow I'll put and ad on Craigslist and maybe contact a feral cat TNR program to see if they have any traps small enough.

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As a Provincially licensed wildlife rehabilitator, I can say that I do not know of one wildlife refuge that would feed animals which have been admitted to other animals in their care, regardless of the species or where they sit on the food chain. You can report the refuge to the DNR/Fish & Wildlife office in their jurisdiction if you believe they may be doing this, as I believe it goes against the strict rules we follow. Not complying to these rules can result in revocation of their licence. Don't be afraid to be up front and ask questions about their care, rehabilitation, and release methods.

Good to know.
Over the years people in different places have reported that using all small rodents as food is common practice .... and at least one person said that a person at a wildlife rehab center was honest and told them that was what would happen to any rats surrendered there. Perhaps what happens varies from one center or prov or state to another?

SQ said:

Good to know.
Over the years people in different places have reported that using all small rodents as food is common practice .... and at least one person said that a person at a wildlife rehab center was honest and told them that was what would happen to any rats surrendered there. Perhaps what happens varies from one center or prov or state to another?

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In Canada, we follow the care standards established by the NWRA and the IWRC (American-based), as do those in the U.S. We also have rules implemented by the provincial government as well, as do other provinces/states, although these rules do not gravitate from the fundamental NWRA & IWRC standards. There are always variances in care from centre to centre, some who follow the rules and some who don't, etc., which is why I always urge people to ask questions before surrendering animals.

Success! Even though that wildlife refuge never bothered returning my email, I got someone to sell me a brand new live trap for $15 via a Facebook group! I plan to set it up tonight and cross my fingers. The internet suggests baiting with peanut butter but I found my pet rats always preferred Nutella, refined little things.

This link has interesting info but I am unsure how useful it would be in your situation
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33462&highlight=wild+rats

Thanks, SQ! Some of that is exactly what i was looking for: repellent, rather than poison. A lot of it doesn't apply much since they're not in my house but once I trap them I want to discourage them from coming back!
Speaking of my trapping endeavor, I'm a little flummoxed. I, um, can't figure out how to set my trap. :emb: I think my squatters are mocking me, too. I was out on the patio, peanut butter in hand, trying to set the thing when I hear a noise behind me. There's a rat dangling from a vine, just staring at me like, "Is that for me? You should know I prefer creamy." She then dropped down on my side of the fence at a certain point so I guess I know where to PLACE the trap! I then went inside and googled "how to set a Havahart trap" and all I learned was that squirrel hunting is a thing. Wish I could un-see that. Thanks, internet.

Well, since I couldn't figure out how to set it, I left the trap open and full of peanut butter at the place I saw the rat drop down last night. This morning, it looks like some of the peanut butter has been eaten! So if I can only set this darn thing I may be successful!

Cavy said:

Well, since I couldn't figure out how to set it, I left the trap open and full of peanut butter at the place I saw the rat drop down last night. This morning, it looks like some of the peanut butter has been eaten! So if I can only set this darn thing I may be successful!

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Can you post a photo of the trap you are using? I'll do my best to help you out in writing.

Thanks, AAT, but I got it! Turns out it's just kinda flimsy and requires a bit of balancing. It stayed open all night though. Unfortunately, I didn't catch anything.

I wonder what would happen if you made sure there was no source of food where you are and you put out food and water where you think they came from ..... it sounds like it isn't far away and rats have a good sense of smell ...