Rats!

[OldDan1943]

Over time you can control mice and rats but if you have German cockroaches, burn the boat. I walked off a boat that I was considering when I saw German cockroaches.

 

[mvweebles]

I just arrived at my cabin in the Colorado mountains. Have battled mice for 30+ years. The old Dcon was the best poison however is no longer available. As for traps, I have found the traditional wood ones a bit finicky to set. The plastic jagged jaw ones are okay but the best are the plastic version of the traditional wood ones (pictured). I left 7 traps when I was last at the cabin and I just disposed of 6 carcasses for a kill-rate of 85%.

What I've always found interesting is for the traps with dead mice, the bait is missing which tells me there's credence to the old Russian saying "The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

Peter

 

[North Baltic sea]

Check your wiring.

Some people take flat pizza plates, punch holes in the center, and run their lines through them, or similar. It reportedly keeps rats from coming in by running along the lines.

I also suggest securing /all/ food items in the fridge. They aren't just in the ER. They go hunting!

yes, on a cruise ship I saw plates with a cat's face painted on them, maybe it increases the power to keep the rats away. Use protective equipment (gloves, rubber gloves, etc.) when cleaning, as rats can spread diseases

NBs

 

[Mambo42]

Peanut butter as bait has worked for me as well.

I like the traps that kill the rodent. Tried a live trap once but it was not easy to see if a mouse was inside. Did not notice the trap had a mouse until the bugs showed up. I want the critter dead but I don't want it to suffer which is why I won't use glue strips either.

Later,
Dan

Problem with glue traps is that large rats can actually free themselves from it. Seen that happen quite a few times, so that is when I started using rat poison, but regretted that the moment they died on my ceiling in my house on Curacao. After that we started putting the poison out in the garden, so they did not make it into the house.
With that experience in mind I will opt for chasing them off the boat or indeed killing them with the large bear traps. They need to be instantly killed, otherwise you could be in for a surprise.

 

[Inbreaker]

Kill them! Kill them all now!
I got one on board after leaving the boat at anchor for a time at Pongoll, north Singapore. The damage was startling and, yes, check your wiring.
Got a great big yaysus trap. Tried a variety of baits without success until a local advised dried squid, lightly sautéd. Worked a treat, but I was still finding things he'd gotten his teeth into 6 months later.

 

[Lepke]

It's easier to stop the rats before they get to the boat. Bait stations on the dock or bank. A marina should work with you.
I have a private dock and have bait on the bank and in my floating shop. The poison causes them to bleed internally. It makes them thirsty. You find them dead outside, not hidden away. And the poison has no secondary kill.

If you don't want to poison, the link is a great trap. It's been used to rid islands of rats.

https://www.automatictrap.com/products/home-trapping-kit-a24-rat-mouse-trap-with-counter

 

[fgarriso]

!2 ga shotgun just watch where you aim.

 

[Larry M]

If you use cheese, make sure it’s not Nolan’s.

https://youtu.be/CiFWZ8MC2cE

 

[Hippocampus]

Was on a finger were several boats had issues. Two fingers over a cruising couple kept two cute rat terriers. Guy next to me asked if they could be loaned out. Those two dogs made the rounds. Stipulation was boat owners stayed on the boat for the entire time the dogs were with them so no chance they could run away. Dogs kept inside the boat. Dogs had access to food/water. Dogs not allowed to eat mice/rats.
Yard had Norwegian water rats which are huge. Just about the size of the terriers. But the dogs got them and cleared our finger of slips. We had no rats so no personal experience with the dogs.
But at home had a Maine coon cat. Thing was muscular and the weight of a medium sized dog. Cleared the whole neighborhood of all rodents, rabbits and few fox.
Would give thought to using a predator. Just like borrowing goats to clear a lot.

 

[Mako]

We have a Maine Coon which we adopted in the Middle East. Huge 16lb guy. Neighbors in Florida saw him in the weeds and reported on the neighborhood Facebook account that they saw a bobcat!

We decided on him because he’s a gentle teddy bear to my kids who would squeeze and hug and “torture” him.

But we have to keep him indoors because he would always bring home rats and birds and lizards and frogs and all sorts of gross things.

Funny thing is that he is fine with dogs, but hates others of his own species.

 

[SIBERNUT]

Haven't you guys ever heard of "russetikas"?

 

[kthoennes]

Boy, this discussion is making me feel lucky that our worst problem is barn swallows who build mud nests in various nooks and crannies when the boats are in the winter storage yard. Including in my anchor locker, even when I tape over the little hand-opening in the lid.

 

[jsanacore]

Cats !!! Have had 2 Main Coons on board - Nantucket to the Keys ICW & Off shore several times over the years - No mice - No Rats - No Lizards - No large insects - But they always got the flying fish for breakfast before I could get to them - The Male would get seasick for the first 24 - 48 hours - And the Female was the consummate Sea-Cat - She could find the smallest leaks in any water line well before it became a problem - Try it - They are also great for helping dispose of most galley leftovers

 

[Osprey69]

We have a Maine Coon which we adopted in the Middle East. Huge 16lb guy. Neighbors in Florida saw him in the weeds and reported on the neighborhood Facebook account that they saw a bobcat!

We decided on him because he’s a gentle teddy bear to my kids who would squeeze and hug and “torture” him.

But we have to keep him indoors because he would always bring home rats and birds and lizards and frogs and all sorts of gross things.

Funny thing is that he is fine with dogs, but hates others of his own species. View attachment 141156

My coon cat drug into the house a still twitching eviscerated rabbit. WTF! Yelled at it and he drug it back out. Great cat, goofball and a sweety.

 

[Slider70]

What worked for me was the conventional trap with raw potato or apple. I think they went for this for the fresh water in the bait? Peanut butter, that I have used successfully in past, was of no interest to them.

As for rat guards on docking lines, I have watch wharf rats go up the rope and jump completely over the large rat guard back onto the line. Admittedly these lines were large for a ship so pretty thick - 1 1/2". It was amazing to watch. These were the European wharf rats, big, smart and agile.

 

[jsanacore]

My coon cat drug into the house a still twitching eviscerated rabbit. WTF! Yelled at it and he drug it back out. Great cat, goofball and a sweety.

Your cat was trying to contribute to the household economy -- Take the rabbit, thank the cat, and put the poor rabbit out of its misery

 

[Cheeky]

this worked for me

 

[Gypsyjon]

Rat Trap

Lay down the big M-9 snap traps to remove the bodies. Find out what they are eating then lather up the traps…but do not set. Once you get them feeding off the trap…set it…snap their azz

As one who was responsible for QC at 4 large poultry feed mills, which included rodent control, here is some good advice.

Do not EVER touch the traps with your bare hands. Use only leather gloves to handle the traps. Not nitrile, not rubber, not plastic only leather.
Rats are VERY sensitive to human smell and will avoid anyting with human smell on it.

 

[BluewaterN47]

Get a big snake.

A Schipperke or a hungry cat would do the job and either one would make a better shipmate!


Milt Baker, American Tug 34 Bluewater V, Southwest Harbor, ME

 

[Capt Dan]

On guard, 24/7

 

[OldDan1943]

Get a big snake.

Need a big snake? FL has lots. Come get one or 5.

 

[Juanderer]

Rats

Were you at Hudson or boat haven??? I’m in the boat haven yard now. First I heard of rats

 

[NightCrawler]

If you do poison them, once you find the carcasses, the smell will drive you nutz. I poisoned an entire family of raccoons in a garage attic mid summer one year. After removing the dead, I sprayed OdoBan througout the attic. Never had a lick of smell.

 

[Xlantic]

I had one in my boat a few years ago. A real pain. Chewed though a couple of plastic water lines and nibbled at teak furniture.

Got rid of the critter by laying several traps and sticky pads. The bugger got caught by a trap and then adhered to a sticky pad as well. (I humanely drove over it.)

I believe it got inside the boat through a small door for taking out the garbage bag that was left open. I think a key thing to avoid this happening is to keep every possible entry point for a rat shut.

 

[ORIF]

I’ve yet to get them on the trawler but I did on my center console. That was about 15 years ago and they come back intermittently. Fortunately haven’t done major electrical damage yet.

It all started with boiled peanuts. Seems like a great snake for a boat but they get dropped and mice/rats come in.
I’ve heard that rodent pee is a major attractor to other rodents. So once it’s there it’s a calling card hard to get rid of.

I hate glue traps too but I hate rats and their destruction more and use a diverse armory.

I was resistant to using peppermint because I just couldn’t believe that it would work but it sure seems too.

This is the longest I’ve been mouse free since starting with peppermint.

They can really be frustrating and almost make you burn down your boat to get rid of them

 

[Darlin]

I used rat poison mixed with peanut butter. It creates a tremendous thirst. Leave an exit and the poisoned rat will leave the boat in search of water, die somplace else.

 

[slowgoesit]

On board our boat, we've also got some of those devices which are supposed to get rid of rats on the boat but they've not yet been put to the test:

 

[kcmgt]

If you are leaving your boat for a while, this setup works great. A couple gallons of pink rv/boat antifreeze in the bottom is very slow to evaporate and keeps the smell at bay. A soup can works well too. They come up the ramp, tightrope out to the peanut butter on the coat hanger and fall in the drink when the bottle or can spins. I used several in the basement of an old mouse infested house over the winter and would return in the spring to dozens in each bucket. We called it the “stairway to heaven”.

View attachment 141235

 

[Hippocampus]

If you are leaving your boat for a while, this setup works great. A couple gallons of pink rv/boat antifreeze in the bottom is very slow to evaporate and keeps the smell at bay. A soup can works well too. They come up the ramp, tightrope out to the peanut butter on the coat hanger and fall in the drink when the bottle or can spins. I used several in the basement of an old mouse infested house over the winter and would return in the spring to dozens in each bucket. We called it the “stairway to heaven”.

View attachment 141235

Wow. Great yankee ingenuity!!!

 

[RLKramer]

I've seen and heard evidence of mice and rats over the years. Mice on new to us boat that the former owner had the a rat on a boat when we left door open for hours while off boat at dock in Ft Pierce.

I put snap traps out with bait and in both cases problem solved.

Snap traps work when you're there to empty and reset.

At our summer home, when we left it last year, I set up buckets with pink rv antifreeze and a trap door on top. Buy them on Amazon. It comes with little ramp to guide the mice to top. They step onto the trap door to get peanut butter and into the drink. I caught 12 mice that way.