The mouse from hell

[El Camexican]

About 2 months ago my wife said goodbye and headed out to the garage to her car and left. She returned a few minutes later and said “Something is wrong with the car” Like what” I asked. “Its shaking when I try to drive it and there’s an orange light on the dash with a funny symbol”. I said what do you mean shaking? What symbol? There are no funny symbols, just bad ones! She replied “It’s ok when I’m parked, but as soon as I try driving it shakes and the light is really weird, I’ve never seen it before”. Is there anything more aggravating than asking someone who can’t pump their own gas trying to explain what wrong with a car?

So I go to check it out and sure enough it “shakes” and idles like crap and the engine light is on. She drove her last car for 5 years with the same light on all the time, but doesn't remember seeing it before?:wondering (Ford cats don’t like Mexican fuel).

I popped the hood and was treated to a view of a cup of dog food mixed with a pinch of mouse poop . I pulled the plastic shroud and there was dog food packed everywhere, some of which was glittering with copper chips from the injector wire that had been chewed through. Aruug!

I soldered in a splice, cleared the codes, vacuumed up as much of the food as I could and then tried to blow the rest out with 100psi blasts from the air hose. That got most of it out. I sealed up all the dog food bag I had in the garage and set a bunch of traps on the engine and around the car.

Next morning I found all the traps set off and empty. It had gathered up the few bits of dog food I couldn’t get out of the engine bay and placed them back in the center of the engine and then chewed through another injector wire. Busy night! Aruuug!

I went out and bought four sticky traps and bottle of rat poison and placed the poison pellets in the center of the sticky traps and placed them around the engine compartment. In the morning there were tracks all over one of the sticky pads and the poison was gone. Oh well, no body to deal with, I just hoped it didn’t die in the car.

To be safe I set up 4 spring traps and placed them around the garage. The next day they were all set off and empty. I reset them and to this day the bait has not been touched.

Fast forward a few weeks and the engine light is back on. Based on the code it seems it managed to perforate a hose connected to the EGR before dying, but I couldn’t find the leak without tearing up a well concealed harness.

I decided to buy the wife a new car and fix this one up for the daughter that turns 16 in a year. The day we brought the new car home I popped the hood on the old one to put the plastic cowl back on before moving it onto the street. When I opened the hood my eyes were treated to a bunch of palm tree seeds and a ton of mouse poop. Aruuuug!!!

We parked the new car in the garage. It sat there with just 16km on the clock for a week. Then two nights ago our poodle that lives outside started barking wildly at 3:00am. It sleeps on a rug next to its food bowl outside the back door.

I went out expecting to find a cat in the yard, but the dog was looking at the new car like something was under it, wonderful. I grabbed a sticky trap and placed some dog food on it and let the dog into the house. In the morning I found the sticky trap covered with dusty little foot prints and the dog food was all gone.
I went to the new car and popped the hood. The nice flat Honda engine was covered with dog food and mouse poop. Aruuuuuug!

Today I bought two high end live traps and set them up. I want this thing alive. When I catch it I’m going to bind its paws together, water board it to find out if there are any others conspiring to chew on my injector wires. When it dry’s up I’m going to Krazy Glue it to one of the sticky traps it liked to dance on after dining on dog food. Then I’m going to put my bath rope on and wrap my head with dish towels so I look like a Taliban and film myself chopping it’s little fre*ckin head off with a rusty axe!

♪f**k that little mouse, I’m an angry guy!♪


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bznxx12Ptl0

[Bren_downe]

I've heard dryer sheets under the hood deter mice. Never tried it. If anything maybe it'll mask the scent of cooking mouse sh!t.

[onformula1]

Put a bowl of pure Antifreeze in the garage, keep the puppy away from it.

[tripledog]

I had a mouse problem a while back, and I found that these traps work great. Just bait them with a little peanut butter. Oil of peppermint dabbed on a cotton ball also works great as a deterrent.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intruder-16112-The-Better-Mouse-Trap-2-Pack-Mouse-And-Rodent-Trap-New-/222008649343?hash=item33b0bf267f:g:tGQAAOSwo6lWM7d Z

[bkm]

You need this. Just make sure you fill it with enough water so they'll drown.


https://youtu.be/aSk79YcuIRQ

[atc007]

D con, problem solved. Promise, zero,nada,nilche, you won't ever have a single mouse problem again from any in this family :). Used to fight them all the time on the farm . Not anymore. No your pets won't eat them after they are dead,no pets won't eat the D con. it is THE answer. The only satisfaction you will have besides knowing they are all dead,is the possibility of smelling their rotting carcasses.

[DohcBikes]

The struggle is real.

[Jmoozy27]

I hate to say it Elcam, but what you need is a cat. The only true rodent deterent. Mice, rats, snakes, birds, and if you find a real badazz, raccoons will no longer bother you. Just the smell of a cat will ward off most rodents. The hard part is finding one that you can stand. IMO, one that looks like a bobcat or jungle creature will take care of business. Get a female and get it fixed.

[El Camexican]

I hate to say it Elcam, but what you need is a cat. The only true rodent deterent. Mice, rats, snakes, birds, and if you find a real badazz, raccoons will no longer bother you. Just the smell of a cat will ward off most rodents. The hard part is finding one that you can stand. IMO, one that looks like a bobcat or jungle creature will take care of business. Get a female and get it fixed.

You're preaching to the choir buddy. I love cats, but my wife and dogs don't. I also don't like seeing cats in the city. They deserve to have their claws and roam freely. I've had to deal with a lot of "cat problems" here and I'm not proud of it, but a man's got to sleep. The other thing is that we travel a fair bit. We have someone take care of the dogs, but a cat left in the house would be a mess.

As far as poison, antifreeze and drier sheets go (FYI my buddy tried that and the mice lined their nest with the sheets:lol:) I really need to see a body this time around. It won't go near peanut butter any more as that was what I used in all the traps it set off one night. Same with cheese. Dog food is all it wants.

I like the water bucket idea, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Have you seen the plastic bottle and rubber band trap video?

Last night it avoid the new traps, crawled back onto the new engine, left some crumbs and a turd. Then it (or something bigger) rolled an orange that fell from the tree out into the patio and ate half of it. I guess I'd better leave the dog out tonight to police the place.

[Jmoozy27]

Just leave the cat out. You don't even really need to feed it very much. It will take care of itself. As for the dog, he will eventually just keep his distance and agree to disagree. It will only take 2-3 good maulings. That rodents is gonna drive you insane. You need to level the playing field. Use the food chain.
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228079&stc=1
Skits has been protecting our home for a decade. No litter box and she does not crap in the house. The only rats I see are the dead one that she leaves on the stoop on occasion. Gotta train em up.

[El Camexican]

Skits looks bad azz!


I've had to deal with a lot of "cat problems" here and I'm not proud of it, but a man's got to sleep.

There is an empty, but fenced lot across the street from me and the house next to it with a multi level roof was vacant for a year. The about a half dozen stray cats moved in and started fighting and fornicating all night long. Every dog within a 1/4 mile would light up and create a symphony straight out of hell that would play from 11:00pm to 500:am 7 days a week. They would often come over to my place and screw on the roof and leave droppings all over.

I had to fix that and without going into details there may have been some collateral damage due to mistaken identities. As a cat lover I hated doing it. Me leaving a cat outside in the area would only start it all over again.

Maybe you can mail me a bag of Skits turds and a few hair balls to leave under the hood? I KNOW that would keep the mice away:lol:

[sledcrazyinCT]

The five gallon bucket is effective and easy to make. Some folks add anti-freeze if the trap is used in a seasonal camp

[ironchop]

Agree with Jason. Wife and kids are allergic so our cats live outside. Cats are WAY hardier than ppl think. Ours have been hit by cars with a broken hip and shot but survived just fine with no vet care (you couldn't catch them to take them to a vet if you wanted to). The one we call Joe has a couple teeth missing and scar on back of his neck where he was shot through the head. He's my favorite. We have been mouse free since '07.

Sent from my Z998 using Tapatalk

[atc12]

You need this. Just make sure you fill it with enough water so they'll drown.


https://youtu.be/aSk79YcuIRQ

This trap works very well. I keep one in the garage and use a plastic pop bottle and 2x4 ramp to climb up. Washer fluid in the winter works good. They cant resist the peanut butter.

[El Camexican]

You need this. Just make sure you fill it with enough water so they'll drown.

I could even put a post-it in the bucket that says... learn to swim:w00t:

[bkm]

I could even put a post-it in the bucket that says... learn to swim:w00t:
Son, the struggle is real!

[El Camexican]

Son, the struggle is real!:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud74XZOjG0o

[Jmoozy27]

Skits looks bad azz

Dude she is a tough kitty. She has no tail and resembles local bobcats native to the area. Probably a hybrid cross breed of Manx.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manx_cat

We have never had to bathe her and is the lowest maintenance pet I've ever seen. When I feel she's being a little lazy I just stop feeding her as much and she goes hunt her food.

[mendoAu]

Please....don't use anti-freeze. It is sweet tasting and just the kind of thing that pets like to sip up. Want your pet (or toddler) die from seizure anti-freeze will do it quickly. I don't even drain a radiator onto the ground. I use a 5 gallon bucket with lid and drop it off at the local proper collection service for toxic products. RIP Baron...he was a great dog until.....anti-freeze was left out at the shop. Never, ever again.

[El Camexican]

Please....don't use anti-freeze. It is sweet tasting and just the kind of thing that pets like to sip up. Want your pet (or toddler) die from seizure anti-freeze will do it quickly. I don't even drain a radiator onto the ground. I use a 5 gallon bucket with lid and drop it off at the local proper collection service for toxic products. RIP Baron...he was a great dog until.....anti-freeze was left out at the shop. Never, ever again.

Yep, I've seen it first hand. A guy "winterized" the watch dog one night when he left the catch can out. I always clean up and would rather pay for a new wiring harness than subject my pets to that.

[greenhuman]

You're preaching to the choir buddy. I love cats, but my wife and dogs don't. I also don't like seeing cats in the city. They deserve to have their claws and roam freely. I've had to deal with a lot of "cat problems" here and I'm not proud of it, but a man's got to sleep. The other thing is that we travel a fair bit. We have someone take care of the dogs, but a cat left in the house would be a mess.

As far as poison, antifreeze and drier sheets go (FYI my buddy tried that and the mice lined their nest with the sheets:lol:) I really need to see a body this time around. It won't go near peanut butter any more as that was what I used in all the traps it set off one night. Same with cheese. Dog food is all it wants.

I like the water bucket idea, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Have you seen the plastic bottle and rubber band trap video?

Last night it avoid the new traps, crawled back onto the new engine, left some crumbs and a turd. Then it (or something bigger) rolled an orange that fell from the tree out into the patio and ate half of it. I guess I'd better leave the dog out tonight to police the place.

"I don't want hear Wales dead, I want to SEE Wales dead"

[tri again]

Yep, I've seen it first hand. A guy "winterized" the watch dog one night when he left the catch can out. I always clean up and would rather pay for a new wiring harness than subject my pets to that.


yES, WE TOO HAVE (oops, caps lock)
mice love wires.
I swear they floss with braided shielding.
We cut some poplars the other day and the godbless'ed beavers polished their teeth and then killed a few 15 year old oak shade trees by the river.

oh yeah, then look under the hood of the 1947 and all the wires looked like they were modified by cranksters.

Luckily, I always keep insurance on all my off road stuff.
It covers fire and theft, coconut insurance (aka comprehensive)
broken windshields and yes, mouse chewage.

I think it costs about 8 bucks for 6 months for each vehicle.

So sorry to hear of your heartache.
It's not like we need help adding to odd grounding circuits and shorts.

Best o' luck to you. Wish I could help more.

Here we are, lots of smart people, getting together to try and outsmart a rodent....and yes, I am NOT making light of this situation.
No reason to watch horror movies when we have these issues.

[dave ytz250s]

You sure you have a mouse problem? Rats are smart, mice are stupid. What size are the droppings?

[DohcBikes]

You sure you have a mouse problem? Rats are smart, mice are stupid. What size are the droppings?No doubt. I smell a rat, for sure.

[El Camexican]

You sure you have a mouse problem? Rats are smart, mice are stupid. What size are the droppings?

I've been mulling that over from the start as we have rats in our sewers that have come up through the toilets and rat took out my Dad's truck harness last year at the fire wall. $1,500 to fix. The foot prints in the sticky traps appear large, but that can be deceiving. The turds are about 3/8" long and 1/8" in diameter. The hole it made in the dog food bad as about 1" in diameter and the wires it took out in the car were a tight squeeze to get to. I'm 99% sure its a mouse.

Last night it avoided the live traps, other than to take a dump near one and I just found out it's been into my truck as well. It also cleaned out two of the spring traps without setting them off and set off a third one without getting caught. I'll be trying the water bucket tonight and if that doesn't work...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR0sWU1HzTE

[atc12]

Glue or stick a row of the dog food around middle of the bottle. Place the bucket near the car it likes so much.

[hublake]

Those are awful big turds for mice, unless the mice there are bigger than the ones in Michigan where I live.

[greenhuman]

Could be a Siberian Hamster.

[danbur55]

Have heard to set out coca-cola for them to drink since they can't burp is supposed to do them in. Have not tried it only heard it works. Good luck

[tripledog]

Those are awful big turds for mice, unless the mice there are bigger than the ones in Michigan where I live.

That vermin poops bigger than I do. I think I may need more fiber in my diet...

[El Camexican]

Those are awful big turds for mice, unless the mice there are bigger than the ones in Michigan where I live.

God I hope you guys aren't right:(

[atc007]

I am clearly the slower one of the bunch here,, why not open a box of D con and sleep like a baby? I have to assume at this point there is a great reason it was ignored! Fill me in guys please! lol,, And I agree on the feces,,, WAY to big for mouse.. Oh yeah,,,rats LOVE D con too :)

[El Camexican]

I am clearly the slower one of the bunch here,, why not open a box of D con and sleep like a baby? I have to assume at this point there is a great reason it was ignored! Fill me in guys please! lol,, And I agree on the feces,,, WAY to big for mouse.. Oh yeah,,,rats LOVE D con too :)

Poison pellets are under the hoods off all the vehicles and the water bucket is set up. If I don't get it tonight I'll have to find my old rat traps or buy new ones.

[greenhuman]

That vermin poops bigger than I do. I think I may need more fiber in my diet...
Try eating a wiring harness.

[Chopsaw]

Got a fishing pole ? Prop it up and hang a small hook close to the ground . Put bait on the barb only , just a small amount , to much and they will steal it . If you hook em , reel it up so he hangs there . When the rest of his rat buddies see what happened to him they will all run away .

Chop

[redsox]

El Raton means mouse in spanny, so i can see where the confusion comes in. How do you say rat in canadian? i'd say its a rat. Mouse shite is much smaller. Rats are far more destructive. A guy i work with battled for two years with them. They cost him thousands to get rid of. He had three separate professional exterminators come in. He'd get a few here and there, but it was really like a war for him. Some he got with traps, some with poison, some with the swimming pool. They'd come in waves. He finally traced them back to an old drain pipe in the side of his yard. I guess they will choose to nest in the same spot. This guy lives in a NICE suburb, so it was even more strange. He also got a cat, but the cat never did anything. After he dug up and destroyed the nest, he notched a few more kills, and declared victory. He's been rat free for over six months. (except for the rubber ones we sporadically leave on his desk) Ever thought of tossing a game camera in the area? maybe under your car or near the dog food? You may get a good idea of the scope of the problem. Good luck amigo. Keep us posted.

[atc007]

We anxiously await updates.....Damn vermin....

[Jmoozy27]

Never really had a vermin problem, but I imagine I would be posted up with a spotter and one of my ruger 10/22 awaiting the kill shot. It may even be time for a silencer.

[hublake]

Sooner or later we will solve this problem. This site is the answer for many things other than trikes.

[El Camexican]

It's a rat, zero doubt, thanks guys. I said it to my wife after I saw the foot prints a few weeks back and then convinced myself it was a mouse after seeing the turds and the small places it was getting into. I guess I was rationalizing that they could be mouse turds based on my own occasional mega poops and proportionalizing them to my body size to turd ratio (Yes I did just invent a word and perhaps even a thesis subject)

It set off two traps last night (but left the bait?) and 5 of the 8 poison pellets I left out can't be found. It moved all but one of them, but I don't know if it hoarded them, or ate them. I see it's been feasting on my oranges as well. I should hire some Mexicans to pick them, but those guys are all up in CA.

I just bought 5 rat traps and stuck them in a bag of dog food to scent them, so maybe tonight will be the night, but I'm running out of bait options. It knows peanut butter, cheese, chorizo and oddly located dog food pellets mean trouble, so I guess chicken, steak and oranges will be tonight's bait. The little F%&#er eats better than me!

It just occurred to me that we're leaving home for a couple weeks very soon. If I don't get it dead by then my vehicles will be ruined because if I leave the pellets out it'll knock them on the ground and my dogs will eat them.

[El Camexican]

El Raton means mouse in spanny, so i can see where the confusion comes in. How do you say rat in canadian?

Correct, "raton" is a mouse and "rata" is a rat. Cigarettes are called "cigaros" and cigars are called "puros" It's a confusing language

[atc007]

Were the bait pellets fresh? If so, it ate them,,although i guess it isn't really hungry..... I've never heard of a pet eating them,but understand that isn't a chance we're gonna take. Damn vermin.It would be rewarding to see it in a trap. But I bet he got enough poison to be dying about now. But then again, I think ours are much hungrier than yours :) I feel your pain.What a PIA....

[dave ytz250s]

Rat bait stations are safer for pets and children, the ones that you fill with green blocks. bait your snap traps with dog food as they already trust that food, and don't let them run out of dog food before they start to feed on the green blocks and then don't let them run out of green blocks until they're all dead. Once the colony is dead there will probably be one left (the alpha male). I went through this a couple months ago, I think I won the war but those RATS are smart, very smart, and they learn from their own experiences and from others

[dave ytz250s]

Oh and the poison! I used the one with an antidote (vitamin D I think) for accidental poisoning. Some rodenticides have no antidote and don't seem to be better. Just different poisons for when they adapt to one type.

[El Camexican]

8 traps out last night and not even a turd this morning:cry: This is why I didn't want to use the poison, but if it killed it so be it. I'll keep trying for a few months.

I keep hearing about nests. I suspect this (these?) guys are coming up from the sewer. The last three I saw above ground did and after killing two of them I dumped a bottle of Rat Treat one man hole upstream from my place and was rat free for almost 5 years after. Time to repeat.

228169

[atc007]

Now we're bitching because their dead!!!! lol, just kidding. Sounds like you might have a handle on it bud.

[3wheelrider]

Something worth mentioning:
I know rodents have been chewing wiring in vehicles for a long time- but this sort of problem has been become worse now due to the fact that many car brands have gone "green" with their "soy-based" wiring insulation. (thanks to the govt of course). The cure: a special tape wrap that is applied over the wiring harnesses.

[hublake]

I want a picture of the suspect!!!!

[El Camexican]

Five days later and nada. The poison must have got him. May he rot in peace.

[onformula1]

Five days later and nada. The poison must have got him. May he rot in peace.

Awesome!, but keep your nose open with poison they can die in a place where then rot and smell! (Not in the back yard)

[tripledog]

Five days later and nada. The poison must have got him. May he rot in peace.

Doing so as we speak.

[El Camexican]

Awesome!, but keep your nose open with poison they can die in a place where then rot and smell! (Not in the back yard)

For sure, but there is no way he could have been living on our property, or in the vehicles. If anything he lived next-door. No dogs there and lots of clutter.

[El Camexican]

Doing so as we speak.

Let's hope...

[atc007]

I know my vermin lol,,hope no others move in . You should be good,They usually "sense" when things have went wrong. That/ those things would have cost you some serious money :(

[El Camexican]

NOT DEAD. Dog went nuts 20 minutes ago barking at the orange tree. I found it in the center of the tree with a flashlight and went for my pellet gun. in the 10 seconds that took he was gone. Probably best as a missed shot might have taken out the neighbors window.

Now he must die... again.

[tripledog]

^^^ Probably a relocated New York City rat. They will survive.

[onformula1]

^^^ Probably a relocated New York City rat. They will survive.

Man, some of those rats are HUGE!

[El Camexican]

I need to find a photo of the one that was swimming up the toilets here. I think I laid it next to a tape measure. It was a big sucker. This one is small.

[atc007]

Unfortunately,where there is one there is a family. Good luck :(

[atc300r]

Get a Rat Terrier they are better at killing rats and mice than a cat. My Dacshunde does great at killing mice.

[tripledog]

Just a long shot, but maybe one of those sonic pest "chasers" would work for you. This has to be very frustrating for you by now.

[El Camexican]

Just a long shot, but maybe one of those sonic pest "chasers" would work for you. This has to be very frustrating for you by now.

I bought one of those for dogs to shut the dog next door up. He barked at it. :(

Yea, I'm pissed. I would have loved to fire a 12ga. into the tree last night.

Tonight I'm cable wrapping rat traps to the tree branches and baiting them with cranberries. I soaked the traps with juice from the orange he was sucking last night to cover my scent. There will be poison on the fence he comes in on as well. Got a water bucket under the tree with a floating piece of plastic covered with dog food, peanut butter and a chunk of fresh orange. Live trap doesn't get here for 2 weeks.

228466

[redsox]

No bueno!!! They are resilient, and they are usually many. I don't know how many orange trees you have, but is that their food source? If you wrap a 1 foot band of sheet metal around the top of the trunk, and WD-40 it, they won't be able to climb to the fruit. It won't hurt the tree. BUT, they can and will still eat what falls, so you've got to clean up the dropped fruit. And, consider that if that food source dries up, you may drive them inside. Good luck. I think you may be surrounded.

[El Camexican]

No bueno!!! They are resilient, and they are usually many. I don't know how many orange trees you have, but is that their food source? If you wrap a 1 foot band of sheet metal around the top of the trunk, and WD-40 it, they won't be able to climb to the fruit. It won't hurt the tree. BUT, they can and will still eat what falls, so you've got to clean up the dropped fruit. And, consider that if that food source dries up, you may drive them inside. Good luck. I think you may be surrounded.

He's coming up the concrete fence from the neighbors side and jumping 12 inches to the tree. There's likely more than one as they live in the sewer. Last time we had an issue there were three we knew of and likely others we didn't. I keep the ground clean, but there's plenty of hanging fruit for them. They open a hole about a 1/2"OD in the bottom and then suck till the orange is dry. I always thought it was bats, but not any more.

[redsox]

thats the problem with fences. as long as the rats are motivated to come over, they will. BTW, i like the new profile pic. Zing.

[El Camexican]

BTW, i like the new profile pic. Zing.

Yea, I suspect they planned this out years ago. Him running amuck is the only way she can win. I figure the plan was for him to go third party and split the right. Now with him leading who knows what they'll do. Romney plans to make a speech tomorrow should be interesting.

Hey look! The topic changed, but we're still discussing rats, the 2 legged ones:lol:

[El Camexican]

Chapter 7:

He set a trap off about 1:00am this morning. The "snap" woke me up and the dog went nuts, so ran out with the door in my Fruit of the Looms, pellet gun and S&W flash light in hand.

He didn't get caught, but as the dog was running in circles around the tree I saw a couple flowers fall near the edge. Sure enough there sat the little %(&%$# breathing about 5 times a second due to having the crap scared out of him a minute earlier by the trap.

He was only about 10 feet away from me, but from his ears to his mid section he was behind a 2" branch. Should have been an easy shot, but his hind quarters filled my scope up almost completely. Also not helping things was the dog barking and the heavy trigger the 924 FPS Mendoza has. I figured I had him and squeezed...

Still not sure what all happened, but the dog got loud enough that every dog within a 1/4 mile lit up, a bunch of oranges and leaves fell and I'm pretty sure the rat fell into a fern under the tree, but by the time my ears began to filter out the rest of the racket I heard a rustle of leaves on the other side of the tree where the fence is and then it got real quite as the dogs shut down.

He's either got a belly wound, or I clean missed and hit the branch he was on. Either way I still haven't got a dead body or a good nights sleep.

228591

[DohcBikes]

Chapter 7:Laughed my ass off at this

[Jmoozy27]

Chapter 7:

He set a trap off about 1:00am this morning. The "snap" woke me up and the dog went nuts, so ran out with the door in my Fruit of the Looms, pellet gun and S&W flash light in hand.

He didn't get caught, but as the dog was running in circles around the tree I saw a couple flowers fall near the edge. Sure enough there sat the little %(&%$# breathing about 5 times a second due to having the crap scared out of him a minute earlier by the trap.

He was only about 10 feet away from me, but from his ears to his mid section he was behind a 2" branch. Should have been an easy shot, but his hind quarters filled my scope up almost completely. Also not helping things was the dog barking and the heavy trigger the 924 FPS Mendoza has. I figured I had him and squeezed...

Still not sure what all happened, but the dog got loud enough that every dog within a 1/4 mile lit up, a bunch of oranges and leaves fell and I'm pretty sure the rat fell into a fern under the tree, but by the time my ears began to filter out the rest of the racket I heard a rustle of leaves on the other side of the tree where the fence is and then it got real quite as the dogs shut down.

He's either got a belly wound, or I clean missed and hit the branch he was on. Either way I still haven't got a dead body or a good nights sleep.

228591

.22 cal revolver w/ 6"-8" barrel may be a better tool. Ratshots shells are expensive but are very useful. Either that or hollow points.

[tripledog]

Five pages in and still no resolution to the problem. I think you could write a novel and title it "Of mice and El Camexican". Hope you get that sucker soon!

[atc007]

Freaking vermin....I really feel for ya. You're gonna be a zombie if something don't give!

[250rAL]

I realize you're doing battle with a rat but here's my mouse tale (tail?). When we were first married, we lived in an old trailer home. Had a mouse problem. And those things were smart. They laughed at my modified hair-trigger spring traps with peanut butter under the trigger plate. They would lick it clean without setting it off. I could set it off by blowing on it. I hunted them with a pellet gun(Powermaster 760) inside the house. Got a nice headshot on one that was sticking his head out of the air conditioner but missed the one on the stove. I tried sticky traps. I knew a mouse was in the living room and the only way out was through a narrow aisle. I blocked the way with sticky traps. The next day I had a trap covered with fur but no mouse. I tried poison and declared victory when it all disappeared. Until we found all of the poison stashed under the tissues in the Kleenex box. I finally went to Victor live traps. Baited with peanut butter, they were unbeatable. I cleared out 14 mice that summer. I drowned them in the bathroom sink and threw them out the door. One found an air pocket and didn't die. Damned thing ran back under the trailer and I had to catch him a second time.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Victor-Live-Catch-Mouse-Trap-M007-B00004RAN3-/221942695627?hash=item33acd0c6cb:g:MacAAOSwEgVWSg6 R

[Chopsaw]

Take a length of fishing line with a sharp hook . Hang it and bait it , or use a treble hook and position it so he walks thru it . Put it up in the tree . He will get into it at some point .
Years ago had a house with a pear tree in the yard . Had the same trouble you're having . At my wits end , I cut the tree down . No more rats , but I hate pears so it didn't matter .

[El Camexican]

.22 cal revolver w/ 6"-8" barrel may be a better tool. Ratshots shells are expensive but are very useful. Either that or hollow points.

I have a single shot .22 that is legal to own here, but not discharge in the city. Keep in mind this is Mexico, if they come to my house for firing a .22 and find my "real" rat killer I go to jail till my pubs turn white.

[El Camexican]

Take a length of fishing line with a sharp hook . Hang it and bait it , or use a treble hook and position it so he walks thru it . Put it up in the tree . He will get into it at some point .
Years ago had a house with a pear tree in the yard . Had the same trouble you're having . At my wits end , I cut the tree down . No more rats , but I hate pears so it didn't matter .

I may have to do that. Might be difficult to find a fishing supply store here though:wondering

[El Camexican]

Five pages in and still no resolution to the problem. I think you could write a novel and title it "Of mice and El Camexican". Hope you get that sucker soon!

Stay tuned, I've got my Mom looking for the story I wrote after the last one. She still puts my stuff on the fridge.;)

[onformula1]

Five pages in and still no resolution to the problem. I think you could write a novel and title it "Of mice and El Camexican". Hope you get that sucker soon!

I said it once, i will say it again....You kill me,,,very funny guy, quick wits!

[tripledog]

You have some bad rats south of the border. North of the border in the mid 1970s, we had an invasion of the Goodrats...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTOnuiezOaM

[El Camexican]

This morning I woke up and built an orange picker to clean my tree with. I removed over 100 oranges in less than 90 minutes without stepping on a ladder. I'm not sure if such a thing existed before, but if not, I will sell the design to President Trump so he can employ all the Americans that have been desperately trying to get into that line of work for years.

I will "negotiate" a deal with Donald to use the proceeds to pay for his wall as that is what Donald does, he "negotiates". It's his one sentence answer to everything he hasn't got an answer for. I can't wait to see how he plans to solve the property value issues that will come up when he deports 12 million people, but lower apartment rental rates should be easily "negotiated" when he's done.:lol:

Say it with me now; alle Hagel die Unterhändler!

So anyway I think its safe to say that between the fruit bar and the all you can eat dog food buffet I've been running a non-profit Club Med for rats for a while now. For years now I've seen these perforated and half chewed oranges as well as hear rustling in the tree at night and always assumed it was bats (we see them a lot). We also have the odd "tlacuache" (possum) visit. I always figured that's what was eating them.

The easy food sources are gone, let's see if the baited traps become more appealing.

228613228614

[thcowboy]

Ask trump for a small loan of one million dollars to make 'em

[El Camexican]

I guess I could make a rough prototype for a million bucks, but it won't be easy!:w00t:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7goA_DnGIbU

[DohcBikes]

Let's not be so quick to rule out a family of chupacabra.

[tripledog]

Those oranges seem to share the Donald's complexion.

[hublake]

This thread is better than a TV reality series.

[onformula1]

I think they are roof rats, it's a big problem in Arizona where orange trees are present.

https://www.maricopa.gov/EnvSvc/VectorControl/RR/RRInfo.aspx

[redsox]

I have a single shot .22 that is legal to own here, but not discharge in the city. Keep in mind this is Mexico, if they come to my house for firing a .22 and find my "real" rat killer I go to jail till my pubs turn white.

go buy a box of .22 CB caps. Plenty of punch to kill the biggest NY Rat and make equal noise to a pellet gun. I've got a hundred+ squirrels in a residential area with mine. I've got a BB rifle near by in case any libs panic. Can't tell the difference.

[El Camexican]

go buy a box of .22 CB caps. Plenty of punch to kill the biggest NY Rat and make equal noise to a pellet gun. I've got a hundred+ squirrels in a residential area with mine. I've got a BB rifle near by in case any libs panic. Can't tell the difference.

I get caught with just one cap clamped between my butt cheeks crossing the border and it's a life sentence as El Chapo's GF. If I'm going to run that risk it'll be for something a lot bigger;) The .22 I have that is legal is a round ball and a starter cap. It's illegal to combine the two.

[onformula1]

I get caught with just one cap clamped between my butt cheeks crossing the border and it's a life sentence as El Chapo's GF. If I'm going to run that risk it'll be for something a lot bigger;) The .22 I have that is legal is a round ball and a starter cap. It's illegal to combine the two.

The gun laws in Mexico are incredibly strict, my buddy has told me about them many times.

You must be one of five people in Mexico to follow them. :lol:

[Chopsaw]

What about a blow gun ? We make em at work out of 1/2 " conduit , 1 1/4 drywall screw and the tip cut off of a paper drinking cup to fit the 1/2 " pipe . Thread the screw thru the tip of the cup , your good to go . It's no joke , damn things are deadly . About 3 feet of pipe is all you want .

Chop

[Dirtcrasher]

No wonder you can't get the little turd, he's all cracked up on Vitamin C and protein from the peanut butter!!

[El Camexican]

The gun laws in Mexico are incredibly strict, my buddy has told me about them many times.

You must be one of five people in Mexico to follow them. :lol:

Who says I do?;) It's the border that scares me most, down here in the city I can make phone calls to people that fix things, but not at the border. Besides the Mexicans, Uncle Sam's guys have determined that I fit "the profile". Not sure which profile, but my truck gets X-rayed every third trip South. It may have something to do with my snappy answers to stupid questions at the border habit, but none the less I am careful. I got caught with a 2" pocket knife once by the Mexicans going in (it's also a crime if they want it to be). They dragged me into a small room and emptied my wallet. All of it, close to a grand. I almost pissed down my leg, thank God I had cash on me, or I may have lost my truck, or worse.

And again we change topics and still continue to speak of rats...

[onformula1]

Who says I do?;) It's the border that scares me most, down here in the city I can make phone calls to people that fix things, but not at the border. Besides the Mexicans, Uncle Sam's guys have determined that I fit "the profile". Not sure which profile, but my truck gets X-rayed every third trip South. It may have something to do with my snappy answers to stupid questions at the border habit, but none the less I am careful. I got caught with a 2" pocket knife once by the Mexicans going in (it's also a crime if they want it to be). They dragged me into a small room and emptied my wallet. All of it, close to a grand. I almost pissed down my leg, thank God I had cash on me, or I may have lost my truck, or worse.

And again we change topics and still continue to speak of rats...

Thanks for letting me know, I guess I have to take your present back.....Changing the plan. :wondering

[Kismet]

I scanned the thread and didn't see this suggested yet.

Buy a couple of hamster watering bottles, the kind with the bent tube that holds a drop of water until the creature licks it off and drinks it.

Fill them with automobile anti-freeze.

Get a ladder and wire them up in the tree, away from pets and people.

Remove the ladder. When the incursions stop, remove the bottles, and rinse them well. Anti-freeze is a sweet-tasting liquid, and very poisonous. Be careful with it.

Best wishes. Trapping and poisons are your best bet; they are are working when you can't be there.

[tripledog]

No wonder you can't get the little turd, he's all cracked up on Vitamin C and protein from the peanut butter!!

Yes, I am.

[El Camexican]

I scanned the thread and didn't see this suggested yet.

Buy a couple of hamster watering bottles, the kind with the bent tube that holds a drop of water until the creature licks it off and drinks it.

Fill them with automobile anti-freeze.

Get a ladder and wire them up in the tree, away from pets and people.

Remove the ladder. When the incursions stop, remove the bottles, and rinse them well. Anti-freeze is a sweet-tasting liquid, and very poisonous. Be careful with it.

Best wishes. Trapping and poisons are your best bet; they are are working when you can't be there.

I love it! Prestone was suggested, but I have dogs. That mode of delivery a great idea!!!! Thanks!

[onformula1]

I love it! Prestone was suggested, but I have dogs. That mode of delivery a great idea!!!! Thanks!

It must be pure, not mixed.

Ever taste it?...It's pretty tasty!

[El Camexican]

It must be pure, not mixed.

Ever taste it?...It's pretty tasty!

Yes, but not by choice:lol:

[Jmoozy27]

I have a single shot .22 that is legal to own here, but not discharge in the city. Keep in mind this is Mexico, if they come to my house for firing a .22 and find my "real" rat killer I go to jail till my pubs turn white.
Forgot about Mexican law, sorry. What's the law on TnT, flamethrowers, napalm, agent orange, & mustard gas...

Just trying to weigh our options.

[onformula1]

Yes, but not by choice:lol:

Same hear! HAHA!

[onformula1]

Forgot about Mexican law, sorry. What's the law on TnT, flamethrowers, napalm, agent orange, & mustard gas...

Just trying to weigh our options.

ALL those things are totally legal,,,,if your a drug dealer.

BTW, Agent Orange was a great band. :lol:

[El Camexican]

Forgot about Mexican law, sorry. What's the law on TnT, flamethrowers, napalm, agent orange, & mustard gas...

Just trying to weigh our options.

You know that saying; "If guns are illegal then only criminals will have guns"? Well, I can assure you it's true.

[El Camexican]

Same hear! HAHA!

Do you prefer it hot or cold? I think cold tastes better, but maybe it's because it doesn't include the scalding that comes with a hot serving.

[Jmoozy27]

What about a blow gun ? We make em at work out of 1/2 " conduit , 1 1/4 drywall screw and the tip cut off of a paper drinking cup to fit the 1/2 " pipe . Thread the screw thru the tip of the cup , your good to go . It's no joke , damn things are deadly . About 3 feet of pipe is all you want .

Chop
X2 on the blowgun, once you get the hang of it they are actually easy to aim. Personally I would use 3/8" stainless tubing.

[onformula1]

Do you prefer it hot or cold? I think cold tastes better, but maybe it's because it doesn't include the scalding that comes with a hot serving.

Personally, on the rocks shaken not stirred. :lol:

[El Camexican]

What about a blow gun ? We make em at work out of 1/2 " conduit , 1 1/4 drywall screw and the tip cut off of a paper drinking cup to fit the 1/2 " pipe . Thread the screw thru the tip of the cup , your good to go . It's no joke , damn things are deadly . About 3 feet of pipe is all you want .

Chop

I've always wanted to build a propane powered gun that shoots ball bearings and has no rifling. I say no more:naughty:

[onformula1]

I've always wanted to build a propane powered gun that shoots ball bearings and has no rifling. I say no more:naughty:

Go with Nitrogen and don't ask me why. :lol:

[El Camexican]

Well Mom managed to find the last two rat stories, but can't find the photos. I'll post them up one day if I can find them, but basically they are of the dead rats beside a tape measure and one has a Sharpie outline of the rat on my floor and the letters "C.S.I." next to it with blood around the head.

Enjoy...

[El Camexican]

Mexican Safari Sept/07

After years of being told I could not use the pellet gun inside the house my wife finally caved in and allowed me to fulfill a fantasy, of course this was preceded by two blood curding screams that still have my ears ringing, but never the less I was granted permission to use “Whatever it takes” methods to track and kill the beast.

Armed with only a pellet gun and a keen sense of what makes women scream at over 200 decibels I managed to track the monster to the kitchen area where I spotted him foraging on the floor, my not so trusty woman guide having long since run out of the house to buy a trap and a bag of Rat Treat.

Without the aid of a scope I was able to bring him down from a distance of over 18 feet with only open sights and a steady hand. Good thing too, as my weapon was only a single shot model and God only knows what could have happened had I angered him with just a wounding glance

The beast measured up a full 9 inches from nose to nugget hole (We Canadians don’t include the tail in our measurements). Unfortunately he was taken with a head shot, so a wall mount will not be possible, but the hide is available to anyone interested providing you let me know before the garbage hits the curb tomorrow morning.

Now I just have to figure out where he managed to get in as we didn’t have any holes in the house that big the last time I checked.

In an unrelated matter we will be having a BBQ this evening if anyone is interested…

[El Camexican]

THE TOILET MONSTER July/08

Finally! For those of you not familiar with the restroom anomalies we have been experiencing these past months let me bring you up to speed.

A few months ago my wife questioned me as to why the water in our bedroom toilet occasionally “moved” when she entered the room, to which I swiftly answered that it was a result of air currents creating a vacuum in the vent pipe as they passed over the roof of the house.

Most women would have been impressed with my rapid and scientific explanation, but not the wife. No! She wanted to know why only our toilet and not the other three were subject to the effects my hypothesis so I responded “vent location” and gave her one of those “Don’t ask stupid questions” looks that generally ends such conversations.

Weeks passed and occasionally I would notice that the entire toilet seat was covered with water droplets, which I quickly dismissed as having come from our daughter making a dash from the shower to the toilet without drying her little butt. In hindsight I should have realized that not even my butt could have covered such a vast expanse (I would have used the wife’s butt as the example, but I have plans for the future which require me to be alive).

Then one day about a month ago I noticed that not only was the seat of the toilet covered with dried water droplets, but that the under-side of the cover had also received a good splashing. It was just a few hours later at about 1:00am in the still of the night that I turned on the light of our hallway restroom to hear a splash and see the water in the bowl still moving as my eyes became accustomed to the light.

Given that there was not a trace of wind outside, my Einsteinian theory of “toiletivity” had literally just gone down the drain with a splash.

I went straight to the Internet where the answers for everything are stored, or so I thought. I typed in toilet creatures, toilet rats, toilet snakes, toilet gators, turtles, fish, eels, etc. and all that came up is that rats and snakes can come up through pluming, but that they never go back into the water if they can help it. In fact there are videos on YouTube of rats stuck in toilet bowls because they can’t climb out and rather than brave the 16” swim they just made successfully through the drain they are willing to sit there and spin their little claws on a porcelain treadmill while squeaking for a camera and a room full of yelling people, so what in the world could possibly be coming up through our pipes AND climbing back into the bowl and swimming away when not even spooked??!!

At that point I had to wake the wife up to explain that although I was right about the air flow making the water in the bowl move that there may also be other forces at work which may not be as friendly as say the Tidy Bowl man.

At that point she confessed to me that she had heard and even thought she had seen things in the bathroom at night, but was sure I would have her committed to an asylum if she had told me about them.

It quickly became obviously that we needed to adopt new methods of bathroom etiquette. The rules were laid out as follows:
Step 1 – Leave all toilet seat covers down regardless of gender
Step 2 – Keep bathroom doors closed at all times
Step 3 – Turn bathroom lights on and look around before entering the bathroom
Step 4 – Open toilet lid with a fully extended arm and be prepared to close it quickly if need be
Step 6 – Wipe the toilet seat to be sure it is clean and flush the paper before sitting down
Step 7 – Do your business ASAP, if your business has not concluded within 60 seconds reach back and flush the toilet, repeat as fear dictates.
Step 8 –Get up, flush, close the lid and exit as fast as possible never turning your back to the commode.

About that time my daughter and I headed out on a fishing adventure leaving the wife behind with the option of using any of our four functioning toilets, two of which had not yet been proved to sustain life.

Shortly after our arrival to Canada she called from home in a state of hysteria to say that the night before she had heard the toilet lid drop and make a sound loud enough to be heard some 20 feet away through the closed door.

She also said that the day before that our dog was growling at the bathroom door from under our bed and insisted that she was going to live with her Mother until we returned home and killed the creature.
I told her to relax and follow the rules we had come up with when using the toilet because whatever it was I was confident that it could not swim upstream when fired upon by a “turdpedo”.

When we arrived home and were greeted by my sleep deprived and very constipated wife I knew action had to be swift and strong. Going against her demands to pour large amounts of poison down every drain in the house I went out and bought a variety of traps thinking that her method would end up with a plugged drain and no answer to what had been terrorizing our toilets.

Over a week went by without anything taking the bait, so last night I added some Doritos crumbs to the mix and threw a large piece into the bathroom garbage can thinking that if the creature was large enough to get back into the toilet it should also be able to get into the garbage can.

In the morning I opened the door to find that the trap had been picked clean without going off and that the garbage can was knocked over! I put the can back up and went about the day thinking that tonight I would place all three traps in a circle and use meat and Doritos as bait.

I returned to the restroom a few hours later and saw that the garbage can was knocked over again! This thing was making rounds during the light of day! I set the traps up ahead of schedule and sure enough by 4:30 this afternoon the beast was dead on the floor due to a blow to the nose from one of the traps. In a relaxed state it measured a bit over 16” nose to tail tip, but I’ll bet if I had the guts to touch it’s stinky wet corps it I could have stretch it to a full 17”. I included the tail in the measurement this time as some friends scoffed at the numbers of my last trophy which was a bit smaller and a whole lot easier to kill.

At the suggestion of a friend I went to the Boon and Crocket website, but this species is not listed as of yet.

I hate to be the one to ruin the moments of peace some of you may experience when seated with your shorts around your ankles in what was formerly thought to be a time of solitude, but you can forget what the Internet tells us about rats not making return trips down the drain, they can and will return as they desire, so the next time you THINK you felt something touch your butt while you were reading on the toilet YOU PROBABLY DID!!!

[hublake]

Need a pic of that monster.

[tripledog]

Need a pic of that monster.

That's what she said.

[bkm]

I need the Readers Digest version. Did you kill the damn thing(s) yet?

[El Camexican]

I need the Readers Digest version. Did you kill the damn thing(s) yet?

No, but the war isn't over yet!

[tripledog]

I need the Readers Digest version. Did you kill the damn thing(s) yet?

My guess is no, as his avatar remains the same.

[El Camexican]

My guess is no, as his avatar remains the same.

Good point. I may even mount it... hope the wife doesn't catch me.:naughty:

[tripledog]

She may not give a rat's arse about a rat's arse. No pics of the "mounting procedure" necessary...

[Kismet]

OK. The kitchen rat got shot (from 18 feet with iron sights in a remarkable pellet gun display of marksmanship,) but there is ANOTHER rat that had SEAL training and was entering the house via the toilet plumbing? And this one got dead with a baited trap?

So, lemme see here, that's TWO big honkin' rats in your home?

Might be time to get a ferret.


Best wishes.

[El Camexican]

OK. The kitchen rat got shot (from 18 feet with iron sights in a remarkable pellet gun display of marksmanship,) but there is ANOTHER rat that had SEAL training and was entering the house via the toilet plumbing? And this one got dead with a baited trap?

So, lemme see here, that's TWO big honkin' rats in your home?

Might be time to get a ferret.


Best wishes.

Yep, up and down threw the toilet and it was the biggest rat I've ever seen. I had 4 traps set up and he somehow managed to set two of them off without getting caught, but one broke his nose. Don't be too impressed with the pellet gun shot, I was motivated to not dent my fridge:lol:

Here's last nights attempt on the advice of one of our esteemed members along with a little camouflaging for good measure. Note the matching orange cable ties:w00t:

228772228773228774

[Chopsaw]

WHAT ? Bait a fish hook all ready ! I want to see suffering .

[tripledog]

Nicely done, El Rambo Camexican!

[jb2wheels]

“turdpedo”.


Nothing else to say.

[El Camexican]

I want to see suffering .

Like I'm not???!!!!:lol: Hooks are on the list, I'll try and hit Academy before I heard home tomorrow. My live trap came it too. By the time everything is set up my yard will be more deadly than a Nicaraguan play ground.

[El Camexican]

Nothing else to say.

Yep, I own the rights to that one, but you may feel free to use it any time.:beer

[onformula1]

Someday this will all be over and I hope for you, Nico it is very soon!

[El Camexican]

Someday this will all be over and I hope for you, Nico it is very soon!

Very soon I hope. Taking a family vacation next week, so the rats will have the run of the place for 2 weeks. Not good.

[onformula1]

Very soon I hope. Taking a family vacation next week, so the rats will have the run of the place for 2 weeks. Not good.

Well, if you bring the puppy or board it then you could put on the full court press!

Deck that yard with everything known to kill rats including these-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punji_stick

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_fence

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concertina_wire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-4_(explosive)

[El Camexican]

The C4 is looking like a viable option;)

[atc007]

Focus on the positive. The one/ones with a taste for your vehicle wiring are dead, that is a very good thing!! Wiring gremlins in a new vehicle? Not fun. Hopefully all goes well and you somehow rid the entire neighborhood!!

[ironchop]

I just watched a show on organic gardening methods and a guy had rats coming over his privacy fence to eat fruit off his citrus trees in SoCal so he claims to have stopped it by running electrified fence wire through his trees like you would string Xmas lights in an xmas tree and plugging it in...same equipment used for keeping large livestock in. He says he's been rat-free (in the citrus) for three or four years now, IIRC.

Sent from my Z998 using Tapatalk

[Kismet]

Very soon I hope. Taking a family vacation next week, so the rats will have the run of the place for 2 weeks. Not good.

uh...utt-ohh...

Was browsing through Rodent Travels and Cruises and just saw this ad headline, with your address listed. :o

vacaciones de la cabaña de rata ideal

Seems like your house will not be completely unoccupied while you are away.

Be vewy, vewy, caweful.

:)

Have fun.

[tripledog]

Wascawee Wodents!

[onformula1]

Ding, done!-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_cat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkWxR_yP2ig

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SZEPNYHMKQ&ebc=ANyPxKqUa-BpwRZa6xRsid24kQ7EwzmgFWXGydayDG5YSUe-aPV_FCOJnCFXUCffYqjJY-oUdI-2