Learn from my tragic mistake!

[Ranegyr]

oh my god, Mike. My girlfriend called me at 8:30 am yesterday and screamed into the phone.. "there are rats loose in the *explicative* house." I swear, must be a bad day for African Rats.

Our two cats did a great job of cornering the rats until i made it home to round them up. Yes, i had to leave work to go chase my two loose rats. Mine chewed threw a air hole. i'll be stopping by Home Depot in the next few days.

funniest story ever!

[Muze]

Wow! Pretty stressful. Glad you found most of them already.

[Jenn]

Wow!!!! I use to catch mice by placing a large metal pot on the floor with a yardstick going from the floor to the top edge of the pot (like a ramp). I would just throw some candy in the pot and find it full of mice in the morning.

So sorry.

[ThyTempest]

I love the BB gun...I imagine (no offense, just the image in my head), an old guy in a rocking chair with some whiskey and a BB gun shooting rats as they scurry by. Lol...always a good laugh around here.

I think our cats and dogs would take care of any problems like that for us...I hope so. I would be fine with traps, but I think my pellet gun would create a huge mess, both hits and misses.

[greghall]

Good luck mike:d,i keep mine in my snake room pretty much sealed.clutter makes it worse hope they don't get outside.

[mechnut450]

man that got to suck .. I under stand the thing about chemicals. I don't use any in my snake room. You will know in a couple days if one that missing died you will smell it.( and it a horrible smell ) specially in closed areas.

Mom's cats don't hunt mice either the one will run from a mouse/rat . I also be warry about using a air rifle in my place mom got too many nicknacks.

I found either a container with water or food brings out my escaped rodented with in a 2 day period .. and since they are stuck in the room ( unless they climb the wall to were he door knob was they stuck). so I offer them a special tub for 2 weeks then they fed off to the black rat,corn snake.

[RhacHead]

Wow,I feel your pain.Seriously! I had a female Fancy rat escape a few months ago and have been paying the price ever since!! I had a few "almost catches" and finally one time she ran under my stove(and inside it) So I dragged the whole thing outside.I was hoping maybe the cold would kill her,it didnt! I would occasionally see her outside but could never catch her... Finally I start seeing smaller rats like her only IN MY HOUSE
I have an old house and apparently they found a way in

So since then my dog has been going nuts trying to get these lil buggers.One day I came home after work and there were two dead rats by my door and my dog just wagging his tail So I've been using a combo of him and sticky traps trying to get the rest.I've gotten two with sticky traps.

One morning I came downstairs getting ready for work and hear alot of noise behind my fridge(yuk!) So I called my dogs pulled out the fridge and we had a rat slaying party He got three.Now there is atlease one more left... Hopefully only one

[littleindiangirl]

^^^^

You know, a bunch of kill snap traps would work pretty well too. Rats love food.

[M&J in NC]

hot glue some big washers around those holes...

I use the same setup for my mice. Like you, I also thought about using washers as a safety precaution but have not done it yet. I'm going to add washers to my tubs ASAP.

[Alice]

That sucks Mike! I've had group escapes but it was only 3 or 4 at a time over the years . . . . never 65. I can't imagine. We just caught one yesterday that had escaped 3 days ago.

I also agree with you about not feeding out or using a recaught rat for breeding purposes. Those get put down.

Washers are now on my to do list to buy today! Thanks for the great idea.