Lynn Dollar
TVWBB Emerald Member
There's a schoolyard behind my house that's just vacant property. Its really a field, with a mix of bermuda and weeds. School doesn't have a use for it. Probably a good 40 acres.
My neighbor came over this summer to tell me they had been killing a lot of rats. They've got a big dog that lives outside and they'd seen rats eating his dog food. Suggested I put out traps. I'd already begun to do that, as I'd seen a rat running the fence between our properties.
I've lived here 30 years. Have never seen anything like this. I think it was a combo of a very dry summer and the new neighbors dog food and water drawing them in from the field. Neighbor said they killed 33 rats using snap traps. I set out a few snap traps and killed 25 rats and mice in my shed. I also set out some poison bait traps. They ate the poison bait so no telling how many died from that.
Together we killed a bunch of them and then it dropped off to nothing for most of Sept and Oct.
Most were living under my neighbor's shed that backs up to the fence. The rats were tunneling out from under his shed into my yard. After it seemed we'd killed them off, I had filled in their tunnels and a couple weeks ago saw where they'd dug out a new tunnel. But there was no bait being eaten in the bait traps. So I set up a camera to find out what just what kind of animal this was, as the tunnel was large. I thought it might be a possum.
And I got pics. Its a GIANT rat. Everything we've killed till now has been no bigger than my hand. This dude is huge. I'm trying to figure how to kill him. I don't think snap traps are large enough. And if I found a large one, I worry that I might get somebody's cat or a squirrel or possum.
He's too big to get into the bait stations. I could set some poison bait in his tunnel, but I don't want to chance him dragging it off where my pug or my neighbor's dog could get into it. I really like these bait stations for that reason. The bait is secured inside the station.
I could bury some chicken wire about a foot deep where he's tunneling, But that would be all for nought if he finds another way into my yard. I'd rather kill him.
Here he is, you can see my bait station up against the fence behind him . He's big. Just to get an idea, those pickets in the fence are 6" wide.
My neighbor came over this summer to tell me they had been killing a lot of rats. They've got a big dog that lives outside and they'd seen rats eating his dog food. Suggested I put out traps. I'd already begun to do that, as I'd seen a rat running the fence between our properties.
I've lived here 30 years. Have never seen anything like this. I think it was a combo of a very dry summer and the new neighbors dog food and water drawing them in from the field. Neighbor said they killed 33 rats using snap traps. I set out a few snap traps and killed 25 rats and mice in my shed. I also set out some poison bait traps. They ate the poison bait so no telling how many died from that.
Together we killed a bunch of them and then it dropped off to nothing for most of Sept and Oct.
Most were living under my neighbor's shed that backs up to the fence. The rats were tunneling out from under his shed into my yard. After it seemed we'd killed them off, I had filled in their tunnels and a couple weeks ago saw where they'd dug out a new tunnel. But there was no bait being eaten in the bait traps. So I set up a camera to find out what just what kind of animal this was, as the tunnel was large. I thought it might be a possum.
And I got pics. Its a GIANT rat. Everything we've killed till now has been no bigger than my hand. This dude is huge. I'm trying to figure how to kill him. I don't think snap traps are large enough. And if I found a large one, I worry that I might get somebody's cat or a squirrel or possum.
He's too big to get into the bait stations. I could set some poison bait in his tunnel, but I don't want to chance him dragging it off where my pug or my neighbor's dog could get into it. I really like these bait stations for that reason. The bait is secured inside the station.
I could bury some chicken wire about a foot deep where he's tunneling, But that would be all for nought if he finds another way into my yard. I'd rather kill him.
Here he is, you can see my bait station up against the fence behind him . He's big. Just to get an idea, those pickets in the fence are 6" wide.
I remember one time we were little kids chasing a "bunny" called our mom out to the porch. Look mom a bunny. The scream she let out was crazy LOL. Wife and I used to live in Albany Park near a rest by Foster and Kedzie. Rats were as big as cats
