Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Borax Cookie Update

It might be too early to tell if my borax cookies are helping control our rat problem. 

Monday morning I got up and it seemed awfully quiet, then after about 25 minutes I could hear a rat, or rats, in the attic. I checked my bait tray and all the cookies were gone so I put out more cookies. 

Tuesday morning I didn't hear any rats and, once again, they'd eaten all the cookies. I put more cookies in the tray yesterday afternoon. Makes me wonder. If they'd died, when did they eat the last cookies? Or maybe it was some other critter?

This morning it's been pretty quiet, until I went into the bathroom. I could barely hear it but here was something in the attic. Maybe too sick to move around much? I haven't checked the bait tray yet today,  but I wouldn't be surprised if they're all gone again. 

That makes me wonder if I didn't put enough borax in the cookie mix, or maybe it just takes time? 

If they've eaten the cookies I put out yesterday, I'll put the last ones out. If I can still hear rats after that, what does that mean? Probably not enough borax, so next step with be trying the chicken broth/ borax doughballs. If that doesn't work, who knows?

4 Comments:

At 8:58 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You need to use 20 Rat Team Borax. It's the only brand that works.

 
At 9:05 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I had pair of wood rats in my laundry room. The last heavy rain storm drew them in. I picked up the largest standard wire trap from shaffers. My uncle said to wrap floss around the spot for bait. I chose peanut butter. They lick the pb and snag the floss. My rats were gone before 1am.

If I did it again. I'd bait them inside a tote or tub of some kind...... The pool of blood was a downside.

I also had a possum in my dog food can in my garage. I live by spot light video.

 
At 9:40 AM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

" I picked up the largest standard wire trap from shaffers."

Are you talking about one of the Havahart live traps, or a regular rat trap?

I used a regular rat trap back in the early 80s when I found at least a couple big, brown wood rats were living in an old incinerator I had in my yard. I just used cheese, but caught one within ten minutes of baiting the trap, and the other one another ten minutes later.

I used cheese for bait, but they say peanut butter is the best. There was some borax recipe for peanut butter, but skunks really love peanut butter and I don't want to attract any more of them than we already do.

At one time years ago, we had 8 skunks living under the house along with one possum. We also had three raccoons living in the attic. I've since sealed off any entrances to the house as best I can but rats still get in. I wouldn't be surprised if other critters are still getting in, too.

 
At 3:19 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.raptorsarethesolution.org/little-known-facts-about-rats/

I also heard dry instant mashed potatos will kill rats. You set out the dry potatoes near a dish of water, the rat's stomach cannot handle the expansion of the dry potatos.

 

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