Community Chat

[Sweetbay magnolia]

Snakes eat rodents, among other things.  Fortunately I don't fear snakes the way I know that many do.

Each situation is different.  I lived on a mountain side many years ago and there was a wood rat in my kitchen one morning.  This was a very remote place, and I had no feeders out.

We have beautiful lizards here that prey on ants (we have many of those!).

Living creatures have to be opportunistic in order to survive.  I'm happy I'm in a place where my feeders are not a problem, but I do try to keep the larger community of people in mind and keep things as unobtrusive as possible.

[sidsmom]

Another thing I think about....

I watch that show, ‘Monsters Inside Me’.

Invariably there’s always a story where deer or other ‘innocent’

animal got close to their residence & by way of animal droppings,

a parasite, which is only carried by a random wild animal, 

somehow gets ingested by a member of the family & all crazy

breaks loose. Hopefully they live to tell the tale.

It’s sad...we are invading on Mother Nature by living so close to

animals but they carry a health risk, no matter how pretty or

helpful they are. Just have to weigh those risks...for the benefit. 

[PINKdogWOOD]

Unfortunately it is true that rats will eat just about anything. We've had them for years, saw them back so late last year that we thought they'd moved on. We've needed to grow our veggie garden elsewhere because we've witnessed rats eating our green beans like nobody's business. When I saw this, I ripped out everything we had in our garden. Putridly digusting.

Something else besides the bird seeds that fall to the ground brings on the rats, there's been MUCH construction of roads, sewer systems, so-called rain gardens, new contructions going up - ALL of this upsets the underground rat systems they get above ground and literally scurry to create new tunnels in new areas and neighborhoods. All of this not to also mention people  who seem to not be able to find the trash cans/dumpsters where they live and trash, food, leftovers that 'calls' to the rat population. Folks around our area have been *itching abouth the rats entering their 'hoods' for the last few years.

Wish I knew what the answer is to rid other than as someone said, find a ferel cat or too Didn't know opposums ate rats. I know snakes could help too but I can't have a pet snake!!!

[occasionalrain]

Those unwilling to coexist with wildlife should move to the city instead of choosing the country and setting about destroying the animals that live there.

Opossums are immune to rabies and eat ticks which carry Lyme disease. They are welcome in my yard as are the non-poison snakes that eat mice.

[gidgetgh]

After feeding the birds for years and years both at our current house and our last house, we stopped in July after two rats got into our attic (even though we had it enclosed in 2015). We stopped feeding the birds the second the first rat was trapped. The second was right after that.  The exterminator found a small opening on the base of the foundation and sealed that. 

To be honest, I thought I’d really miss feeding the birds, but I don’t at all. 

[pattypeep]

@Shorty2U  Yes, you are quite correct; however,  I refuse to quit feeding birds and squirrels. When I see a rat, I put rat poison out where it cannot be seen or eaten by my dogs or other animals. I figure if the rats aren't treated by me, then they will just continue to populate and go into everyone's yard and/or out buildings. I now only see one every other year or so.

[icaughtu]

I had this same problem several years ago. It snowed which is not something that happens a lot where I live. One night I looked out the patio door and saw these huge black things under my birdfeeder. Easy to see in the snow at night. I opened the patio door and they all scattered under my husband's shed which was a few feet from bird feeder.

I must have seen seven to eight of them and every time I got up to look out again back they were. I would slam the patio door and they would return to under the shed.

I did some Googling and found out that yes the bird feeders attract rats. I enjoyed feeding the birds so much; it was kind of a hobby. I also fed the squirrels. I was so angry and sad. I had just purchased a few other bird feeders for my yard in other spots too.

We once had rats in our attic and it cost us a small fortune to get rid of them. All the insulation had to be removed as they had used it has their bathroom too. Attic had to be disinfected and new insulation put down. I think we got all places closed where rats could get in. Those suckers can climb up the bricks of the house and chew their way in under roof shingles.

Well I reluctantly threw all my bird feeders away and quit feeding the squirrels. I had one I had named and he/she would actually come to me and feed out of my hand.  I was really depressed about this and sad. My husband was dying of cancer at the time and it was one thing that would give me some peace and pleasure.

[geezerette]

@Sweetbay magnolia 

You’re right, snakes are beneficial to the environment.  And I don’t mind some of them.  But I don’t want to encourage the poisonous ones to come close to my house by giving them a steady food source.  I have enough trouble keeping an eye out for them on my walks down the drive.  I can enjoy my birds when the snakes are gone for the winter. 🙂

[goldensrbest]

I am fighting turkeys, they poop in the yard, driveway, i started feeding when it was so cold, stoping soon,scared of it attracting bears!!!

[jubilant]

Our house sets about 100 ft. away from a 30 acre woods.  Most of the rodents stay fairly close to the woods where there are leaves along the edge and some sort of berry bushes they like.  They seldom come close to the house. Occasionally one will venture too close to the house and  DH will trap it....whether it be a coon, possum, ground hog....even chipmunks. DH then relocates them.

  DH's worst fear is trapping a skunk!   I saw a stuffed skunk that looked so real that I almost bought it to play a joke on DH.  When he would go to check the trap....there would be that skunk!  LOL!  Not so sure he would find it that funny.  I am sorely tempted.  Ha!

Whoops lost my bigger letters???  Not sure what I did.