Does anyone besides me notice a huge influx of rodents this year. I don't remember ever seeing this many or were they just hiding better. My cat keeps leaving me dead presents!
Ours is more of the little critters that either come in the form of large and angry or small and creepy. The larger of course is the crazed amount of opossum's that seem to be coming from across the way and the little buggers are a mix of what looks like beetles and something that strings.
#4
RobertBrown
I have been living at my present location for about 6 years and from time to time I notice an influx of rodents. I think the population will grow under certain circumstances. In my case I speculate that it coincides with weather and other scenario's such as food source. I have neighbors that keep livestock and associated feed that is left accessible to horses. If a horse can get to it a rat can too. The problems arise when the food source disappears and the pests become desperate for food or the population gets large enough where the rats need to find different nest sites.
You may also have some development nearby that has left them looking for new nest sites.
If 1 or 2 predators are taken out of the food chain that too can greatly influence the population. Have you or your neighbors eliminated any snakes as of late? Seen any dead coyotes around?
I try to remind my neighbors that a large rat snake can eat up to 40 rats a year not including offspring.
#5
173abn
I always keep my mouse and rat traps baited and set .winter seems to be the time of year that the vermine seem to want to take up residence in my house but it can happen anytime. on a side note RobertBrown what kind of dog you got ?I have a toy fox terrier and a Jack Russell that are hell on mice and rats. russ
We have a huge issue with skunks this year. I have seen so many around, my neighbors dogs have just got sprayed. I also notice many skunks dead on the roadsides too.
I have seen a lot more mice too this year. I didn't know what the heck the problem was, so I'm glad to see others are having the same problem. Problem with my cats leaving me gifts is they like to leave them by my bed!
We've got more rats and skunks this year, than in the previous 4 years that we've been here, combined. I don't really know why, but a lot of my neighbors are complaining about the same thing too. Mainly skunks. [The Javelina's are oddly missing though ]
Eew, by your bed, that's considerate of them. I find there are way more raccoons than usual as well. I wonder what is causing the increase in rodent and pest populations, bugs are bad this year as well.
#10
BKBrown
We have Red Tail Hawks around - less vermin than there were before the Hawks arrived ! :biggrin:
I'll also take all the BlackSnakes I can get ! :thumbsup:
A .22 & or a Pellet gun work wonders ! Don't have cats, but the neighbors do !
My dog got into fight with a skunk and he won, but not before he was sprayed. The poor guy is now exiled to the garage until I find a way to get rid of some of the smell off him.
