Here are two pictures of Andy emptying the rat zapper in the truck on our visit to the land September 11.
Installing the motion-activated lights didn’t deter the rodents. Our totals since January 1 are:
Well House: 3 mice, 1 rat
Truck: 14 rats, 14 mice, 1 ground squirrel
Unfortunately that wasn’t enough to protect the truck. Andy had to have it hauled down to the shop for repairs Tuesday. He drove it back up this morning — two days and $920 later.
At least it wasn’t as bad as the Prius the shop owner told Andy about. The rodent damage there was too expensive to repair, so the insurance company declared the car to be totaled.
As usual, life is seldom simple.
October 15, 2015
Omg!
What?
is it because there are no animals up there to hunt them?
That totally freaks me out.
Maybe he could round up some feral cats from a kill-shelter.
Ya know, save their lives and let them live on the land and hunt?
I don’t think wild cats would do well there. Probably get eaten by the coyotes or freeze to death in winter. Presumably the coyotes and hawks also eat rats, but there is do much undergrowth up there now that they must be hard to see.
I agree, poor Rats, poor Truck. poor Andy, and Poor YOU!!
We were hoping the motion-activated lights would work because we would prefer not to kill them.
good grief../
Yes. 🙁
For that kind of money, you should be able to hire someone to keep a personal watch every night!
Not around here, I’m afraid. Actually I’m glad. What a thankless (and hopeless?) job that would be.
Oh god, then don’t do feral cats either!
I was thinking of a shelter space for them but not if they have to deal with coyotes and snow! 🙁
Agreed. Here they transfer feral cats to barns.
in vicki’s comment on my last post…
she said they’re being inundated this season (their spring) with POISONOUS snakes! especially the tiger snake.
one family lost both of their pet boxers to them..
and another family lost their pregnant mare who was about to have a foal.
so sad! they’re coming into suburban back yards! EEWWWW!
something about a mild winter… or just the conditions or something…
don’t know. but AWFUL! i’d rather have rats and mice than snakes!
especially poison ones.
when it’s lethal enough to kill a full grown HORSE! you know you wouldn’t stand a chance!
We had rattlesnakes where I grew up. They later built a subdivision down in the valley and the home owners were very upset when the snakes came out whenever they watered their lawns. The story made Time Magazine. Urban/wild interfaces can be tricky.
The rats and mice are a big nuisance, but at least they won’t kill us. As long as we don’t mess with their nests and get hantavirus.