Landmines

By Andrea Peck

If you are a Gambian pouched rat and you live in Belgium, you are treated with respect. You are given a stylish harness and instructed to find evidence of landmines and tuberculosis. You are employed. Your vision is poor, but this heightens your sense of smell and hearing. You get treats for doing what a rat does best. Ah, the life.

 Not all rats are so lucky. Most rats are vilified as opportunistic scavengers. The average rat, though equipped with legendary acrobatic skills, is an untrained hooligan who leaves black rice-sized feces. Wild rats are described as sleaze bags that carry suitcases full of disease like a traveling salesman totes hardware.

 Vermin! The word is not uttered – it is spit out in disgust.

 The idea that rats are crafty and clever is generally included in any discussion regarding the animal. Whether they actually have a measurable “general intelligence” has been studied, but not consistently established, however. One study found that rats are pro-social by nature. (Check out the link below for an interesting and entertaining article that includes rats, cages and chocolate chips).

I address the subject because my own home was besieged during the course of one weekend with the capture of a juvenile rat on a sticky trap and two rat sightings which ended in one death and one escape.

You know, I am not scared of rats. The one I saw in my bathroom could have been the template for a stuffed animal or the main character in an animated movie. With that cute and fuzzy demeanor it seemed worthy of the bathroom. How adorable are those ears as it rounded the toilet paper basket and stood up on its hind legs in order to assess the human/house situation? It is the diseases that they have the potential of carrying that concerns me. Otherwise, I'd probably name them and feed them out of little bowls. I somewhat ignore them when they are in the garden. But, when they are using my 47-year-old Snoopy doll as a latrine I have to draw the line. In this story, Snoopy is hanging on the headboard of my 5-year-old daughter's bed. Death with a severe tone is imminent.

No, rats and mice are no laughing matter. They are able to transmit a number of very serious diseases through direct contact – either biting or scratching – or simply through contact with urine or feces. In San Luis Obispo County you are most likely to run into either the Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus or the roof rat, R. rattus. Both rats can cause quite a bit of damage if allowed to proliferate. The Norway rat tends to favor ground level areas, while roof rats prefer elevated locations such as roofs and attics. Both find food on the ground. The Norway rat often burrows in wood piles, deep shrubbery or ivy, or compost piles.

Interestingly, rats avoid new foods and traps. They didn't get their crafty reputation for naught. But, their intelligence is limited – if you think like them, low to the ground, myopic and desperate, you will eventually catch them eating the Havarti right out of your trap. Hopefully it's the last bite they eat.

The primary way to beat rodent infestations is sanitation. Your mom didn't appear shocked when she caught you eating a sandwich in bed for nothing. Rodents (and other pests) survive on our sloppiness. Dog food left sitting in bowls is an invitation for a rat feteʹ. Keep the dogs fed on a schedule and then lock and clean the kitchen. Any accessible food is problematic. Water is another resource these poor dried out beasts are looking for. Keep your compost contained if you can. Remember that even big rats can gain access into a quarter-sized hole. Don't forget their sizeable teeth – small holes can become bigger with a bit of gnawing. Clear out thick brush if you suspect your shrubs are serving as a rat housing project.

After you have dealt with the sanitation factor, your home will cease to be attractive to your whiskered friends. In the event that you continue to hear the pitter-patter of diminutive feet and see those unmistakable droppings, you can be assured that your guests do not know when to leave. In this case, it may be necessary to trap the buggers. Your best bet, according to the Master Gardeners and many, many experienced homeowners that I happened to speak with, is the snap trap. That old-fashioned goodie does work. Just remember to make that last meal worth the risk for Mr. or Ms. Rat.

Also, one tidbit from a good friend – don't reuse the traps right away. The rats are sometimes smart enough to smell the one that we'll call “Not-So-Lucky.”

For more information on rodents I've included the links to the Master Gardener website:

For information on rats:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74106.html    

For information on mice:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/housemousecard.html        

Last, but not least, fun reading on the wily rat:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jailbreak-rat/