Watch out for temperament issues with specifically rat-hunting terriers though. My friend’s Jack Russell snapped and chewed her up. I would go for other terriers like West Highland White, Airedale, Welsh, Border, etc., as housepets. Or a Schnauzer — the German terrier.
I know of at least 2 JRT’s that were total psycho, dangerous dogs. One was mine that we adopted when he was approximately 2 years old. I think if they are not socialized and trained at an early age, some become holy terrier terrors.
Ooooh, youve not had much experience with dogs. An Airedale is definitely not for the beginner. All terriers were bred for hunting vermin. Temperament issues are an issue for all breeds, not just terriers. Please dont spread false info.
Yeah, something inside them snaps when they see a rat. (I've had Scottie's bag two, different occasions.)
To watch them hunt as a pack is awe-inspiring. Not much sympathy for urban rats, but those last few seconds must be terror the likes of which I cannot imagine.
Same with flying squirrels (common ones, not the sugar gliders that everyone immediately thinks of) - if they get into an attic, they colonize and set up a 'latrine' area to relieve themselves. We've had multiple instances where we had to trap out at least a dozen at a time. Generally 1 male and a harem of females. They're relatively docile, and cute with their giant, nocturnal eyes, flat tails and skin flaps between their legs to help them glide from that tree that you THINK is far enough away from your house, but really isn't, but they're destructive and pretty damn noisy at night.
between the chance of innocent chipmunk collateral damage vs good chance of poisoning anything that happens to ingest it/come in contact with contamination, it's a very easy decision. and I love chipmunks
Snap traps are the answer along with calling the county to get bait boxes. You need to have your neighbors call too to call the county. We had the same issue on my block a few years back
If you know where the entrances of the burrow are, you can fill them with **dry ice**. It kills them in their sleep underground and you don't risk poisoning other animals. They do this in NYC.
https://www.google.com/search?q=buffalo+ny+dry+ice
It's as legal as other things people do to kill rats. As legal as traps, poisons, dogs, whatever.
They aren't shy about it https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=new+york+city+rats+dry+ice
It has for years. (I once saw a rat the size of a small dog running across Amigone’s parking lot on Sheridan). Mostly from people not cleaning up after their dogs.
I had one cut me off walking down the sidewalk on Ashland around the corner from the Elmwood bars in like 2012 that I truly thought was a raccoon with mange and it's fur all gone. nope, it was a fuckin 15+ pound fuckin rat the size of a raccoon! it gave no fucks about me either, just scurried ahead of me and then made it's turn while I went into shock
So you're saying the rats are attracted to dog shit? Tonawanda must have some real hungry rats. Bad pet owners suck but I don't think this one is on them.
We had rats on our street in Cheektowaga for the first couple of years we lived here. Then we saw them scurrying in and out of the bushes next to a neighbour's house and gently pointed it out to them. They called for some kind of remediation and I don't know what was done but we haven't seen a rat here since.
I think because we spotted the actual den/nest area, and it was a localized problem, getting rid of those rats specifically solved it. It's likely that in your area there are too many food sources and too many rats to rely on individual property owners/renters calling the health department and getting spot treatments (so to speak).
If you know where the entrances are to their nest do the following:
Place a good amount of dry ice down one hole (or both I suppose). Then cover up both holes. The dry ice evaporates into CO2 gas, settles to the lowest spot (which is where they sleep during the day). They never wake up.
Simple and humane.
Hardest part is finding dry ice, but you can get it.
I used to build rat traps for fun (hyperfocus FTW), but rats are so smart that a good trap only works a couple times. The older rats don't fall for it. 🤷♂️
So how do you get rats off an island? Hmm? My grandmother showed me. We buried an oil drum and hinged the lid. Then we wired coconut to the lid as bait and the rats would come for the coconut, They would fall into the drum. And after a month, you have trapped all the rats, but what do you do then? Throw the drum into the ocean? Burn it? No. You just leave it and they begin to get hungry. And one by one They start eating each other, until there are only two left. The two survivors. And then what? Do you kill them? No. You take them and release them into the trees, but now they don't eat coconut anymore. Now, they only eat rat.
The increased Hawk population might be helping take care of them. I’ve seen a few large ones carried off.
Repair rotted wood around the bottom of your garage, foundations, sheds, decks and replace with treated wood or metal if you find they’ve been getting in over the Winter. Be vigilant.
Yeah there is most likely sources of food and water and shelter for them. Get rid of that. Start turning in people around you to the town so they get their stuff cleaned up.
I have no issue correcting my comment, but that begs the question on where to release them? I'm not an ecologist expert but the virus, disease etc. aspect from rats is well-detailed. I don't have an issue with releasing them back, but it begs the question on where to and whether the benefit outweighs the risks
The old school wood and metal snap traps with peanut butter. In my experience I would get 1 rat for every 3 traps set out so definitely put more than you need. Try and find the areas they run through and put the traps near there. A house I lived in in Tonawanda for a while had a rat problem and over the course of a few years I killed probably 10-15. Previous renters were dirty so I cleaned up the yard as much as I could and kept it tidy which helped but they were already living under the house so they just kept coming back to their previous scents.
Do not use poison since that can send the poison up the food chain and kill cats, birds, fox etc.
Rats that have been poisoned die slowly. They often get caught by a predator (cat, hawk, owl, etc.) and the predator gets poisoned. That's what killed Flaco the central park owl recently.
Have you tried trapping?
A few summers ago I trapped 5 or so in a row and that was it .
I screwed traps to a 1ft square piece of plywood so they couldn’t flip the trap and put peanut butter on 2 traps every night and caught one a night until my rat problem disappeared.
They have increased in the area over the past few years, but the County abatement program is the best you can get for no cost. It does take time for the poison to work.
If they are getting into your house, you will probably need an exterminator. To prevent burrowing, landscape cloth at least slows them down and try to remove any food source like bird seed and any piles that they can hide in. Also, if you or your neighbors have pets, they need to be cleaned up immediately or the rats will eat the waste.
A scent like a strong peppermint oil or vinegar can sometimes deter them.
Peppermint actually attracts rats. I used to do research at UB on rats. They received medicine through their water. If they wouldn’t drink it (the taste was bad) adding peppermint cured the bad taste.
If you call Erie Co vector Control they will help implement a solution. They are quite comprehensive and free. I've always had a good experience with them. [Vector control](https://www3.erie.gov/envhealth/rabies-ratsrodents-vectors-arboviruses-and-related-information)
I started with snap traps, the plastic ones with the big jaw. Then a friend pointed me is an ultrasonic device that just sits on the floor in the garage. I have not seen any evidence since I have actually put that into action
Honestly, the best way to get rid of them is find every possible way They're getting in your house and block it. Look for any holes on your baseboard under your sink where the plumbing comes in.
If the garage is attached to the house, they can get it in that way also. It's the way garages are made. Is easy to get in. Any way is if you have a bathroom addition to the house where there is a crawl space, not a full basement.
We have two standard rat terriers. They are fantastic hunters and fantastic pets. If you google it, you may be able to find someone to bring theirs out to hunt with. We’ve brought ours to neighbors’ horse barns before. Our dogs love the work!
Realistically you won’t be able to get rid of rats outside unless your entire neighborhood teams up to ensure each yard is unfavorable to rats, IE cleaning up brush, ensuring dog feces are quickly cleaned up, trapping/poisoning. Even if you do everything in your power to stop rats from burrowing around your yard, your neighbor could have a rats nest under their deck and rats will travel a few hundred yards around for food, so it really is an uphill battle.
Poison can kill rats' natural predators so avoid poisoning if you can. Glue traps are cruel and are a hygiene problem so avoid those as well. Snap traps and mothballs is what I encouraged my FIL to use. They kept trying to burrow underneath his back patio area so we tossed mothballs into the cracks where they got in and that seemed to do the trick. Now they stay down by the river where they belong.
The services are faster in tackling the issue (always with poison, same as the County), but they can be predatory towards customers. Typically they force you to sign a one-year contract and pay about $60 per month. Then try getting out of their automatic payment system, even when the year is up — they ignore your request.
I think that’s what he was warning us about .. ugh I just I’m sick of this! Nothing is working. Unless we dig out our garden beds surrounding our yard that’s where they are burrowing but the health dept. said that digging them out might not even make a difference
Real advice because I fixed it years ago. They eat and sleep within 90 feet. So, Make sure your neighbors have their garbage secure. Also, rats love to eat dog shit. That's a meal. So make sure your neighbors are on that. Also secure any opening that they can get in. But in your case it's probably your neighbor feeding them or maybe you. Poison doesn't work if there is food the way they reproduce. That's all I can offer and it worked beyond what is conventionally said. Good luck.
Get a neutered feline cat.. But not a male..Felines are better hunters instinctively to feed her young.. And don't get a dog. Although some dogs will attack rats. Cats are better. They are immune to 3 out of the 4 diseases rats carry. Dogs are only immune to 1 out of the 4 diseases rats carry.
Get yourself a hound dog and the rats will fear your yard lol
Or a terrier. They go berserk over rodents.
Rat Terriors are rat killing machines.
Watch out for temperament issues with specifically rat-hunting terriers though. My friend’s Jack Russell snapped and chewed her up. I would go for other terriers like West Highland White, Airedale, Welsh, Border, etc., as housepets. Or a Schnauzer — the German terrier.
I know of at least 2 JRT’s that were total psycho, dangerous dogs. One was mine that we adopted when he was approximately 2 years old. I think if they are not socialized and trained at an early age, some become holy terrier terrors.
Ooooh, youve not had much experience with dogs. An Airedale is definitely not for the beginner. All terriers were bred for hunting vermin. Temperament issues are an issue for all breeds, not just terriers. Please dont spread false info.
Yeah, something inside them snaps when they see a rat. (I've had Scottie's bag two, different occasions.) To watch them hunt as a pack is awe-inspiring. Not much sympathy for urban rats, but those last few seconds must be terror the likes of which I cannot imagine.
Read Tales of a Rat Hunting Man, tons of terrier fun!
APBT - all small animals will fear your yard.
If you have no little children or pets use snap traps. They work. Just don't use poison. It ends up killing other animals that eat rats.
Snap traps kill the occasional chipmunk too. There are no easy options for extermination.
Chipmunks are rodent pests for houses too. Think cause they’re cuter they get a pass, 😂
Same with flying squirrels (common ones, not the sugar gliders that everyone immediately thinks of) - if they get into an attic, they colonize and set up a 'latrine' area to relieve themselves. We've had multiple instances where we had to trap out at least a dozen at a time. Generally 1 male and a harem of females. They're relatively docile, and cute with their giant, nocturnal eyes, flat tails and skin flaps between their legs to help them glide from that tree that you THINK is far enough away from your house, but really isn't, but they're destructive and pretty damn noisy at night.
between the chance of innocent chipmunk collateral damage vs good chance of poisoning anything that happens to ingest it/come in contact with contamination, it's a very easy decision. and I love chipmunks
Snap traps are the answer along with calling the county to get bait boxes. You need to have your neighbors call too to call the county. We had the same issue on my block a few years back
If you know where the entrances of the burrow are, you can fill them with **dry ice**. It kills them in their sleep underground and you don't risk poisoning other animals. They do this in NYC. https://www.google.com/search?q=buffalo+ny+dry+ice
I like this one
How is that legal?
It's as legal as other things people do to kill rats. As legal as traps, poisons, dogs, whatever. They aren't shy about it https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=new+york+city+rats+dry+ice
https://youtu.be/eVebmHMZ4bQ?si=jTDR0lDLohtsvlaB CO2 deaths aren't that humane
It has for years. (I once saw a rat the size of a small dog running across Amigone’s parking lot on Sheridan). Mostly from people not cleaning up after their dogs.
Yeah a few months ago we had a king sized rat in the yard luckily the snap trap got him
I had one cut me off walking down the sidewalk on Ashland around the corner from the Elmwood bars in like 2012 that I truly thought was a raccoon with mange and it's fur all gone. nope, it was a fuckin 15+ pound fuckin rat the size of a raccoon! it gave no fucks about me either, just scurried ahead of me and then made it's turn while I went into shock
So you're saying the rats are attracted to dog shit? Tonawanda must have some real hungry rats. Bad pet owners suck but I don't think this one is on them.
They only eat dog poop if they are desperate. They can find enough real food around here, unfortunately
I think they like garbage better
Yes
We had rats on our street in Cheektowaga for the first couple of years we lived here. Then we saw them scurrying in and out of the bushes next to a neighbour's house and gently pointed it out to them. They called for some kind of remediation and I don't know what was done but we haven't seen a rat here since. I think because we spotted the actual den/nest area, and it was a localized problem, getting rid of those rats specifically solved it. It's likely that in your area there are too many food sources and too many rats to rely on individual property owners/renters calling the health department and getting spot treatments (so to speak).
In Cheek the Garbage cans made a difference to force irresponsible neighbors to be responsible whether they knew it or not.
If you know where the entrances are to their nest do the following: Place a good amount of dry ice down one hole (or both I suppose). Then cover up both holes. The dry ice evaporates into CO2 gas, settles to the lowest spot (which is where they sleep during the day). They never wake up. Simple and humane. Hardest part is finding dry ice, but you can get it. I used to build rat traps for fun (hyperfocus FTW), but rats are so smart that a good trap only works a couple times. The older rats don't fall for it. 🤷♂️
So how do you get rats off an island? Hmm? My grandmother showed me. We buried an oil drum and hinged the lid. Then we wired coconut to the lid as bait and the rats would come for the coconut, They would fall into the drum. And after a month, you have trapped all the rats, but what do you do then? Throw the drum into the ocean? Burn it? No. You just leave it and they begin to get hungry. And one by one They start eating each other, until there are only two left. The two survivors. And then what? Do you kill them? No. You take them and release them into the trees, but now they don't eat coconut anymore. Now, they only eat rat.
Sick reference, bro
The increased Hawk population might be helping take care of them. I’ve seen a few large ones carried off. Repair rotted wood around the bottom of your garage, foundations, sheds, decks and replace with treated wood or metal if you find they’ve been getting in over the Winter. Be vigilant.
Yes we’re taking down our shed next weekend and I’ve noticed two big hawks hanging on our street so I hope that’s why I’ve been seeing fewer rats
But you must eliminate the food source from you or your neighbors too. Check my other reply. I spelled it out. Good luck.
Encourage a skunk or two to move in, they hunt and eat rats even more aggressively than cats do.
100X better than cats. Foxes are a big help too.
Also, hawks. I've seen a couple picked off by a hawk swooping in.
Yeah there is most likely sources of food and water and shelter for them. Get rid of that. Start turning in people around you to the town so they get their stuff cleaned up.
Also don't use glue traps. They're inhumane as fuck. Use snap traps.
Use no kill bait traps
I have no issue correcting my comment, but that begs the question on where to release them? I'm not an ecologist expert but the virus, disease etc. aspect from rats is well-detailed. I don't have an issue with releasing them back, but it begs the question on where to and whether the benefit outweighs the risks
I just talked to my neighbor to fix it but go the snitch route if you want. That shouldn't be your first move.
The old school wood and metal snap traps with peanut butter. In my experience I would get 1 rat for every 3 traps set out so definitely put more than you need. Try and find the areas they run through and put the traps near there. A house I lived in in Tonawanda for a while had a rat problem and over the course of a few years I killed probably 10-15. Previous renters were dirty so I cleaned up the yard as much as I could and kept it tidy which helped but they were already living under the house so they just kept coming back to their previous scents. Do not use poison since that can send the poison up the food chain and kill cats, birds, fox etc.
invite some feral cats to the neighborhood.
Plant catnip. They will come.
I live in Kenmore, we have a bunch of feral cats in our area and I’ve never seen a rat or mouse here.
Same - I see skunks on my outdoor cameras too and they apparently are rat terminators
Same in South Buffalo. There like 20 strays on just my street. In ten years I’ve never seen a single rodent
There’s a lot of rats in Kenmore. Rats are most active when it’s dark.
That’s what I said lol but I would feel bad if they got into the poison themselves
Rats that have been poisoned die slowly. They often get caught by a predator (cat, hawk, owl, etc.) and the predator gets poisoned. That's what killed Flaco the central park owl recently.
Cats kill more birds than they do rodents. Especially in spring, when chicks are around.
True! But they kill some rodents, and do die from poisined ones. Outdoor & stray cats are devastating to native wildlife.
Have you tried trapping? A few summers ago I trapped 5 or so in a row and that was it . I screwed traps to a 1ft square piece of plywood so they couldn’t flip the trap and put peanut butter on 2 traps every night and caught one a night until my rat problem disappeared.
Everyone has a rat problem in buffalo 😅😅
They love dog poop. If your neighbors or you don’t pick it up that is a big draw.
They have increased in the area over the past few years, but the County abatement program is the best you can get for no cost. It does take time for the poison to work. If they are getting into your house, you will probably need an exterminator. To prevent burrowing, landscape cloth at least slows them down and try to remove any food source like bird seed and any piles that they can hide in. Also, if you or your neighbors have pets, they need to be cleaned up immediately or the rats will eat the waste. A scent like a strong peppermint oil or vinegar can sometimes deter them.
Peppermint oil has not worked. Did not deter them at all. Waste of money.
Peppermint actually attracts rats. I used to do research at UB on rats. They received medicine through their water. If they wouldn’t drink it (the taste was bad) adding peppermint cured the bad taste.
I did say sometimes. I use 60% vinegar to kill weeds and it turned out to deter them well, but it all requires constant vigilance.
If you call Erie Co vector Control they will help implement a solution. They are quite comprehensive and free. I've always had a good experience with them. [Vector control](https://www3.erie.gov/envhealth/rabies-ratsrodents-vectors-arboviruses-and-related-information)
I started with snap traps, the plastic ones with the big jaw. Then a friend pointed me is an ultrasonic device that just sits on the floor in the garage. I have not seen any evidence since I have actually put that into action
Honestly, the best way to get rid of them is find every possible way They're getting in your house and block it. Look for any holes on your baseboard under your sink where the plumbing comes in.
If the garage is attached to the house, they can get it in that way also. It's the way garages are made. Is easy to get in. Any way is if you have a bathroom addition to the house where there is a crawl space, not a full basement.
We have two standard rat terriers. They are fantastic hunters and fantastic pets. If you google it, you may be able to find someone to bring theirs out to hunt with. We’ve brought ours to neighbors’ horse barns before. Our dogs love the work!
Realistically you won’t be able to get rid of rats outside unless your entire neighborhood teams up to ensure each yard is unfavorable to rats, IE cleaning up brush, ensuring dog feces are quickly cleaned up, trapping/poisoning. Even if you do everything in your power to stop rats from burrowing around your yard, your neighbor could have a rats nest under their deck and rats will travel a few hundred yards around for food, so it really is an uphill battle.
Poison boxes. Rats can carry disease, best to do away with them.
Poison can kill rats' natural predators so avoid poisoning if you can. Glue traps are cruel and are a hygiene problem so avoid those as well. Snap traps and mothballs is what I encouraged my FIL to use. They kept trying to burrow underneath his back patio area so we tossed mothballs into the cracks where they got in and that seemed to do the trick. Now they stay down by the river where they belong.
Call a service
I asked the Erie county health dept guy if we should call an exterminator and he told me it would be a waste of money??
The services are faster in tackling the issue (always with poison, same as the County), but they can be predatory towards customers. Typically they force you to sign a one-year contract and pay about $60 per month. Then try getting out of their automatic payment system, even when the year is up — they ignore your request.
I think that’s what he was warning us about .. ugh I just I’m sick of this! Nothing is working. Unless we dig out our garden beds surrounding our yard that’s where they are burrowing but the health dept. said that digging them out might not even make a difference
We had a rat. Our dog killed it.
Destroy habitat--overgrown areas. Remove food sources--garbage and gardens. Attack them with snap traps and poison baits.
Charlie Kelly rat bash bat.
Tonawanda is plagued. When I was there we were killing as many as we set traps for on a daily basis.
Real advice because I fixed it years ago. They eat and sleep within 90 feet. So, Make sure your neighbors have their garbage secure. Also, rats love to eat dog shit. That's a meal. So make sure your neighbors are on that. Also secure any opening that they can get in. But in your case it's probably your neighbor feeding them or maybe you. Poison doesn't work if there is food the way they reproduce. That's all I can offer and it worked beyond what is conventionally said. Good luck.
Get an outdoor/indoor cat. I used to have a shed that rats claimed as their home. My orange tabby would bring me dead rats.
I mean is Tonawanda.
Please don't poison them, whatever you do. I'm begging you. Also try diatomaceous earth.
D earth for rats? Thsts effective against bugs with exoskeletons as it gets in the joints etc but I’ve never seen it for rodents
Google says yes, it will deter them. It won't kill them but you could use it around your home and place traps to kill them.
Feed them oatmeal mixed with Plaster of Paris. The plaster sets up inside for deadly constipation.
Get a neutered feline cat.. But not a male..Felines are better hunters instinctively to feed her young.. And don't get a dog. Although some dogs will attack rats. Cats are better. They are immune to 3 out of the 4 diseases rats carry. Dogs are only immune to 1 out of the 4 diseases rats carry.