# Rat Bastards



## Candace (Oct 29, 2007)

It's that time of year again. I always get rats and mice in the g.h. every year around now, once it starts getting cooler at night. My dog chased one out of the bushes the other day and it almost gave me heart failure. I put out bait blocks a few days ago in the g.h. and already some of it is missing. Didn't stop them from eating off 5 of my 6 buds on my paphinia majestic, 1 bud on a first-time in bud paph. Varvara, 1 bud on a in-bloom paph, a spike on a first bloom catasetum and several roots have been nibbled. Today, I moved in 3 paphs that will open any day. I've been waiting for my malipoense and vietnamense to open for weeks and I would have a conniption if I went in tomorrow to find the buds gone. 

I will be buying more traps tomorrow at the hardware store.


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## Mrs. Paph (Oct 29, 2007)

Time to bring out the big guns! I'm not much for killing bugs and insects if they stay outside and non-destructive, but I'm with you for getting more traps!! Nice save on the malipo/viet! We would have all had fits with you if a mouse had chewed that up! I hope you're able to get rid of all the vermin soon!


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## Mrs. Paph (Oct 29, 2007)

Hmmm...that was supposed to say bugs and rodents...lol, not bugs and insects...pretty much the same thing otherwise


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## Bluefirepegasus (Oct 29, 2007)

OMG! Rats? I didn't even think they would like to eat greenhouse plants! 

I am so glad you posted about that. I want to have a greenhouse someday and that is a pest I would have never expected! 

Bluefirepegasus


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## Candace (Oct 29, 2007)

> I am so glad you posted about that. I want to have a greenhouse someday and that is a pest I would have never expected!



Oh, yes. They like to get out of the cold, too. And a nice heated greenhouse is quite the attraction. And while enjoying the break from the weather they round off the evening with a nice snack of spikes, roots and buds. They prefer buds that are pink or purple for some reason. And in their hurry for a gourmet meal they tip pots over spilling leca and create nests with spagnum moss. Lovely creatures.


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## kentuckiense (Oct 29, 2007)

Candace said:


> 1 bud on a first-time in bud paph. Varvara,



I think you should just get a bunch of complex Paphs to keep their attention away from the good plants.


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## Candace (Oct 29, 2007)

Ha Ha, I've got one complex ready to open any day and they left it alone. Of course maybe they'll eat it tonight :<


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## goldenrose (Oct 29, 2007)

BUMMER< BUMMER< BUMMER!!! OMG - all the years I've had a GH, I can thankfully say I've never had them, I hope I didn't jinx myself!


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## Hien (Oct 30, 2007)

How about hanging all plants off the ground


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## Candace (Oct 30, 2007)

> How about hanging all plants off the ground


 And not use bench space? Not going to work. Plus, rats climb. They've gotten to some of my hanging vandas and cattleyas over the years, too.


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## goldenrose (Oct 30, 2007)

Hien said:


> How about hanging all plants off the ground





Candace said:


> And not use bench space? Not going to work. Plus, rats climb. They've gotten to some of my hanging vandas and cattleyas over the years, too.



I'm afraid not very practical ... how many plants would you have to hang? I'd run out of space in no time! 
Climb - you bet! how do you think they get into the dumpsters?


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## Corbin (Nov 1, 2007)

Maybe a kitty cat is what you need.


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## Candace (Nov 1, 2007)

We've got a back yard full of snakes. I'm thinking they do a pretty good job. I can't even imagine how over run we'd be if we didn't have the snakes. We also have neighborhood cats that wander through. I've got two myself, that are indoor only. 

I set out a bunch of new traps and bait and as of yesterday, no takers. At least they haven't found the attic this year.


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## T. migratoris (Nov 1, 2007)

I'm in the early stages of building a gh now & despite a ton of research not a single source mentioned mice & rats as a problem. Since it's not too late to modify the design ... any recommendations on how to prevent their access?


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## Candace (Nov 2, 2007)

The main problem I'm having is that they are digging under the base to gain entry. My greenhouse was built on footers that go deep into the ground, but the steel base is ground level. They can dig through my gravel floor and get in. The remedy for this, and I'm doing this on my current g.h. in construction, is to pour a cement footer the whole perimeter of the g.h. I only have to go down 1 ft. since we only get frost here. But that will be enough of a barrier, I hope. In colder climates several feet down would be necessary. But, if the whole perimeter has a footer the only weak point would be the doors.


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## Corbin (Nov 2, 2007)

Yeaks, that could get expensive. I would think there would be several other materials that could be buried and fastened to the bottom angle of the greenhouse that would be a lot more economical. Treated lumber, fiberglass, and wire mesh are a few that come to mind.


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## Candace (Nov 2, 2007)

> Yeaks, that could get expensive.


Footers are better since they're necessary for raising a g.h. on a knee wall, to get extra height. Not expensive. Concrete is not that bad compared to the cost of a greenhouse kit. It's the trenching that is a pain.

Rats and small field mice would easily be able to get through wire mesh and fiberglass. Treated lumber stacked in the ground would probably be more expensive than do-it-yourself concrete and less stable.

My current g.h. didn't need raising at all, so no knee wall. But many of them need to be raised to a decent height to hang plants. My new one will be on a two ft. raised wall and will need a perimeter footer. You live and learn. If I had it to do over, I would have done a perimeter footer on this g.h. This would also help in keeping out other critters like racoons and 'possums that are looking for a warm retreat.


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## Candace (Nov 2, 2007)

I didn't go out to the g.h. yesterday as I was recovering from a lovely stomach flu. But, I just went out and found 4 traps that had been licked clean and one dead one. I'm feeling pretty badly about it as it looked like it suffered badly. I won't get into gruesome details, but the trap caught it in an area that it probably lived for quite some time.:sob: I'm going to have to make my husband go take care of it as I feel like a rotten murderer.


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## NYEric (Nov 2, 2007)

Do it to them; before they do it to you!


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## slippertalker (Nov 2, 2007)

I had a similar problem about 2 months ago and it looked like they were running laps around the greenhouse knocking stuff over and snapping flower spikes. I put down rat/mouse poison and they ate the entire batch the first night. I put it down again the next night and they ate it all and moved it. The third night they didn't quite finish it off and they all disappeared. I found 6 or 7 dead mice in my backyard and they were nice and fat.....


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## Candace (Nov 2, 2007)

I wonder if chipmunks and squirrels cause people problems in g.h's? I know they do lots of damage to outside plants. If they can dig and get in, I'd imagine they'd eat buds and spikes too. Luckily, none of those in my area.

Hubby picked up the corpse. It was a large rat this time. We have an "arrangement" that I deal with animal vomit and mistakes and he picks up dead bodies.


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## slippertalker (Nov 2, 2007)

What happens if you have a dead rat that vomited?


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## goldenrose (Nov 2, 2007)

I occassionally have, I assume, chipmunk(s) knock over plants & dig or try to bury. It only happens during the summer when the door is open, I have an old screen I put in front. The dog activity keeps them at bay.


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## Candace (Nov 2, 2007)

> What happens if you have a dead rat that vomited?


 Uh, oh. I hadn't considered that possibility!:rollhappy:


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## gore42 (Nov 2, 2007)

Little known fact: rats can't vomit. Thats why rat poison works, actually.

- Matt


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## goldenrose (Nov 3, 2007)

slippertalker said:


> What happens if you have a dead rat that vomited?


 how does a dead rat vomit, if he could?


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## Candace (Nov 3, 2007)

> how does a dead rat vomit, if he could?



Vewy, vewy quietly.


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## NYEric (Nov 8, 2007)

You think you had problems; this is a NYC rat!


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## Candace (Nov 8, 2007)

O.K. now they've invaded the attic and are keeping me up all night playing with the bait blocks. No joke! The scoot it around the ceiling and play soccer with it. They've kept me up for 3 nights in a row now. I'm sleep deprived and they're up there having a ball! We seem to get them in the attic space every other year and we suffer for a few days before they "quiet" down after eating the bait. It always coincides with rats in the g.h. so I knew they were probably going to go into the attic next.


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## Heather (Nov 8, 2007)

I'm sorry, Candace, but that last post of yours cracked me up! Playing soccer with it before they "quiet" down...hahaha! :rollhappy:


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## Candace (Nov 8, 2007)

So, they ate a spike on my Papa Rohl last night We went up into the attic this morning and left some more "toys" for them to play with.


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