Port Authority will not allow rat traps on docks?

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by TacomaSailor

We have several feral cats that live at the top of our dock. One of the liveaboards who has seen the rats also owns a Jack Russel terrier who roams freely about her boat and the adjacent docks.

Yet, we have rats on the dock.

The other morning, just before sunrise, my wife had a showdown on the ramp with a rat. Wife was coming down the 10-yard long ramp and rat was heading up the ramp. I guess the rat was headed home from his in-the-dark prowling.

Rat stood up on it's hind legs and hissed at my wife who backed up the ramp and let the rat go by.

I guess having fun with rats is just one of those liveaboard perks I've heard so much about?

"Rat stood up on hind legs and hissed, [forcing] wife to back up ramp and let rat pass..."
Any flying elephants or talking pigs involved? Or just the hissing rat?

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by rognvald

"Rat stood up on it's hind legs and hissed at my wife who backed up the ramp and let the rat go by." Tacoma

Tacoma,
I suppose I will be relentlessly tracked down by the PETA Police for this confession but, when I was a kid growing up in Chicago we regularly hunted rats in the alleys with our BB guns. These rats were nothing like their rural cousins who plied their trade around barns and granaries but were large, street-smart bad-asses who never backed down and controlled the garbage can feeding stations with ferocity. The best time to hunt was the day/night before garbage pickup in your neighborhood when many garbage cans/containers were not closed properly. And, these urban rats grow to unbelievable sizes based upon the breed norm and the only effective way cities can control their populations is to destroy their food sources--largely open garbage cans and access to homes(in your case,Tacoma, boats). At one time in Chicago, rats were estimated at 1.5 million. Today, they say, the number is closer to 500,000 if you believe the politicians. So, take it from an experienced hunter of rats: buy yourself a high powered pellet air rifle with a scope(around $100.) and take the law into your own hands, Pardner. Once their buddies taste the smell of death on the docks, they'll find another area that is safer. Good luck and good hunting. P.S. A little known fact is that if a rat is cornered and stands on its hind legs, it can easily jump to the level of your face and do quite a bit of damage irrespective of the potential for infection from the bite.

Just to be clear, you are stating that rats will stand on their hind legs, jump on a humans face and chew off the nose? Or worse?
I've seen rats the size of house cats, seen them climb trees like a racccoon, but have never heard of one viciously attacking anyone, let alone jumping on anyones face and doing quite a bit of damage.

What are some you guys on this thread smoking?

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by Tayana42

There are some very nice threads going about pets on board. Why not give the rats names and consider them to be pets?😃


S/V B'Shert

After a few weeks at sea, I imagine even a rat would be good company...

[redhead]

I just found out our camper has been destroyed by rats. It was always our "escape plan" should we need to get off the boat. The mattresses, cushions, dollar bills and even the cardboard cover for the Sailrite sewing machine is toast.
I can't even go to clean it up until I calm down a little. I hadn't been over there for 6 months or so. It's stored with a lot of other campers and I wonder how they're doing.

Funny thing though: here in NW Washington there are huge rat poison/traps attached to every piling. I always figured it's because we're at the commercial dock and so many boats have parts of crab, fish, etc. lying about. First time I've ever seen that.

Lessons learned:

1) Coyote urine from Maine.
2) No more "escape plans" just fix up the damn boat and sail off.

[reed1v]

Well you could just sit on the dock with a 30-06 and blast away when you see one. Will not have to worry about cleaning up the mess. It will have vaporized.

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by redhead

I just found out our camper has been destroyed by rats. It was always our "escape plan" should we need to get off the boat. The mattresses, cushions, dollar bills and even the cardboard cover for the Sailrite sewing machine is toast.
I can't even go to clean it up until I calm down a little. I hadn't been over there for 6 months or so. It's stored with a lot of other campers and I wonder how they're doing.

Funny thing though: here in NW Washington there are huge rat poison/traps attached to every piling. I always figured it's because we're at the commercial dock and so many boats have parts of crab, fish, etc. lying about. First time I've ever seen that.

Lessons learned:

1) Coyote urine from Maine.
2) No more "escape plans" just fix up the damn boat and sail off.

I lived in Colorado many years ago and had various run-ins with packrats in a storage building on a ranch. There is nothing on this planet worse that packrat urine! Unless, of course, it is PNW rat urine... LOL!

And for the record, the coyote urine does not need to be from Maine...any old coyote will do.

[jeepbluetj]

Originally Posted by reed1v

Well you could just sit on the dock with a 30-06 and blast away when you see one. Will not have to worry about cleaning up the mess. It will have vaporized.

22lr. It's cheaper.


Dunno why traps are not allowed. I understand poison, but traps?

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by morven55

Just to be clear, you are stating that rats will stand on their hind legs, jump on a humans face and chew off the nose? Or worse?
I've seen rats the size of house cats, seen them climb trees like a raccoon, but have never heard of one viciously attacking anyone, let alone jumping on anyones face and doing quite a bit of damage.

What are some you guys on this thread smoking?

Morven,
An average size rat can jump 3 feet into the air-- larger urban rats, much higher. It's an easy pathway from a person's chest to his face. I challenge you to corner an urban rat and move towards it aggressively. It's the best experiment you can do to prove your point. I'd like to know your results. However, here's some interesting facts about rats. Never Underestimate a Rats Abilities | Catseye Pest Control Also, look at the Health and Safety section of the following article about rat attacks on humans, even causing death. allstateanimalcontrol.com/animals/rats/rat_faq.php And, as I have stated above, I killed rats as a kid in Chicago and I saw many cornered rats attack. Believe what you like to believe . . . perhaps you're the one who is smoking weed. Good luck and pleasant dreams. Captain Rognvald--owner and professional guide: Urban Alley Safaris

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by rognvald

Morven,
An average size rat can jump 3 feet into the air-- larger urban rats, much higher. It's an easy pathway from a person's chest to his face. I challenge you to corner an urban rat and move towards it aggressively. It's the best experiment you can do to prove your point. I'd like to know your results. However, here's some interesting facts about rats. Never Underestimate a Rats Abilities | Catseye Pest Control Also, look at the Health and Safety section of the following article about rat attacks on humans, even causing death. allstateanimalcontrol.com/animals/rats/rat_faq.php And, as I have stated above, I killed rats as a kid in Chicago and I saw many cornered rats attack. Believe what you like to believe . . . perhaps you're the one who is smoking weed. Good luck and pleasant dreams. Captain Rognvald--owner and professional guide: Urban Alley Safaris

Lighten up Skipper...just having a little fun with you guys! And being forced to give way on the gangway by an aggressive upper class marina rat is a long way from cornering an inner-city combat hardened Chicago Rat! LOL!
And "three feet in the air" is a long way from jumping on your face and ripping your nose off! Unless of course you are only three feet tall!!!

[garrobito]

I found install this huge funnel cut the problem...
https://jet.com/product/detail/bcf0a...FZRcfgodFX4KGg

PD: the metal disc "navy type" does not make the cut.. I tell you by experience...

[captain mitch]

When we were in Daytona we came back to the boat to find rat droppings in the cocpit -- went nuts covered the boat with sticky traps and caught only a couple. Then we found that our "Trawler Neighbor" next slip over had gone home and left 2 large BAGS of dog food aboard. The bag smell must have brought every rat and its cousin to their boat. They ate all the rugs, bedding, seat cushions. Then they started on the wiring ! So much for a 1mil$ trawler.
Anyway, the broker used sticky traps and was hauling rats off the boat for 2 weeks. It did get rid of them

[EllesBelles]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

The poison kills cats and dogs.

Please don't use poison. The rat poison is going all the way up the food chain. We have found hawks and eagles (which eat rodents) dead from the poison. And forest and wildlife service in California reports that they've even found bears that died from ingesting rat poison in larger mammals that ate smaller mammals that ate....down to the rats.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by CaitB

I am just back from spending a week on my boat in San Mateo - cleaning up after rats. My galley was destroyed and the f&$@#%s ate into teak cabinet moulding! This is the third infestation in 2 months and, while I actually thought about setting fire to my boat out of desperation, I have taken some drastic steps (because a cat or a dog is simply not an option):

1. Seal up ANY opening, no matter how tiny. It's amazing what these bastards can get into. The tiniest little crevice and they chew it until they can get inside.

2. I put a battery operated trap in the cockpit (little sparky!) and 2 more huge traps baited with smoked bacon. 3 dead rats in 1 night.

3. Cheap metal pie tins on the middle of the dock lines - all heavily sprayed with Pam to make them slick and uncrawlable.

4. Coyote urine. Seriously. There is a place in Maine that sells predator urine and for rats, it's coyote. Soak cotton tags with the stuff and place the tags out of sight about every 5 ft. I place drops of it on the dock lines, in the dock box and I also place them inside the boat as they have no smell to humans. I actually swear by this stuff - the rats stay away. I use bobcat urine for mice around my home chicken coop and haven't seen a mouse in ages! Resoak the cotton tags about every 2 weeks.

A week later - lots of disgusting cleanup (key words: hanta virus!) and I can say that there are no rats on my boat. Happy days!!!

Thank you, Cait B, for passing along something that actually works. I am sure rognvald's method would work too, but speed is of the essence because of all the damage the rats do.

The minute you stop and think how much it will cost, in materials and labor to properly repair the damage, you can accept that the problem needs addressing right away.

I'm pretty sure if you google on "coyote urine to deter rats," you'll find the outfit in Maine. Perhaps local hardware stores carry the sticky traps. Frankly, I wouldn't worry about the law; yes, it may be on the books, but is it enforced? Maybe enough pressure on the marina and they would hire an exterminator? The marina management might respond if all the people on the dock came and complained about the rats--otherwise call Public Health.

Ann

[belizesailor]

Import a few boas...no more rat problem. Some people in Central America have a domestic boa or two that live in their house...problem solved.

[scuba0_1]

I saw some one put out a bucket with a line across it and peanut butter. They fall In the bucket and are carried off.