Rat Prevention Help Needed

[Beavereater]

Hello Kstepman,
I'm a long way from sharing any advice about nautical things, but I have run my own pest control business for 33 years. Sounds like the roof rat is probably going to be your nemesis due to your location and that would mean excellent climbing and jumping abilities. Exclusion is always top of the list when dealing with rats. I would start by making sure that no part of the boat is within 4' of any solid horizontal jumping surface. Any lines running aboard could be rigged in many fashions to prevent rats from climbing them, large smooth surfaced balls or discs that will freely turn when they attempt to climb would be a simple fabrication or google "rat guards for dock lines"
If they are already aboard I would recommend trapping only, Trapper T-Rex rat trap is my go to trap for rats. Glue or baits will cause more trouble then you already have. Save the insecticide for insects.
To reduce the possibility of teaching your rats to be trap shy, try this little trick first. Secure your traps, and their jaws in the open position with a zip tie until you can clearly see that they will come and take the bait from it on a regular basis. Once they are accustomed to it we then do the old bait and switch if you know what I mean. Leave the trap secured to something stationary, just free the jaws
Choice of bait, start with anything you find that they're already eating, roof rats like fruits, yams and sweet potatoes, norway rats will be more protein oriented, peanut butter, slim jims work great.
Hope this helps.

[anacapaisland42]

Jack Russell Terrier, good against rats and boarders
Bill

[zeehag]

you have 2 real options.
rat terrier
cat

both hunt and kill

happy hunting.
rats are why there were cones on the lines of old sailing ships. didnt want rats in the stores...rats are also why there were ships cats.

[sunbear1]

as an ex zookeeper i have killed 1000's of mice (no rats in Alberta)--with lot's of traps--a sunflower wedged under the trigger, wafarin may take too long for your application but will kill the hangers on. in a building we could concentrate them along the wall with wood etc. they naturally travel along walls and create chokepoints loaded with traps. pellet guns--but that can be messy--fun though. really messy--bird shot on a feeding tray took out 100 at once. screen your dorades etc. if they can get a head through the rest follows--be relentless and aggressive and give no quarter

[coastalexplorer]

I found reading all your suggestions very interesting and some even humorous. So I suppose you have it all covered. So all I could add is from my research of maritime history.

At the risk Of being ruled off topic... I would like to close by recounting a description from the log of the Hudson's Bay Company owned vessel 'Mary Dare' written in the 1850's, She was an armed merchant cargo brig 101 feet long 22 feet beam and 12 feet depth of hold. she was a wooden vessel.

All apertures into the ship were sealed, before the crew laid a bed of river rocks in the bottom of the hold, upon which bundles of birch brush wood was laid. This was then torched and the main hatch completely sealed.

At first the idea of setting a fire in a wooden vessel seemed a foolish risk. But after thinking about it I realized that as the fire burned it consumed all the oxygen and would have gone out. anything alive in there would be dead from smoke inhalation, excessive heat, and asphyxiated from complete absence of oxygen.

In the modern mind one could not do this with the galley stove for there would be no natural way to turn the fuel off as the flame burned out... but I suppose one could consider a baking tray covered with a suitable number of citronella candles?

[CREX]

Hi k, seems your question has been answered. However once you've removed them you might want to strategically place urinal cakes, just splitting open and not really exposing cake, where they can enter or food stored. Partial chunks work but not so much as you stink up the place. I still use them at home, boat and I have never again had problems. Sounds weird and smelly but done right not a problem. Last months due to very limited exposure and cheap, readily available. Animals can't handle the intense pungent smell and deters them. Works for all critters. Hope this helps. I lived aboard in some ratty places while cruising and these always worked. Stay cool... And no , nobody ever smelled them, I asked visitors.

[Funyacht]

I had rats and mice on an unattended boat over the years. I went through a progression of sticky traps, snapper traps and other types without success. The most effective solution has been the electronic ultrasonic pest repellers which emit a high frequency tone. It works to a degree on iguanas also. If you have a cat or dog onboard, this is not for you as they hear the annoying screech and will be miserable.

[Steadman Uhlich]

In the words of Monty Python….

"And now for something completely different….Its"

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[mapledog]

Hi all rat heaters!

Some tricks we use on our maple syrup farm. Rats are ever so skillful in eating your bait without setting off your trap off. Our solution is to tie a piece of fussy wool yarn on to the the traps bait pedal, then mush in a gob of peanut butter in to the wool. While stealing the bait the rats teeth gets caught in the wool and triggers the trap. This trick works very well.

We avoid using poison because of residual effect on anything that eats the dead rat.

Another old farm trick is use a 50/50 mixture of peanut butter and plaster of paris and make golf ball size baits. The rats get life ending constipation.

Good luck!

[brantleychuck]

Poison them. Way better to have a dead decaying rat aboard than having one live eating your boat to pieces..


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[Hud3]

Originally Posted by mapledog

...Another old farm trick is use a 50/50 mixture of peanut butter and plaster of paris and make golf ball size baits. The rats get life ending constipation.

Good luck!

Love it!

[Rustic Charm]

Someone else has already suggested it but just a plug for 12v ultrasonic pest controllers.

It looks like you have a 36footer which is not too big to be able to find all the current inhabitents. But seriously, you don't want a dead rat hidden somewhere. The smell can get into all your cushion's and bedding etc.

Just setting up a deterrent can often be enough to get them to leave your boat in the first place.

But, I've not had a need to do this on my boat, but I use them in buildings and with quite a bit of success.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Funyacht, & mapledog.

[Maka]

Captain Cook while exploring the Pacific, ran lines to shore when he anchored so rats could leave his ship. He claimed it was to create an additional food source for the natives.
The point is: rats on ships is an age old problem and probably dates back to the 1st ship.

Every one knows rats leave a sinking ship .... perhaps you could fool them into thinking yours was sinking.

Or, as a last resort, actually sink it.

Hope the exterminator works for you.

Good Luck

[Training Wheels]

No personal experience, but I have heard sealing up the boat and leaving portable generator running in the boat works. Have heard the rats will even come out of hiding and try to get out of the boat, so they don't just crawl in some inaccessible part of the boat to die. Always thought I'd try it if I ever get rat problem.


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