Craig Winters | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Member since Oct 12, 2019

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  • Posted by:
    Craig Winters on 10/12/2019 at 10:19 PM
    Don't relocate pack rats. They will come back to your property, or starve to death while trying. Drop the live trap with the rat inside in a bucket of water and dispose of the carcass accordingly. The MOST IMPORTANT thing to do is to destroy the nest, or you will never stop having issues with pack rats. Trap them in a live trap using peanut butter and saltine crackers. Works every time. Never use poison. Poisoned rodents end up killing other predators, such as owls, hawks, bobcats, etc. through secondary poisoning. There is no such thing as a "non secondary kill" poison, despite what anyone tells you. Trap the nest repeatedly until there aren't any more rats in there (I use a trail cam to ensure there aren't any more running around). Once you've got them all, rake the nest apart. Wear a mask and protective clothing. Spray the nest with insecticide to kill any kissing bugs or fleas. Leave it be for a day, then come back and shovel everything into a container and discard. Watch out for cactus spines in the nest. Try to avoid touching with your gloves (use a wide shovel and rake to pick up everything). Check your property periodically to prevent new nests.