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zeehag · 27-12-2012, 11:29

after the using of mucho rat poison, after the raton is dead for sure, please scrub the surfaces kiddo may find during growth ..... the mexican poison for rats is nasty stuff.....there were dead cats in marina la cruz last year from it, including katrina's cat--..nasty death for gatos..

**Jim Cate** · 27-12-2012, 11:44

G'Day Eric,

OK, you didn't like the idea of carbon monoxide gassing with the Honda genset due to the potential remaining odor. I'm not so sure that it would be an issue, but I can understand your reluctance!

Another approach might be to get a biggish CO2 fire extinguisher or other source of that gas (cantinas with draught beer use CO2 to keep the beer kegs pressurized, for instance). Then one would use the same approach as with the genset and flood the boat with the gas, close up and depart for a few hours. The big advantage of this approach IMO is that it does not require any activity of the rat (eating poison, entering a trap etc) and should, due to being heavier than air, fill the boat completely from the bottom up. There will be no residue other than dead rat(s) and no cleanup and no worries about your children suffering any injury in the future.

Anyhow, good luck and good hunting!

Jim

delmarrey · 27-12-2012, 12:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

G'Day Eric,

OK, you didn't like the idea of carbon monoxide gassing with the Honda genset due to the potential remaining odor. I'm not so sure that it would be an issue, but I can understand your reluctance!

Another approach might be to get a biggish CO2 fire extinguisher or other source of that gas (cantinas with draught beer use CO2 to keep the beer kegs pressurized, for instance). Then one would use the same approach as with the genset and flood the boat with the gas, close up and depart for a few hours. The big advantage of this approach IMO is that it does not require any activity of the rat (eating poison, entering a trap etc) and should, due to being heavier than air, fill the boat completely from the bottom up. There will be no residue other than dead rat(s) and no cleanup and no worries about your children suffering any injury in the future.

Anyhow, good luck and good hunting!

Jim

Or a large chunk of dry ice broken up and spread around the boat in water containers creating a fog of CO2, and then sealing up the boat. CO2 is heavy so it'll sink into the bilges. Probably would want to open up all compartments. Not sure which would be more effective?
How about tear gas? >>>> Popular Science - Google Books

BTW this is a 1929 article.

MarkJ · 27-12-2012, 12:11

You could go to the pet shop and buy two rats, one male and one female. Put them in separate cages on the dock, seperated but near your boat.

Then when your ratty gets horney he will get off.... No matter if yours is a he or she, straight, bi, gay or transgender.

Just make sure you buy good looking rats.

Sailor g · 02-01-2013, 20:27

Haven't heard in a while. What's up with the unwanteds?

westsail374 · 02-01-2013, 20:33

Yes, your rodent focused audience waits with baited (and trapped) breath....

Trim50 · 02-01-2013, 21:01

We had a rat get aboard in Fiji and he really went to town trying to chew his way into cupboards where he could smell food. The little bastard was smart too...one trap I gave a try was a sticky paper which requires you placing food in the center. Basically the rat gets stuck to the paper. However our rat woke us in the middle of the night running through the boat with a piece of sticky paper stuck to his tail. The paper eventually got stuck to a wall and he escaped.

The solution that eventually worked was a poison that the locals made which was in the form of a small ball of food. The rat would take the poison ball back to his nest and chew on it at his leisure and the poison would cause his to search for fresh water due to thirst. As such, the rat would leave the boat and never return...it worked. We eventually found the bastards little nest and it had several of the poison balls partially eaten sitting in it.

boatsail · 02-01-2013, 21:03

This might sound silly, but can a rat chew through your hull until they get to salty water creating a leak/hole?

I have a little exp. with those creepy little things, but not on my boat (thankfully)

**JPA Cate** · 02-01-2013, 21:56

Rebel Heart & Charlotte,
IMO, bacon with some skin on it works best, is less likely to be ripped from the trap without triggering it. Bacon is smoked pork belly, and the butcher can cut you some, leaving the skin on. (Makes beaut eating, probably why the rats like it, too.) Bacon is the only substance I personally have used to bait traps with with success. Cheese lacks structural integrity. Never tried anchovies or p.b.
Good luck with it. Rats are (as many others here have remarked) smart, have very sharp teeth. Be wary of handling them.
Ann Cate, s/v Insatiable II, Port Cygnet, Tas.

ArtyB · 02-01-2013, 22:18

They make great pets.

Sorry, could not help myself.

forsailbyowner · 03-01-2013, 02:45

I had a rat aboard that took up residence under a water tank. He had quite the pad down there. There was a bed made of polyester fuzz with a little puddle of water on one side and a pile of food on the other. In stuart at the maritime and yachting museum I was getting a rat in the traps every night. The best bait I've found is shrimp the second best is coconut meat. I guess with the rats so fond of living in coconut trees its a natural food source. One rat ate through carefully installed bilge pump wiring the night after I installed it Grrr!