We are landlords to a single family house. Have owned the house for 12 or so years now and rented it out for the last 7. Seemingly out of no where, my tenant reported seeing a lot of mouse activity, I initially brushed it off and told him to set some traps and if the issue continued I would get the exterminator involved.
Long story short, we have a huge f'in problem. The exterminator came, set up a ton of traps throughout the house and caught 15 mice in three days including one big f'er which is probably a rat. They go back again and catch another one. The exterminator said we need to have someone check out for holes around the property.
My handyman goes to the unit and starts taking off the first level of horizontal wood siding. Boom, holes. Okay, keep going, more holes in the wood. Keep going, HOLES IN THE CONRETE (the house is on slab foundation). All today he has been sending me more and more photos of these f'in holes in concrete around the house.
What the hell is going on here? Rats/mice can chew through mortar/concrete? I'm trying to juggle calls right now with the exterminator and handyman and tenant to figure out the best course of action. The original plan was going to be for the handyman to mix up some mortar and patch the holes, but I'm trying to see if the exterminator recommends any action IN the holes before patching them up.
Now I'm reading and trying to figure out if we should do something called (maybe) mudjacking? But it seems like that is for foundation which is sinking, which this does not appear to be.
Anyone have advice? 11 years of ownership and never had more than the standard mouse running around. Now I'm concerned there's an infestation and feel awful for my tenants. They have two kids similar to my kids ages who don't want to be in the house (and I can't blame them).
I literally cannot believe what is going on. I know this can happen any place at any time, but this is a nice house in a nice neighborhood. F this man.
MY cats work great too, although I don't know about big ass rats.
I use this.
You put it wherever you see evidence of mice - if it's an area accessible by kids or pets there is a "trap" it goes in, the mice/rats eat this and it suffocates them. Only downside is sometimes they die in the walls, but usually they make it outside because they are fighting for air.
Don't use cheap dollar store steel wool either - it may be too soft.
I have no problem poisoning this disgusting rodents. If there was a way to channel a beam of magical energy to fry them all continuously from the inside in a connecting surge, I would do that in a heartbeat.
Not just for your current issue but termites, spiders, ants etc. I am not judging you by any means my wife and I rented a townhome for years prior to buying our current home and the landlord wouldn’t pay for the service so we did out of pocket just for piece on mind.
With that said I think you have a bigger problem than just mice and rats. If you have holes in your foundation walls it means whatever product used either cinder block or poured concrete is compromised. Rodents can’t dig through concrete unless it’s failed in some way either the brick or the motor stacking it. If this is the case, it is not a DIY or handyman job call a foundation specialist.
I have no problem poisoning this disgusting rodents. If there was a way to channel a beam of magical energy to fry them all continuously from the inside in a connecting surge, I would do that in a heartbeat.
good, now we're on the same page. I'm surprised an exterminator didn't suggest something like this.
my buddy moved into an apartment and we were watching TV and heard what sounded like the mice olympics in his ceiling tiles. it was like a freeway - then he looked in his bedroom and there was mouse droppings in his closet, in his clothes hamper, in the drawers of his bedside table - seemed really violating to see that.
anyway this stuff or something like it killed them all.
if it's not an accessible to people or pets area you can just throw chunks of poison in there without worrying. use the bait station for more accessible areas.
Seriously, I had rats in my outdoor raised bed garden. Poison was out as I didn't want it to get near my garden. I used old school mechanical traps with peanut butter. Worked pretty well.
There is a theory that every song has the words "what would you say" in it, either in the lyrics or covertly
As a landlord I’ve successfully dealt with smaller infestations (5 to 7 mice) using this approach.
You may want to consider, to pay for alternative housing for your tenants until completed.
MOOPS : 5/11/2022 11:34 am : link : reply
go to 'domyown' online and get some Protecta EVO Express Bait Stations, as needed, and either Fastrac or Contrac blocks.
They are poisons so you decide if you want to go that route.
Please read the instructions and warnings and you decide if you want to go that route.
Good luck
Link - ( New Window )
Don't use cheap dollar store steel wool either - it may be too soft.
That is a basement-tier DMB song.
With each post I like you less and less.
Trap, dispose and reset until there are no more. You will see the catch getting smaller and you know you are reducing the population. Use the poison and make sure there are no water sources. The poison will cause them to bleed internally and they will roam looking for water. Block any holes either with course steel wool, cement or a combo.
It is them or your property. Good luck.
🐍
This is a good point.
I'v read peppermint spray, or diluted peppermint oil works. I spray once a year and keeps my cars un chewed....so far so good
Do the right thing.
LOTS of coyotes live in pretty much all U.S. cities.
I don't have a clue what area you live in or local laws but have you considered an electric fence? I know they have kit's available rather than replacing the entire fence. All areas of the country have different laws and guide lines that need to be followed.
Just a suggestion good luck.
So OP should just get a coyote. Problem solved!
Yeah they’re Wiley