Gardening
Related: About this forumI'm so disappointed - I need to pull out my huge and productive tomato plants.
I found a rat feasting on the plants this morning. We've had an issue with mice and rats in the neighborhood although I've never seen them until today. I hate to do this but I can't let the rats proliferate.


MayReasonRule
(3,436 posts)
pansypoo53219
(22,287 posts)SARose
(1,513 posts)Even in broad daylight! Ugh
Fair warning - could be triggering for some
Heres what we did:
No more gas grill - they were inside the grill and feasting on grease.
No more bird food. They were running up and down the damn feeders.
They were eating dog food left out by neighbors.
They were also eating fruit in several neighbors yards. Fruit like bananas, strawberries, etc.
And, yes, we found they were nesting under a small deck. So we put rat bait there and watched our doxies carefully.
It took almost the whole street working together to get rid of them.
And then the Big Mama Possum moved it. Omg! My husband used a live trap and relocated 15 possums until he caught Big Mama, finally!
Ahh yes suburbia with the wildlife! Thank goodness it wasnt skunks or coyotes.
Good luck!
QED
(3,150 posts)Some of my neighbors are hoarders and I know there are rats in their stuff - I'm seen a large, feral cat stalking prey around their place. I don't want them here around my dogs. Of course, rats don't observe property lines.
Thats an impressive offense.
Srkdqltr
(8,468 posts)Keepthesoulalive
(1,413 posts)Getting rid of tomato plants might work. We had to get rid of a car because they would get in the engine, chewed through the gas line on another. Im trying to say they will just find something else. You have to get rid of the mice or they will find someplace else to eat or nest.
rickford66
(5,878 posts)They built nests in the bellhousing. So much grass and straw the pressure plate couldn't touch the clutch disc. About $1,000 each time. I was able to get about $500 out of my auto insurance by claiming comprehensive. It's a shame to miss out on the homegrown tomatoes.
Repel-it first. The stuff is damned amazing.
Besides, getting rid of the tomatoes isnt going to get rid of the rats. They will love your sunflowers.
Your neighborhood needs a tuff guy cat like my Oliver. After Covid closed a restaurant up the hill, they came around and he knocked em all off.
Not a one to be seen.
Given the neighborhood problem, I had my yard guy pull it all. His wife and I harvested as many tomatoes as we could before mass destruction ensued.