Rat gave birth in my car

[Liz CA]

I've had rat evidence for some time in my car. This morning, dh again took the dashboard apart and saw a rat scurry away. Then he found 6 rat babies nestled in the plastic bags and Kleenex rat mama stole.

 

Now we are getting a live trap. Has anyone ever baited for a rat? Same as mice? Peanut butter and oats?

Luckily she only nibbled stuff from the floor board and it does not seem like she has gotten around to the wires yet...

[mirth]

I actually felt dizzy for a second reading your post.

 

:hurray:  to you and your bravery!

 

Animal wildlife people generally recommend a push-pull methodology.  Commercially, this is a sort of garlic-scented caulk that can drive mice (I don't know about rats) away from a location, plus some peanut butter or other attractant to guide them to a trap or wherever you want them to go.  There is also a fast and powerful strobe light that can drive away rodents like squirrels and rats.  Other than the strobe, I've read that rats are very suspicious towards baits (compared to how curious mice are) and will avoid anything for a long while and then just sample a bit to see if they get sick.  

 

Ok I feel dizzy again.

[mirth]

dp

 

[fairfarmhand]

WORST TITLE EVER!!!!

 

:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly:

[shukriyya]

:ack2: :eek: :willy_nilly:

[Farrar]

Once you get rid of them, to keep them out, supposedly you should park somewhere else for awhile and keep all food out of the car and all food away from around the car.  We find this hard with a single city parking space and kids and trash cans that have to be put out behind the cars, but do your best.  Take the car to a garage if you can.  They may have caused engine damage.  Ask me how I know.  :glare:

 

This is a recurring problem for us.  I feel your pain and disgust.

[happi duck]

Ah!! The miracle of life!!

 

:)

[J-rap]

Oh my goodness!  And you seem so calm!

 

Where my daughter lives (in another country), rats come up from underground during the rainy season and live between the ceilings and rooftops of houses (there's a hollow layer in-between).  She hears them above her bed at night.  Rats really give me the creeps!

[Jeannie in NJ]

I don't know why I felt compelled to click to this as I have major rat phobia but here's hoping you can rid of all rats, mom and babies.

[Liz CA]

Oh my goodness!  And you seem so calm!

 

Where my daughter lives (in another country), rats come up from underground during the rainy season and live between the ceilings and rooftops of houses (there's a hollow layer in-between).  She hears them above her bed at night.  Rats really give me the creeps!

 

Ugh...I would not be quite so calm if they lived in my ceiling but it is apparent that I have been driving to work and back (2 hrs roundtrip) with newborns in the car. They look about 2 days old, eyes still closed.

Dh thinks he can bait mama rat with the baby rats, so he put the rat pups in a trap to see if she comes for it.

 

Farrarwilliams suggested parking somewhere else for a while. I will do this, however, since we are in the middle of an orchard some rat will find this car again. Come to think of it. We better check our other vehicle and dh's work truck...geez.

[Liz CA]

WORST TITLE EVER!!!!

 

:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly: :willy_nilly:

 

Well, I came right to the point. :)  People who go into hyperventilation at the mention of rat, can stay away from this thread since the title says it all. :) I am just glad it's a rat and not a SNAKE. I would drive off the road and have a coronary if a snake slithered across my feet...

[mom31257]

Dh wants to know what you rpg is, rats per gallon. 

[stephanier.1765]

Ewwww, yuck, nasty! You are a braver woman than I am. I take my hat off to you. Good luck on the great rat caper.

[ThisIsTheDay]

I am soooooo sorry!  I read the title out loud to my dd, who immediately replied, "Oh, I would just kill myself."  Or call Dad.  LOL.

[Liz CA]

Dh wants to know what you rpg is, rats per gallon. 

 

I have a feeling if I mentioned this to dh right now, he would not find it quite as funny. Maybe I'll wait for a couple of days. Hopefully by then we have taken care of this little dilemma... :lol:

 

[Word Nerd]

I can't find a smiley that adequately depicts my reaction to that title.  :willy_nilly:  :eek:  :svengo:

 

Hmm...maybe this one:  :smash:  

[MercyA]

Am I the only one who thought, "Awww.....sweet little rat babies?" when I read your post?  Rats are awesome.  However, I would not want non-domesticated ones living in my car.

 

Good for you for using a live trap.  :thumbup1:   I bait my live traps with Cheerios, but rats are smarter and presumably more cautious than mice.  I would think using the babies as a draw would work.  You'll want to release the rats at least a mile away from your home.  Please leave them somewhere with some good cover.  It would be nice if you could leave them with some nesting materials (like torn-up paper towels) and food, too.  If you can bring the mamma's own collected nest materials with you, that would be ideal.

 

Good luck!  Please keep us updated.   

[Flowing Brook]

And now you have a family. How sweet.

[Annie Laurie]

Am I the only one who thought, "Awww.....sweet little rat babies?" when I read your post?  Rats are awesome.  However, I would not want non-domesticated ones living in my car.

 

Good for you for using a live trap.  :thumbup1:   I bait my live traps with Cheerios, but rats are smarter and presumably more cautious than mice.  I would think using the babies as a draw would work.  You'll want to release the rats at least a mile away from your home.  Please leave them somewhere with some good cover.  It would be nice if you could leave them with some nesting materials (like torn-up paper towels) and food, too.  If you can bring the mamma's own collected nest materials with you, that would be ideal.

 

Good luck!  Please keep us updated.   

 

No, you're not the only one. I was reading this feeling concerned for the rat and her babies. I know I'm a weirdo.

 

ETA: I know that wild rats can carry diseases and I wouldn't want them in my car though, so I understand not wanting them in there!

[Liz CA]

Oh.

 

My.

 

Word.

 

Get a bomb and blow up the car. Then buy a new one. Problem solved.

 

That's what I would do if it was a snake....

[Dmmetler]

That's what I would do it was a snake....

 

Honestly, a snake is likely to cause less damage or carry disease than rodents, and most snakes that would follow a rat are completely harmless to humans.

 

I will suggest, though, that you get the rats out quickly-snakes tend to follow rodents, and a car is a nice, sheltered place that tends to absorb heat. I could see your current unwanted visitors attracting others.

[Liz CA]

Am I the only one who thought, "Awww.....sweet little rat babies?" when I read your post?  Rats are awesome.  However, I would not want non-domesticated ones living in my car.

 

Good for you for using a live trap.  :thumbup1:   I bait my live traps with Cheerios, but rats are smarter and presumably more cautious than mice.  I would think using the babies as a draw would work.  You'll want to release the rats at least a mile away from your home.  Please leave them somewhere with some good cover.  It would be nice if you could leave them with some nesting materials (like torn-up paper towels) and food, too.  If you can bring the mamma's own collected nest materials with you, that would be ideal.

 

Good luck!  Please keep us updated.   

 

I did not want to say this in my other posts but this is the plan. I know there are people here who will shake their head in disbelief. I know I am a sucker and I am comfortable with it...especially now that you posted first :lol: Maybe a little cowardly but now I am coming out of the closet...we are fervently hoping to catch mama rat because the babies will die without attention very soon - they are very young. There is nothing but orchard land around here and we want to relocate them several miles away. They can have the torn up plastic bags and Kleenex out of which mama rat made a nest. We'll give her that much. We are generous people... :)

 

[Liz CA]

Honestly, a snake is likely to cause less damage or carry disease than rodents, and most snakes that would follow a rat are completely harmless to humans.

 

I will suggest, though, that you get the rats out quickly-snakes tend to follow rodents, and a car is a nice, sheltered place that tends to absorb heat. I could see your current unwanted visitors attracting others.

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

You may rest assured we are on it. The live trap is set with the babies inside. They cannot move, so they cannot escape on their own.

I take a rat any day over a snake.

 

[momto10blessings]

Oh.

 

My.

 

Word.

 

Get a bomb and blow up the car. Then buy a new one. Problem solved.

Yes!! Disgusting!

[MarinesWife]

This is just ... ew ... I'm sitting here reading the thread saying .. oh no . oh no .. oh ew ...  ick .. ick...   please check your other vehicles!!!   And I hope your trap works!

[MercyA]

I did not want to say this in my other posts but this is the plan. I know there are people here who will shake their head in disbelief. I know I am a sucker and I am comfortable with it...especially now that you posted first :lol: Maybe a little cowardly but now I am coming out of the closet...we are fervently hoping to catch mama rat because the babies will die without attention very soon - they are very young. There is nothing but orchard land around here and we want to relocate them several miles away. They can have the torn up plastic bags and Kleenex out of which mama rat made a nest. We'll give her that much. We are generous people... :)

 

 

You are awesome.  Praying that you'll catch the momma soon!

[QueenCat]

Yuck

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I did not want to say this in my other posts but this is the plan. I know there are people here who will shake their head in disbelief. I know I am a sucker and I am comfortable with it...especially now that you posted first :lol: Maybe a little cowardly but now I am coming out of the closet...we are fervently hoping to catch mama rat because the babies will die without attention very soon - they are very young. There is nothing but orchard land around here and we want to relocate them several miles away. They can have the torn up plastic bags and Kleenex out of which mama rat made a nest. We'll give her that much. We are generous people... :)

 

 

While I wouldn't blame you if you went another route, I'm glad to hear you are trying to save them. I'm tenderhearted about wildlife too--although the squirrels who are ravaging my garden this summer are testing my willpower  :glare:

[Diviya]

Soak some cottonballs in mint extract and leave them in your car (after you've caught mama if you want to save the babies). I have read (and have some anecdotal evidence) that rats can't stand the smell of mint. I'm not promising though...

:)

[Mergath]

I was worried about the rat babies too when I read this.  :lol:   I was getting ready to ask if you have a recipe for some kind of homemade rat formula to feed the babies, then realized that most people would just, er, dispose of them.  Glad to hear they're still alive.  I love rats.  Even the wild ones.  It's not their fault they're all diseased. ;)

[Liz CA]

I was worried about the rat babies too when I read this.  :lol:   I was getting ready to ask if you have a recipe for some kind of homemade rat formula to feed the babies, then realized that most people would just, er, dispose of them.  Glad to hear they're still alive.  I love rats.  Even the wild ones.  It's not their fault they're all diseased. ;)

 

Rat baby formula?I don't think we will be taking it quite that far!

 

[Mergath]

Rat baby formula?I don't think we will be taking it quite that far!

 

 

Lol, yeah, I'm more of a rat-lover than the average person. ;)

[Susan in TN]

I think you were mistaken to believe that was your car. (Gah)

 

Fwiw, rats seem to love chicken feed.

[KungFuPanda]

It's a darn shame that you have to fire bomb a perfectly good car now. There really is no other option.

[Liz CA]

Plan backfired. The trap was not foolproof. She got all her babies out and is now living under the gear shifter . Dh is not looking forward to taking the whole console out tomorrow morning. Too dark now to do anything.

We were playing games at friends' house and came back around 11p.m. and checked on the trap. At least she has a strong maternal instinct. Maybe we can get that to work in our favor. Perhaps we will think of something better tomorrow...any suggestions other than setting the car on fire are welcome... :) Can we lure her out if we can catch one or two babies?

[MercyA]

Plan backfired. The trap was not foolproof. She got all her babies out and is now living under the gear shifter . Dh is not looking forward to taking the whole console out tomorrow morning. Too dark now to do anything.

We were playing games at friends' house and came back around 11p.m. and checked on the trap. At least she has a strong maternal instinct. Maybe we can get that to work in our favor. Perhaps we will think of something better tomorrow...any suggestions other than setting the car on fire are welcome... :) Can we lure her out if we can catch one or two babies?

 

Oh, no!  Well, at least she's not too afraid of the trap, and she's taking care of her babies.  Is it possible that she could reach the babies from outside the trap and pull them out through the wire sides?  Or, could she possibly reach them without stepping on the trip plate?  If the trap is for a much larger animal, she may also have been too light to set off the trigger.  You can adjust the trigger sensitivity on some traps.

 

You could try with food bait instead, and then reunite the momma and babies after she's trapped.  I would try to make it as tempting as possible!  You might use cheese, oatmeal mixed with peanut butter, nuts, and/or dog or cat food.

 

Thanks for the update!  Hopefully you'll catch her today.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Plan backfired. The trap was not foolproof. She got all her babies out and is now living under the gear shifter . Dh is not looking forward to taking the whole console out tomorrow morning. Too dark now to do anything.

We were playing games at friends' house and came back around 11p.m. and checked on the trap. At least she has a strong maternal instinct. Maybe we can get that to work in our favor. Perhaps we will think of something better tomorrow...any suggestions other than setting the car on fire are welcome... :) Can we lure her out if we can catch one or two babies?

 

:( I wish I had some ideas for you. I'm so surprised that with all the handling and obvious tinkering by humans, she hasn't moved them somewhere "safer" at this point. I guess rats are pretty accustomed to human nuisances, though!

[MicheleinMN]

Oh.

 

My.

 

Word.

 

Get a bomb and blow up the car. Then buy a new one. Problem solved.

 

Yes. This.

[Mergath]

Plan backfired. The trap was not foolproof. She got all her babies out and is now living under the gear shifter . Dh is not looking forward to taking the whole console out tomorrow morning. Too dark now to do anything.

We were playing games at friends' house and came back around 11p.m. and checked on the trap. At least she has a strong maternal instinct. Maybe we can get that to work in our favor. Perhaps we will think of something better tomorrow...any suggestions other than setting the car on fire are welcome... :) Can we lure her out if we can catch one or two babies?

 

Oh no!  Rats are too smart for their own good sometimes.

 

I agree with using food as a bait.  Most of the rats I've had in the past would have walked over hot coals for a spoonful of peanut butter. ;)

[momto10blessings]

That bomb is sounding better and better

;)

[Liz CA]

Oh, no!  Well, at least she's not too afraid of the trap, and she's taking care of her babies.  Is it possible that she could reach the babies from outside the trap and pull them out through the wire sides?  Or, could she possibly reach them without stepping on the trip plate?  If the trap is for a much larger animal, she may also have been too light to set off the trigger.  You can adjust the trigger sensitivity on some traps.

 

You could try with food bait instead, and then reunite the momma and babies after she's trapped.  I would try to make it as tempting as possible!  You might use cheese, oatmeal mixed with peanut butter, nuts, and/or dog or cat food.

 

Thanks for the update!  Hopefully you'll catch her today.

 

Bolded part above: This is what dh is thinking. Tractor Supply did not have any "specific" rat traps (to catch alive) and we found an older trap that someone used for possums. We tested it and the trap works fine but she may have been too light to activate it.

 

BUT, this morning we retrieved all the babies, put them into a soft cotton cloth in a box in the house and are now contemplating how to bait mama again tonight.

[Farrar]

I'm so impressed that you guys took the babies out.  I would have had conniptions.  I found a dead rat as I was weeding the yard yesterday and I had the shivers for a good twenty minutes.

[Liz CA]

:( I wish I had some ideas for you. I'm so surprised that with all the handling and obvious tinkering by humans, she hasn't moved them somewhere "safer" at this point. I guess rats are pretty accustomed to human nuisances, though!

 

She evidently does not care at all since it seems I have been driving around with her offspring at least once on my way to work and back. Perhaps the engine sound is soothing... :laugh:

 

[Liz CA]

I'm so impressed that you guys took the babies out.  I would have had conniptions.  I found a dead rat as I was weeding the yard yesterday and I had the shivers for a good twenty minutes.

 

Well, they are a lot cuter small and alive than dead. I don't like finding dead rodents either but they sure do less damage than alive ones.

We are feverishly planning tonight's caper.

 

Option 1: We wrap a sheet of sturdy chicken wire around the trap just in case the squares are big enough for her to sqeeze through, try to adjust the trip mechanism so a lighter animal will activate it and put babies inside trap back in car where she expects to find them.

 

Option 2: Leave babies outside of the car in the box, wrapped in something so they survive and drive car away from the spot. This method carries the risk that the two old and LAZY barn cats will find supper readily laid out for them in a box...and I am such a sucker, I just want Mama to take her babies and move somewhere else.

 

Life is more complicated when you are a softie. Other people would have already disposed of the rat pups and would be baiting the mama with a kill trap and it's over. :closedeyes:

[MercyA]

Well, they are a lot cuter small and alive than dead. I don't like finding dead rodents either but they sure do less damage than alive ones.

We are feverishly planning tonight's caper.

 

Option 1: We wrap a sheet of sturdy chicken wire around the trap just in case the squares are big enough for her to sqeeze through, try to adjust the trip mechanism so a lighter animal will activate it and put babies inside trap back in car where she expects to find them.

 

Option 2: Leave babies outside of the car in the box, wrapped in something so they survive and drive car away from the spot. This method carries the risk that the two old and LAZY barn cats will find supper readily laid out for them in a box...and I am such a sucker, I just want Mama to take her babies and move somewhere else.

 

Life is more complicated when you are a softie. Other people would have already disposed of the rat pups and would be baiting the mama with a kill trap and it's over. :closedeyes:

 

I like Option #1 best.  I think even old and lazy barn cats would be tempted by such an easy, tasty snack.  You might want to put the trap back in sooner than tonight, though, if you can.  Newborn rats nurse about every three hours; pinky rats about every 3-4 hours.  Softy that I am, I wouldn't want the momma to come back and find the babies temporarily missing.  (I do understand you wanting to keep them contained, though!)  While you have them in the house, you'll need to keep them warm.  There are good articles on baby rat care here and here.

 

I really admire you for taking so much time and making so much effort to help this little family!   

[Liz CA]

I like Option #1 best.  I think even old and lazy barn cats would be tempted by such an easy, tasty snack.  You might want to put the trap back in sooner than tonight, though, if you can.  Newborn rats nurse about every three hours; pinky rats about every 3-4 hours.  Softy that I am, I wouldn't want the momma to come back and find the babies temporarily missing.  (I do understand you wanting to keep them contained, though!)  While you have them in the house, you'll need to keep them warm.  There are good articles on baby rat care here and here.

 

I really admire you for taking so much time and making so much effort to help this little family!   

 

They are in a big box, nestled into an old shirt and snoozing (in the house). Mama evidently leaves the car during the day for food and water. Yesterday, we had them in the house for most of the day, then put them out in the afternoon to trap mama. The weekend is now almost over and I need my car in drivable condiiton tomorrow. This needs to work today/tonight.  :ohmy:

 

Looked at the links. "Our" rats are a lot younger, eyes still closed, no hair, just over an inch long.

[Farrar]

There are so many rats in the world.  I definitely would kill and not look back.  I'm telling you.  Engine damage.  Thousands of dollars.  A car that exploded.  I have no guilt if I go after them.

[Jeannie in NJ]

I somewhat admire you being a "softie".  If it was me, heaven forbid, a couple of my cats would be moving into that car.  I guess I am blood thirsty when it comes to rats.

[MercyA]

They are in a big box, nestled into an old shirt and snoozing (in the house). Mama evidently leaves the car during the day for food and water. Yesterday, we had them in the house for most of the day, then put them out in the afternoon to trap mama. The weekend is now almost over and I need my car in drivable condiiton tomorrow. This needs to work today/tonight.  :ohmy:

 

Looked at the links. "Our" rats are a lot younger, eyes still closed, no hair, just over an inch long.

 

Sounds good!  I'd say the babies are under a week old.  Praying the trap works for you today or tonight!

[momacacia]

BABIES!!!

 

;)