Rat problem in our shop

[Rockers]

This seems to be a real up-hill battle. Constantly rat crap on work surfaces, significant damage to airlines and electrical cables inside our automatic press. There were times when the problem wasn`t as bad but now it`s seems to be getting out of control and the landlord is doing freak all about it apart from unleashing a cat on the top two floors which are unoccupied. Since that day rats are having party time in our shop at night. It`s the second time now in 5 month that I have to ask an M&R tech to come down and fix the damage. Just glad the landlord is covering this. But would love to see the rats gone for good though. Anyone else having a rodent problem or experience how to get rid of them for good. Thing is as well that our building is fairly old and badly looked after, so lots of entrance points for rats.
I was considering a cat too but not sure what might happen at night when it goes hunting. Too many ink pots around and screens might get damaged too.

[jsheridan]

Spinning tube on top of a bucket filled with water. Put some peanut butter on the tube when you leave, come in next day to a bucket of drown mice.

https://youtu.be/6SIlYiiCGLI

[RICK STEFANICK]

I hate rats and mice to the point that I would MOVE if I were you. As far as the cat that's not a good idea. We had a kitty at a shop and one night she got plastisol heavy all over her and we almost lost her. The4 trauma was apparent she had been licking it all night. I got her to the vet and they put her to sleep and shaved her. That was the only solution. besides If the rats are big enough unless you have a larger male tomcat the rats may be able to evade. Cats are good with small mice.

[Atownsend]

Been there before. If the cat is not in your space I would go the poison route and collect the bodies. Just hope they eat enough to get the full dose... nothing like finding half dead rats in strange places around the shop in the morning.

Pro traps are another option, but if it was me i'd kill em. They carry disease and as you know already can do lots of damage.

[mk162]

Rats are smart enough to not go back to a food source killed others.  They aren't dumb animals...it's the reason they have survived so well...that and the little effers can procreate like nobody's businesss

[whitewater]

we have a shopcat. he has 4 kills so far this fall. He doesnt get into anything, except he likes to crap in this one freaking corner. Even with a clean box. i am not  cat person, but my daughter wanted one for the shop.

Now rats are en entirely different animal then mice. I do not like even seeing one.

There was this one restaurant i bartended in, the cooks left the door to the alley open and somehow a rat scampered in and went in the dining room and went down into this crawlspace under dining room where the radiator was.We set a large trap. One evening before anyone was in there we heard this snap and a squeeling sound.. the rat went back into the hole and the trap would not fit into the hole so the rat pulled itself free. Damn big sucker.

Well next day he hi tthe trap again and more squeeling, but this time a dishwasher ran out and beat it with a pipe.

[Sbrem]

Spinning tube on top of a bucket filled with water. Put some peanut butter on the tube when you leave, come in next day to a bucket of drown mice.

https://youtu.be/6SIlYiiCGLI

We have a lesser problem with mice, but it's still unsanitary. I looked at the video with the cans, and another with a "diving board" of sorts, fits on the edge of the bucket. However, I went with the diving board, and have caught only one. I'm going to try the cans next.

Steve

[mk162]

I went to my sisters house and in their storage shed a rat had somehow got in.  I opened the door and this thing scampered and for some reason my instinct was to kick the crap out of it(I had steel toed boots on).  Problem solved.  Or maybe you should hire a Charlie:

[jsheridan]

Spinning tube on top of a bucket filled with water. Put some peanut butter on the tube when you leave, come in next day to a bucket of drown mice.

https://youtu.be/6SIlYiiCGLI

We have a lesser problem with mice, but it's still unsanitary. I looked at the video with the cans, and another with a "diving board" of sorts, fits on the edge of the bucket. However, I went with the diving board, and have caught only one. I'm going to try the cans next.

It's been 20 something years since my days in FL and we used to setup a trashcan with ramps. Every day we'd have 3 or 4 in the bottom. Over the weekend we'd have over a dozen on Monday morning. I got tired of hauling dead rats to the dumpster. Gets gros after awhile.

[3Deep]

Get some peppermint spray or make your own and spray around your shop, rats and mice can't stand the smell of peppermint, might take awhile if you have ton of them.  Putting out poison ain't a bad idea but rat/mice tend to die in places you can't get them and stink up the place.

Just for a laugh if it's that many put them to work, night shift LOL

[RICK STEFANICK]

I love to get them in the sticky traps and watch them suffer.

[farmboygraphics]

We used the sticky traps once. Found a few where they had chewed their leg off to get away or tore their fur off going out with it stuck to them. Knock on wood we haven't had any for years.

[tonypep]

Reminds me of good ole Wilflex SSV white..........now that was a rat-attracter

[merchmonster]

Do you / workers leave food out or in trash?

[Rockers]

Do you / workers leave food out or in trash?

Bins are emptied in the evening.
The building is too old. Too many easy ways for the rats to get in. Does not help that our landlord is keeping over 100 racing pigeons on the roof and that he has released a cat on the top floors to drive the rats out. Well he drives them into our premisses.
The place must have been already rat invested by the time we moved in but of course the landlord forgot to mention that fact. That`s why he has to pay for all the repairs on our equipment now.
The rats get into the auto and suck out the grease, they really love it. They love as well biting the pressurized airlines to bits.