Pest quest: dealing with rats in the greenhouse

[@jcwolfe1751]

Thank you for being a kind soul and understanding that rats aren’t out to get you, they are just doing what rats do. Too many people I know want to poison or kill rodents and I feel it’s cruel when they can just be relocated. I have all kinds of rodents and squirrels where I live in New Mexico USA and only occasionally do they become a problem. Squirrels do eat my cactus and succulents occasionally and ate a piece off one cactus and now it’s morphed into something really cool looking.

[@AridZine]

🤘

[@jeannette7243]

I have only now worked up the courage to watch this vid because I did not want to see you kill a rat. It just wanted to eat. So glad you're a pacifist at heart!

[@AridZine]

🤘

[@rusalkacrnkovic8024]

Thank you for using free trap and relocating him! 😊❤

[@rusalkacrnkovic8024]

C*ueltyfree. Yt erased it.

[@AridZine]

😀

[@juliashearer7842]

Thank you for letting ratty live.

[@AridZine]

Couldn’t hurt the poor little guy!

[@grannyplants1764]

Oooh I’d be livid too, Ratty got some pretty special plants. I’ve seen many rats in NYC but geez that’s a big, well fed one! Hope he had no friends…🐀🪴 and thank you for relocating him 🤗

[@AridZine]

Clearly well fed on delicious plants… although he’s also decimated the lemons on my lemon tree too!

[@grannyplants1764]

@@AridZine obviously a gourmet foody rat 🐀 🍋🌱

[@grannyplants1764]

Well, obviously a gourmet Rat…🌵🍋

[@raystephens9550]

My last encounter with ratus ratus, was a bite to my big toe when my foot obstructed its escape route from under the computer desk, and maybe the rat's opinion of me having a cat. I have pictures. Was only last Summer. Neighbour down stairs was not as relaxed, when a rat ran over her in her bed. Could have been more exciting, and free adrenaline rush, had the little mammal climbed in with her. They're not in the least intimidated by great ape primate and will stand their ground with any predator, but with little success with a snake which has no trouble following through tight spaces.

[@AridZine]

Haha wow! My only encounter was when I startled one that had made a nest in among the blades of my lawn mower… probably lucky that I turned it over to clean the blades, rather than just getting straight to mowing!

[@Royaliize]

Here it is not the rats thats the problem, its slugs. My god its annoying, when you been taking care of plants for years and over night just gone...😡

[@AridZine]

Yikes. We have slugs around here but I suspect my greenhouse is too dry for them to venture in.

[@raystephens9550]

Perhaps, but in comparison to habitat theft and poison taking out blue tongue lizards with the baited snails, like owls with warfarin for rodent, native and otherwise. At least the mollusc aren't taking out the whole forest, and we are yet to be boiled alive like clam in shallow water. Just saying, I do understand how tolerance worn thin leaves little room for slug diplomacy.

[@grannyplants1764]

@@AridZine. Hostas are like crack to deer and slugs, totally decimated. 🦌🐌

[@billgolightly7203]

One thing that I like about growing under lights only is NO 4 LEGGED PEST !

[@AridZine]

Very true! Not necessarily an antidote to smaller pests though.. fungus gnats seem to especially have a predisposition towards indoor grows.

[@billgolightly7203]

I use an 18" diameter oscillating fan running 24 hours a day. It is mounted as high as was reasonable.

[@michaelfoort2592]

1 kilometre? I'd sure recommend going further

[@AridZine]

You could be right… time will tell if it comes back

[@tristanmereles1485]

What is the species of that hanging cactus. I must get a specimen

[@AridZine]

It’s a monkey tail cactus, Hildewintera colademononis

[@tristanmereles1485]

@AridZine thanks 👍

[@PhillipWhite-uz3wu]

Earwigs ate some of my cactus blossoms last growing season. Ever heard of that?

[@AridZine]

Never! A strange one for sure.

[@PhillipWhite-uz3wu]

@@AridZine Thought it was weird.

[@brantlaw9817]

Rats are really annoying. They always go for my variegated cacti.

[@AridZine]

They LOVE the most prized stuff!

[@brantlaw9817]

Expensive taste

[@kerriefearby9542]

I went to check the coolant in my car. Lifted the bonnet and there on top of the motor was a well constructed rat nest! Bloody thing, I am lucky it didn't catch alight on my next trip to town.

[@AridZine]

That’s hectic! I once had a red belly black snake under hood… that was pretty wild.

[@kerriefearby9542]

@@AridZine I'll stick with the succy ate over a snake any time unless it's visiting to be at the rate😂😂😂

[@raystephens9550]

In the US they have bear spray. Is there rat spray? If not, why not?

[@AridZine]

No idea! Surely there’d be something like that that would work

[@raystephens9550]

Maybe irony rules and huge bears are easier to frighten than little rats. Rats have scared me out of my day dreaming by simply flying out of some place unexpected and climbing over any obstacle, like me en route. Relative sprinting speed looks like 160kph

[@tanaruz]

Damn son nana. 😢😅

[@AridZine]

No good 😬

[@happyhappycatus]

Rats which are not supposed to eat euphorbias have eaten small euphorbia Horridas I have a video on my channel where I’m separating the pups from my mother and all the pups are eaten I’m going to watch this video from start to end 😢😢😢 Btw I am behind all of joshua tree national park

[@AridZine]

I just watched your video -- I wouldn't have thought rats could eat so much? This rat has taken a few nibbles on my Euphorbias and always moved on -- clearly not enjoying the taste, so it surprises me that they could eat all those pups.

[@happyhappycatus]

@@AridZine it might be a rabbit. The weird thing is that I googled rodents eating euphoria, and all I could find is also the same euphoria horrida pup half eaten. I don’t know what to do. I’m slowly moving my plants to my new house and I can only move euphorbias. Thank you for looking at my video handsome