NBR: wwyd... rats coming from neighbors yard

NJinAustin · June 2011

We've never met the neighbor who's backyard faces our backyard. But, my good friend worked with her for a few days so, I know a little bit about her... a hoarder and kind of kookie/crazy in a makes-you-feel-uncomfortable kind of way.

We've discovered that rats are coming into our backyard through holes in the fence from her yard (also going into our neighbor's yard to the right of our house). We've stopped composting and are considering getting rid of our small wood pile. Our yards are not that deep so, they are close to where we hang out in the grass and our back patio.

DH doesn't want an exterminator to deal with it... They'd put out pellets that are in a box that they take, eat and then drink themselves to death --- in case another animal eats the rat. I guess I agree and also... it'd only be killing the rats that come in our yard... not solving the problem. DH also thinks we should wait to call until we have a problem. I see his points but... yuck. I just want them gone!

I really don't want to go over and introduce myself but, I feel like "I should". I just don't feel like getting involved. I'm leaning more towards just calling 311 and asking a city person to check out her yard and deal with her.

So, WWYD?

mrs.wildman · June 2011

I don't have any good suggestions as we're dealing with EXACTLY the same issue over here. The neighbor behind me hasn't mowed their yard in over a year and the weeds are higher than the fence. They also have a tree growing into their roof. The first year we lived here, the dogs got fleas and I'm pretty sure where the came from. We spread spread a powder called Diatomaceous Earth which is not poison, but helped killed those off. Not sure it'll work for rats though. I definitely hear rustling back there at night when I'm out with the dogs, so there's no doubt in my mind that there are rodents : Clearly we haven't been quick to talk to them. I'm really tempted to send my lawn service over as an anonymous gift - I wonder if I could do that. Good Luck.

SareBear30 · June 2011

Well, first I would freak my freak, but then I would have to call an exterminator. You could try 311 and see if they have other resources, but if not, you're obviously not the first person to deal with a situation like this, so the exterminator might have some ideas. We put bait boxes (poison) in our backyard and side yard. Even though we know the rats may continue to come from the sewer/gutter in the street by our front yard, I just had to do something and to send the message to their rat families that there is bad stuff in our yard. Good luck! Let us know what 311 says. I'm interested now!

cookie1and2 · June 2011

Just an FYI for pets---when our golden died a couple of month ago, my brother (he's our vet), said that his symptoms were similar to a dog that had eaten a poisoned rat and/or the rat poison itself. I actually had my brother test our dog's blood because I wanted to know (turned out to be a cancerous tumor). I don't know much about rats or rat poison, but evidently it is a very common killer of pets. Something you might consider if you have pets, or your neighbors (back or side) have pets.

KittyFX · June 2011

No advice here....sounds like a horrible problem. I'm sorry!!

felinity · June 2011

You can buy boxed traps (to keep pets or kids out of them) and trap them yourselves, if you'd like to try, but realistically, they're probably nesting in her yard, not yours, so you aren't going to stop the influx.

We used ABC Home & Commercial Services to help us with some rats that took up residence in our attic over the winter. They were pricey, but they did their job well. They told us that they can handle outdoor rats, as well (we don't really have this problem), and that the poisons they use stay local to the rats they poison (i.e. they aren't poisonous to another animal that might eat a poisoned rat). I haven't independently confirmed this statement because we didn't need this service, but it's possible that this is possible.

brooke152 · June 2011

mrswildman - Call 311 to report your neighbor's grass. The city will send a letter to

brooke152 · June 2011

mrswildman - Call 311 to report your neighbor's grass. The city will send a letter

brooke152 · June 2011

mrswildman - Call 311 to report your neighbor's grass. The city will send a letter to the

brooke152 · June 2011

mrswildman - Call 311 to report your neighbor's grass. The city will send a letter to the neighbor telling t

brooke152 · June 2011

mrswildman - Call 311 to report your neighbor's grass. The city will send a letter to the neighbor telling them they have

brooke152 · June 2011

mrswildman - Call 311 to report your neighbor's grass. The city will send a letter to the neighbor t

brooke152 · June 2011

mrswildman - Call 311 to report your neighbor's grass. The city will send a letter to the neighbor telling them

brooke152 · June 2011

mrswildman - Call 311 to report your neighbor's grass. The city will send a letter to the neighbor telling them they

mrs.wildman · June 2011

brooke152:
mrswildman - Call 311 to report your neighbor's grass. The city will send a letter to the neighbor telling them they

Looks like a hiccup, but I want to know more - city will send a letter telling them they have to what? why? SWEET.

Chicklit · June 2011

When we moved in to our house we used A B C to "evict" some squirrels and *gulp* rats from our attic. He recommended lining our fence and property line with cayenne pepper. The rats inhale it, burn their nose and will stay the hell away, in theory. We haven't had any problems so we haven't tried it, but you might try putting a line of it between your houses.

brooke152 · June 2011

Oh geez, I'm sorry. I don't know what I did!

Anyway - call 311 to report the neighbor's grass. City will send a letter saying they have X days to mow their lawn or be fined. They won't know who reported them. Someone reported some tennants of ours and we got the letter. We had this problem with our neighbor, too, so we reported it and now she keeps the yard mowed.

To OP - maybe 311 can help with your issue, too? It wouldn't hurt to call and ask. GL, I would freak the eff out. You are so composed about it, I'm impressed!

smb29 · June 2011

We've used poison in the past, so I don't have personal experience with these two companies, but recs from my neighborhood list serve that are non-poison are Chem Free (https://www.chemfreepestandlawn.com/) and Rio Tenango of Amazon Rodent & Wildlife Control, 512.663.4444. Both get high marks from the neighbors. Sounds like you will continue to have a problem until your neighbor gets her yard under control, but maybe they would have some advice even if she refuses to do anything.

AustinAggie01 · June 2011

My friend has this problem as well. Hoarder behind her, rats come into her yard. The city will do NOTHING about it. She spent months trying to get them to confront the nieighbor about the hoarding and spreading rodents through the neighborhood. The city's excuse was something like, "we can't go over there unless someone that lives there calls." WTH, right? Why would they report themselves? Rat poison is illegal to put out where my friend lives, but they line their fence with it anyway. My friends don't have any pets, so it never occurred to me that the reason poison is against the law was to protect other animals.

The case in my example is not about overgrown grass/foliage, though, so maybe that will make a difference in the city's response. Sorry you're dealing with this!

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