keep mice and rats off fruits (forum)

Kam starts with ...
Hi
Would someone be able to give me some tips to keep mice and rats from eating up all of my Longan and Lychee fruits? I have 2 Longan trees loaded with fruits each year but I have never been able to eat them because the animals got to them before they were ripe enough. I got to eat them the first 2 years of fruiting but nothing after that. They eat my custard apples, guavas, mangoes, mandarins and starfruits. I see the mice and the rats running along on top of the fences.
Thanks if you can help.

Time: 25th July 2014 1:59am

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About the Author Kam
Perth
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symiot says...
Try this, it works for moored ships, no reason it wouldn't work for a tree and easy to make with some sheet metal.
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Time: 25th July 2014 12:50pm

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About the Author symiot
SYDNEY,2000,NSW
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Anthony says...
At the risk of sounding cruel and nasty, why not just apply a bit of bait over a continuous period of time. Rats and mice are an introduced pest that don't deliver anything of value and a thoughtfully placed toxic snack will not only help you but in the long run, your neighbors as well. Bait may seem expensive sometimes, but if you don't feed them something, they will keep eating your fruit. Then you will need to buy the fruit from the shop which will cost you money anyway.

Time: 25th July 2014 7:53pm

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About the Author Anthony
Queensland
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Kam says...
Thanks Symiot and Anthony for your information. With spring round the corner I have to act fast before they have babies.

Time: 26th July 2014 1:05am

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About the Author Kam
Perth
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Julie says...
Anthony,re baiting, it depends where you live. I'm in the hills near Perth, and I recently saw a lady with a very sick possum - her daughter put baits outside for rats. If you are in the city I guess it's OK.

Time: 26th July 2014 10:15am

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About the Author Julie
Roleystone WA
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sternus1 says...
Don't know if you know much about rat poison, but what it essentially does is soften the walls of cells, which causes whatever eats it to hemorrhage internally. As far as deaths go, it's about as painful, cruel and drawn out as it gets.

Time: 26th July 2014 10:35am

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About the Author sternus1
Australia
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Anthony says...
You are right Julie. You must take care when it comes to other animals. I have heaps of possums around so I only use bait traps that possums etc can't get into. I make my own bait stations which are cheaper and stronger than those professionally made one's, and secure them so they can't be moved about. As for being cruel, I've been through several massive mouse plagues where I've caught 200+ mice a night in traps for weeks on end, so I don't lose any sleep over it.

Time: 26th July 2014 12:16pm

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About the Author Anthony
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sternus1 says...
Everything deserves a quick death, Anthony. Even vermin.

I sure hope I get one.

Time: 26th July 2014 2:03pm

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About the Author sternus1
Australia
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A,C says...
You can buy the Talon wax blocks and wire them to the fence rails, both bottom and top rails at either end of your block.Ive found mice and rats use fence rails like roadways thru properties.Or you can buy the rat trap boxes from bunnings and put the poison inside to reduce risk to non target animals and attach them to the fence rails.Just some more options.

Time: 26th July 2014 7:56pm

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About the Author AC1
Cowandilla S.Aust
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Anthony says...
Talon is the best by far but if you attach it to something out in the open you run the risk of poisoning non target animal like possums and dogs. I use lengths of 90mm pvc stormwater pipe cut to 1m lengths with a small hole drilled through the side at the 50cm mark. Thread a wire through the hole until it reaches out one of the open ends and thread on half a dozen talon wax blocks. Bend the wire over to stop the blocks falling off, then pull them back inside the pipe out of reach of larger critters. Pvc ends can be heated and flattened to restrict the entry if needed. Finally, tie or screw it to something solid.

Time: 26th July 2014 8:22pm

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About the Author Anthony
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Julie says...
Sternus, I don't know how true this is, but a nurse told me many years ago that dying of internal hemorrhage is a fairly painless death.

Time: 27th July 2014 9:56am

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About the Author Julie
Roleystone WA
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sternus1 says...
It's not very true at all, Julie. Unlike people in hospitals, rats aren't going to be given anything for pain.

Time: 27th July 2014 12:04pm

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Original Post was last edited: 27th July 2014 12:03pm

About the Author sternus1
Australia
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phil@tyalgum says...
I find this deterrent works very well with a single application. It seems tasteless to humans but even if sprayed on the major trails the rats use it keeps them at bay. Have saved a lot of fruit in this manner.
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Time: 27th July 2014 1:51pm

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About the Author TyalgumPhil
Murwillumbah
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Boris Spasky says...
Rats are vermin. Get a grip on reality. A dead rodent is a good thing. Zinc phosphide works well with little collateral damage afterwards.

Time: 27th July 2014 9:12pm

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About the Author Boris Spasky

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Anthony says...
Well said Boris. Couldn't agree more. I thought about catching all the local rats and mice for humane dispatch at the vet but I figured that it would be a waste of the vets time and probably extremely pricey. Baits are way cheaper and extremely effective in reducing a pest that no one really benefits from.

Time: 27th July 2014 9:25pm

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About the Author Anthony
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Anthony says...
Just as an after thought, for those who think the use of baits like Talon is a cruel thing,spare a thought for the rats and mice that consumed the cement/icing sugar mix placed out in bucket loads during big plagues. Works like a charm with not a lot of smell due to the cement dehydrating the dead rodent that enjoyed the sweet treat. Cheap and very effective.

Time: 27th July 2014 9:32pm

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About the Author Anthony
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jakfruit etiquette says...
IPM integrated pest management. Baiting rats and mice is only one soloution, pref the last. Without other controls such as exclusion, removal of food sources, removal of habitat etc, baiting is only a short term control, others will find all the same attractive things again and move in to the same spots. Yes rats and mice can be very destructive, but don't kid yourself that poisoning is all quick and painless.

Time: 27th July 2014 10:39pm

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vic
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srt says...
Yep, I have no problem poisoning rodents (or ex's) . May i make a plea that you don't use "one bite kills" poisons as there is sufficient residual poison in the rat to also poison owls etc. If you live in a wildlife area use the older Warfarin type poison which will not have sufficient residuals to keep killing. Last night I found a Tawny Frogmouth sitting quietly on my gate waiting for some rodent repast.

Time: 28th July 2014 9:41am

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giraween
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