I think I may be just about to set a new packrat relocation record.
Packrats, also known as woodrats, are my only real foe. Except maybe for rattlesnakes if they come into the yard. Otherwise snakes get left alone to eat mice and gophers.
Packrats are larger than squirrels, with fluffy, unratlike tails, cute little ears, long whiskers, and large black eyes. I could like the little guys, except they smell disgusting and destroy everything they can get their sharp little teeth into, which has included my brand new leather love seat, my favorite comfy shoes and the clothes we store in the back closet until needed….such my faux leopard cape and the sash to Marc’s green silk brocade smoking jacket.
Packrats are nest builders. They use plant material like branches, twigs, leaves and other available debris. A peculiar characteristic is that if they find something they want, they will drop what they are currently carrying and trade it for the new item. They are particularly fond of shiny objects.
Because packrat nests are smelly, they’re generally pretty easy to track down. We’ve found nests containing marbles, screws, plumbing parts, even small toys. The nests are lined with soft material such as insulation or holes chewed in horse blankets.
There are stories about people finding gold jewelry or a diamond in packrat nests. I’ve never been so lucky….though one time I did find a dime.
The reason packrat nests smell so bad is because they often urinate on the debris pile; sugar and other substances in the urine crystallize as it dries out and cements the nest together. The crystallized urine also dramatically slows the decay of the materials in the nest. Scientists have found packrat middens that are over 50,000 years old. They’ve been studying them to determine climate change.
I knew packrats had to be good for something.
The reason I’m bringing all this up now is because I’m in the middle of another packrat relocation program. Years ago, when we caught the first packrats in our Hav-A-Heart trap, Marc drowned them in the pond. But that was way too gruesome and ran against our general policy of live and let live. So now I haul the little buggers down the road to Forest Service land and let them go. I figure they probably came off the Forest Service in the first place, so back they go….only miles away from us.
This round started five days ago when I heard a thump on the front deck on a full moon night. Thought maybe the raccoons were back, but instead saw a packrat streak away from one of the potted tomato plants. Caught that one. The next night I put the trap out where they usually build their nests. Caught number two.
When I got in the car for the second relocation trip, I noticed rubber and insulation fluff underneith. That night I located the trap next to the front bumper. Caught number three. Put the trap back in front of the car. Just before I went to bed last night I heard the trap snap shut. Number four went back to the woods. This morning rat number five is about to experience the same fate.
That’s five packrats in four days, three of them about to invade my car if they hadn’t been tempted by the green tomatoes in the trap
I wonder if rattlesnakes eat packrats. I might set up a packrat buffet for them.
Packrats, also known as woodrats, are my only real foe. Except maybe for rattlesnakes if they come into the yard. Otherwise snakes get left alone to eat mice and gophers.
Packrats are larger than squirrels, with fluffy, unratlike tails, cute little ears, long whiskers, and large black eyes. I could like the little guys, except they smell disgusting and destroy everything they can get their sharp little teeth into, which has included my brand new leather love seat, my favorite comfy shoes and the clothes we store in the back closet until needed….such my faux leopard cape and the sash to Marc’s green silk brocade smoking jacket.
Packrats are nest builders. They use plant material like branches, twigs, leaves and other available debris. A peculiar characteristic is that if they find something they want, they will drop what they are currently carrying and trade it for the new item. They are particularly fond of shiny objects.
Because packrat nests are smelly, they’re generally pretty easy to track down. We’ve found nests containing marbles, screws, plumbing parts, even small toys. The nests are lined with soft material such as insulation or holes chewed in horse blankets.
There are stories about people finding gold jewelry or a diamond in packrat nests. I’ve never been so lucky….though one time I did find a dime.
The reason packrat nests smell so bad is because they often urinate on the debris pile; sugar and other substances in the urine crystallize as it dries out and cements the nest together. The crystallized urine also dramatically slows the decay of the materials in the nest. Scientists have found packrat middens that are over 50,000 years old. They’ve been studying them to determine climate change.
I knew packrats had to be good for something.
The reason I’m bringing all this up now is because I’m in the middle of another packrat relocation program. Years ago, when we caught the first packrats in our Hav-A-Heart trap, Marc drowned them in the pond. But that was way too gruesome and ran against our general policy of live and let live. So now I haul the little buggers down the road to Forest Service land and let them go. I figure they probably came off the Forest Service in the first place, so back they go….only miles away from us.
This round started five days ago when I heard a thump on the front deck on a full moon night. Thought maybe the raccoons were back, but instead saw a packrat streak away from one of the potted tomato plants. Caught that one. The next night I put the trap out where they usually build their nests. Caught number two.
When I got in the car for the second relocation trip, I noticed rubber and insulation fluff underneith. That night I located the trap next to the front bumper. Caught number three. Put the trap back in front of the car. Just before I went to bed last night I heard the trap snap shut. Number four went back to the woods. This morning rat number five is about to experience the same fate.
That’s five packrats in four days, three of them about to invade my car if they hadn’t been tempted by the green tomatoes in the trap
I wonder if rattlesnakes eat packrats. I might set up a packrat buffet for them.
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