Would YOU do this??

[SARGE]

As some here know, I've got something(s) in both of my attics. Both have walk-in doors and separated by a hallway upstairs. Whatever it is either takes or consumes rat bait every night, and I mean all of it. I've put out as much as 10 baits at one time - next morning they're gone. Being big attics with floors, we store items, including some old end tables, lamps, etc. At times we've heard the items being moved slightly, which is why I hate a quiet house at night (too quiet).

I have a bud with access to night vision equipment. He said I could borrow the equipment and sit in the attic at night to see what prowls. Now, I've done about everything (most I wished I hadn't), but ain't NO WAY I'm sitting in the dark with goggles waiting for IT do go stirring around. The "fear of the unknown" factor, dontcha see?

So he offers to do it for $100 and a 12-pack of his favorite adult beverage, payable upfront, and stay all night. I balk, advising a bad idea to drink while scared and sitting in the dark. I also offer that the doors will be locked behind him. He says no problem. I have visions of him beating on the door in the middle of the night, screaming to get out. I just don't know, and wifey thinks we're "both nuts".

Would you pay the $$ or not?

[shecky981]

scenario A: your house is built on an old indian burial ground and you live in Amityville. PAY HIM THE MONEY and get rid of the vile doopledanger that lurks in your attic eating pickles and gingerly rearanging your furniture.

scenario B: your house is NOT built on an indian burial ground and you do not live in Amityville. DO NOT PAY HIM THE MONEY and invest in what we call a "Directly Actuated Pest Demolition Device" also known by its more common name of "Louisville Slugger" Then get yer butt up into the attic and get yer game on.

and, i hafta agree with the wife on both counts.

[Blakhart]

My guess is they have a mask on their faces and rings around their tails. Rock music will drive them away promptly.

[DrZaius]

First off, that is one of the funniest posts I've read, thanks SARGE.

Second, what happens when/if your bud finds IT in the middle of the night? It's Texas, so I'm assuming it involves firearm(s).

[Reedimus]

I'd give him the $100, if only for the funny story to tell later. I would not let him take a gun up there, fearing a bullet through the floor into someone's bed. I'd also invite him to watch the exorcist or blair witch or something right before he reports to night vision duty.

[lil Jimmie]

Two questions I have is how much of an impairment will the adult beverages have on the night vision equipment? Also, will there be enough beverages for the Bud and IT?

[Trent Steel]

I don't know about you but I sure wouldn’t let anyone into my attic with a twelve pack of beer overnight. That is if you don't want to do some mopping up in the morning.

But seriously I would set some sort of trap (live), I would suggest it is squirrels (depends on where you live) but it could also be a larger animal. Either way I would recommend that you stop with the rat bate (I assume poison), if you can't find whatever it is alive, who says that you will find it when it’s dead. Dead animals and hot attics do not equal spring time freshness. Good luck.

[SARGE]

No guns, no squirrels, no spooks from abandoned cemeteries. Whatever it is, eats rat bait like M & M's.

[audiyoda]

First suggestion: $100 up front, favorite adult consumable the next morning.

Next quesiton: If the $100 is for your Bud to sit up there all night, how much for him to actually get IT? As I see it, your Bud is getting $100 to sit in your attic, not to actually do anything.

Next observation: Go buy a big cage with a spring-loaded door. Put it up in hte attic and put some of that rat poison in it. Rig the door to close when the cage is entered -- IT is caged. Seems cheaper than your Bud's plan -- depending on what his favorite adult beverage is.

-Craig

[pstj]

I agree with audiyoda, a cage could be a good idea. If it's a good cage (a robust one), it works every time. A few years back my father had problems with racoons. He put such a cage, and after 4 nights, 4 racoons had been captured...

pstj

[archie]

Hey Sarge, if reading this right, all your bud has to do is identify the critter ... and that to me, if I were in your shoes, would not be worth $100.
Can't you just send DragonLady to take care of this? [j/k]

[tranman]

It's been a while, but isn't the first tipoff that something is amiss in The Exorcist? I don't think anyone wants to see steer heads spinning, Sarge.
Instead of seeing what's coming in, why not go up there during the day and try to figure how its getting in first. If it is not getting in and is residing there, run for the hills! Any animal (you hope) that is capable of moving furniture, should be dealt with professionally. That is, of course, unless the furniture has been tastefully arranged into several avant garde creations.

[jafarrar]

Have you thought about hooking up a web cam and try to watch IT?

[troysvihl]

Just keep pouring out the rat bait. It's fairly cheap, and it can't eat if forever.

[lil Jimmie]

Sarge, Check with your local Game and Fish department or local humane society and see if they have traps you can use to catch the critter. My Uncle had a problem with his neighbors’ cats killing his Gamecocks he called them up and they let him use two traps and within 2 months time he had trapped well over 40 cats. His neighbors no longer have cats now.

[SARGE]

Well, the bud is doing the "crawdad waltz" and having second thoughts. I only want it ID'd but he thought I wanted it caught too. I've used a trap and bait never gets taken. I've tried tuna, peanut butter and bait itself. I know IT likes the stuff 'cause I tested it just setting it out on a tray. IT is smart, and doesn't move furniture, but from what I can tell, uses it to climb further up. The legs on table are kinda wobbly so that's the noise. Another bud (they're all crazy) used the same trap but didn't secure it to a rafter. A coon got in it and literally rolled the thing across the attic it was so mad. Animal control had to come get it because it kept sticking its arms out the holes trying to scratch him.

I've been over every inch of my house the past year and patched even dime-sized holes. The house is on pier and beam with all vents closed. The thing may be tunnelling from another location, under my house, then up the walls to attic. I'm hesitant to even crawl under the house - I don't like "Gotchas". That's why I wanted IT identified, then a capture strategy could be planned. Yeah, I thought about a camera, but it would have to be the night vision type, and they ain't cheap.

Thanks for the input fellers and taking time to read my frustration. The wifey says I'm more trouble than IT and believes I'm too paranoid (no way). She's threatening to throw some cats up there and lock 'em in, and spend the $100 on a cd-rw

[mairving]

Have you tried a glue trap, Sarge? It is either that are get you a noisy fan so that you don't hear the noise. Of course, maybe it is your bud that wants the money crawling up there in the middle of the night so that you would hire him. Either that or it could possibly be Hal.

[DFastLane]

I'd do what I saw in a post a while back: spread out some plastic or old sheet and dust it with flour. Place some tasty treat - or rat bait if that seems to work - in the middle, and see what kind of tracks are left.

[SARGE]

Great idea - flour. Hope the prints aren't too big. I just mentioned this to HER and she set her book down, mouth agape and stared at the ceiling. I know what she's thinking. Thing is, I went rummaging in kitchen for some flour and here she came, almost running and whispering to herself. She was either praying or thinking aloud . I'll try it - thanks.

[KR0316]

$100........Geez if I lived there I would do it fo $50 and the adult beverage. The flour idea is a good one and if the prints aren't too big get your bat and go up there to get your swing on.

[juppy]

Hey Sarge,

How 'bout one of them bear traps like ya' see in the Wile E. Coyote cartoons? (just kidding!) As far as your buddy goes it just sounds like he wanted to be paid $100 to sit in your attic and get drunk. Tell him you'll give him $10 for identification and the other $90 and beverages come after he catches the dang thing!

One note: if it's a coon I've found even the live traps might not work. Sometimes they will if you're lucky (and get a stupid coon--which is rare) but I've only got that to work like once or twice. We had a coon that got in our garden--tried to trap him. I even closed one end of the trap and tied the bait (sausage) to the closed end with 8 different strings (I couldn't remove the bait without a knife if I tried)--next morning I had a pile of 8 strings still tied to the cage but NO BAIT and No COON. Hope you have better luck!

[old dog]

Take the trap to the car wash and use the strongest cleaner it has to offer (engine or wheel cleaner) the varmit can smell you and everything else that has been in that trap. Use clean gloves to handle it after the wash. I get my best results using the cheapest can of fish flavored cat food as bait. The worse it smells the more desirable. There is probaly several of IT in the attic, rewash the trap after every catch. Of course you can always start a fire.

[Jenni]

I once read in a book, which means it may or may not be true, that if you make a funnel shaped hole, bigger at the top than at the bottom, and put something in the hole that the coon wants, it will stick it's "hand" in the hole, grab the thing it wants, and not be able to pull it's hand out because it has made a "fist", and they are too dumb to just let go.

Of course, if true, it leaves you with one POed coon with 3 arms free, lol.

[Colonel Sanders]

OK, Jenni. But is a racoon running around with a collar around it's neck better than one without? You have to figure out a way to get that collar off....

Logan

[Jenni]

That's when you call the local animal control and say "here it is, come and get it."

[villiageidiot]

I don't know if you have these in your area, if you do go, to White Castle and get yourself a sack of "sliders", and spread them around up there. In a few days you will probably find it dead or nearly dead. If you don't have White Castle in your area, you can try Arby's.

[troysvihl]

lol. That's funny. I believe they're called "Krystal" in TX. Same company, and essentially the same menu as White Castle. (except Krystals around me aren't open 24-7-365 and they don't take credit cards)

BTW, I don't think I'd lump Arby's into the same category as Crystal or White Castle. They're both fast food, and therefore pretty crappy. But Arby's is at least semi-digestible. In fact, I'd say that behind Wendy's, it's probably the highest quality fast-food joint out there. (not that that's a big accomplishment)

[stormfeather]

Yeah, but don't let your bud up there with the sliders and the adult beverages. Defeats the whole purpose of the mission. Your bud might call that a perfect night out on the town!

[Charliey]

Use the night vision goggles and hook it up with a web cam, or video camera.

Some web cams (Creative, that i know of) come with software that will only start recording if it senses movement. Although even lights coming in the window can trigger as motion. (But it lets you set the level of motion before it starts recording). Just make sure you have enough hard drive space free incase it records all night long.

[highrisemech]

I think it is either a Racoon, Squirell or a Bat.