Here’s something you don’t want to see in your back yard — or even in your municipal email alerts. Nevertheless, the borough of Glen Ridge sent out a warning today of “increased reporting or rat sightings” — yes, rats! — in the otherwise aesthetically-correct town. Rodent activity increases in years of “extreme weather conditions,” the borough says. Well, if global warning is going to send marauding rats through my neighborhood, I think it might be time to buy a Prius.
Meanwhile, here are some tips from Glen Ridge to keep your yard and house rat free.
The first step is to survey your property. Changing the environment by eliminating sources of food, water or harborage for rodents will cause a permanent reduction in their population. The following actions should be taken to successfully eliminate and prevent an infestation.
· Starve them out.
Keep garbage and refuse in tightly covered metal containers. Rats gnaw through plastic bags and garbage containers. Avoid feeding birds or other wild animals. If feeding pets outside, remove food and water once your pet has finished eating, and be diligent about picking up feces. If stored in a garage or shed, keep pet food and grass seed in covered metal containers. Do not place food scraps in compost piles. Discard fallen fruit or vegetables from trees and gardens. Empty containers which have collected rain water. Keep entire premises clean!
· Remove their shelter.
Inside the home – keep basement clean and free from clutter. Store materials 10 to 12 inches above the floor. Keep sewer lines properly repaired and closed.
Outside the home – do not pile wood, garden debris, building materials, etc. near or against the wall. Store materials 12 to 18 inches off the ground. Keep garages and sheds free of clutter.
· Build them out.
Close necessary openings like windows, doors and sources of ventilation with ¼ inch wire mesh (hardware cloth). Keep doors closed when not in use. Use a good spring to make sure door closes and a spring lock to make sure it stays shut. Cover all edges subject to gnawing with sheet metal or hardware cloth.
Close unnecessary openings with concrete or sheet metal. Fit pieces of sheet metal around pipes to make a collar through which rodents cannot gnaw.
Keep floor drains tightly fastened to stop entry from sewers.The success of the rodent control program is dependent upon cooperation of you as an individual and as a community member. Since rats move from one place to another it is essential that each and every community member correct physical conditions contributing to rodent problems and be alert for signs of rodents. If rodents still persist after you have taken the above actions, it may be necessary to hire a Certified Pest Control Operator to apply pesticides. If you would like an inspection of your premises or have questions or specific problems with regard to rodents, please contact the Glen Ridge Health Department at (973)748-8400, ext. 220.
New York’s rat and roach population is migrating west. Ugh.
When I first glanced at this I thought it said rat “sh*ttings”.
Rats, global warming, extreme weather fluctuation ? You must be having a laugh.
It seems as though simply because GR is “aesthetically-correct” and upper class that its a suprise that rats exist, almost like they stop at the towns limits. I grew up in the inner city, and had plenty of friends that lived in apartments that you could eat off the floor but had to deal with rats and roaches because the people around them lived like pigs. I just read about a house in the Hamptons in a great area worth millions that was rat infested because of neglect. Rats and the weather, stop, how about rats and people that live like pigs regardless if they live in Newark, NYC, Glen Ridge or Montclair. I’m sorry but the whole tone of this article seems class driven. If it was a public address announcement it could have been written differently, it just seems insulting.
A good start is to keep trash cans in the garage until pick up. Squirrels make short work of them anyway…not to mention providing a smorgasboard for rats.
We’re one of the families affected by this. It’s become a serious problem. We don’t “live like pigs”. Garbage goes in tightly lidded cans, no compost, no bird seed, a yard that gets regular lawn maintainence… yet the pests are being seen scampering around in broad daylight while the kids are playing outside! We’ve spend lots of money on exterminator visits and have supplemented this with several attempted remedies of our own, but the problem is very persistent. I have contacted the Board of Health to register my concern, seek advice, and request them to take a town-wide initiative for treatment. Their visit was unhelpful, to say the least. I know of many other families in town who are dealing with this, so I know the problem is not just us. Anyone have a good outdoor hunting cat I can borrow????
What street, jabberwocky?
Though I heard there was a problem on the north side in recent history, we and our friends/heighbors who are having problems are on the south end- Midland, Windsor, Clark, Ashland (in Bloomfield). I’m not so naive as to believe we should be immune to this problem, but what we’re seeing is definitely a real problem that needs to be addressed before someone gets sick.
How bout getting a cat or two? We have plenty in our part of Bloomfield and nary a rat around. (that I can see)
Yikes! I’ve seen soooooooo many rats down by the gazebo and the creek by the train station–which doesn’t surprise me since the HS kids dump all their trash around there. But we haven’t seen any around us on the north end near the cemetary and Bloomfield HS.
Maybe it helps that we have dogs, and the neighborhood is overrun with feral cats (much cuter than feral rats).
Plenty of cats available at the local shelters!A win/win situation.
I found a dead rat on my driveway a few weeks ago. It looked like a cat might have killed it.
Way to go, cat!
First of all, the notice was sent out after a mtg with the Health Officer Director of Montclair, the Registered Environmental Health specialist of Montclair, and the Administator of Glen Ridge. I am one of those people on a committee on the north side of town who has rats visiting during afternoon bbqs, seeing them everyday. I am told that I have no borough holes, but they are there and eating the bait from the pesticide service. Our hope is to insight people who are not aware of rat prevention. We would also like to distinguish its presence in the different areas of town. I am hearing complaints from all over town. When we were at the meeting, we were told that there were only 5 complaints. SO PLEASE PEOPLE, YOU MUST CALL AND FILE A COMPLAINT! The number is 973-748-8400 ext. 220. You cannot have rats running around in broad daylight. They spread disease, and it’s a health hazard!
motherof3, I didn’t know there was a meeting. I would have been very interested in attending and voicing my concerns (again!). Other than spreading the word, was any practical advice offered? And why are they out in daytime and when people are present??? Isn’t that non-typical rat behavior?
As for cats, I’m seriously considering getting one, though I’ve never been a cat owner before. But our vet and the people at the shelter are pretty adamant against having outdoor cats… I’m concerned about that and the possibility of losing all the birds that we watch in the backyard.
I’d caution against getting a cat for the purpose of OUTDOOR rat control. This is not a safe area for an outdoor or indoor/outdoor cat because of the population density–there are too many cars, and too many established feral cat colonies. Also, if people are baiting with rat poison and the rats aren’t dying from that right away, that could kill a cat or make it seriously ill if it did catch a poisoned rat.
I doubt that any of the reputable cat rescues around here will adopt to someone who intends to keep the cat outdoors in an unscreened area.
I always hate to see a cat crossing a street. Outdoor cats have a way of negotiating their terrain for the most part but when I see one that’s been hit by a car it bothers me. But since I don’t like rats I guess I have to cheer for the tough guy cats prowling the streets and hope for the best!
Yeah, katebirdrex, that’s what I figured. I guess we’ll just continue with our many child-proof/pet-proof bait stations, plus mint oil, plus granulated fox urine, plus snap traps, etc… for now. Though it is tempting when so many advise me that a good, outdoor cat could solve the problem!
Dear Jabberwocky,
There was a meeting because I personally arranged it after have been called back by the Glen Ridge borough. Word went out that we were going to the official board meeting last Monday, and they wanted to allay some of our fears. I would like to know more people that have this same concern about rats. Some of my neighbors are not concerned. So it is very frustrating. One neighbor told me that “they didn’t have boroughs and that they were just passing through.” I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t want rats just passing through on a daily basis.
The borough told us the rats are out because of the unseasonably hot weather. It’s a big problem but difficult to find out how many of us there are that have problems. I was told to “prepare for the winter so that they don’t get inside.” Yikes!