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Country living...........sucks

ModulusFan

ModulusFan

Jun 12, 2002
6,307
504
52
Parts unknown
#1
For most of my life growing up, I have always lived in the country and liked it. I am not sure why I ever have though. I enjoy the seclusion and privacy, but that's about it.

I am sick of it. - I have to drive 20 minutes to go ANYWHERE.....I mean anywhere. No pizza delivery, no "let's grab some fast food" without taking an hour, no cable.....crappy dsl internet. I've actually been alright with all of that, but not thrilled.

What I can NOT deal with, is the apparent rodent problem. Last year I caught FIVE freaking RATS in my house, and some assorted mice. I went on an all out assault on them with the works....snap traps, glue traps, and poison which led to me having to take a sawzall through my floor to get the dead rat out of my duct work that made my house unlivable for the time it was there and rotting. I cannot even begin to explain how horrible this was. Luckily, we seemed to have gotten rid of them and have been doing good....until a couple days ago. Freaking mouse in my room. Put out the traps, and caught him within a day. Today what do I find? A freaking mouse runs across my desk right in front of me while I sat here on the computer. Tricky bastrich removed the peanut butter off of the trap TWICE without tripping it.

It doesn't seem like there is anything I can do about it. I live in the middle of a bunch of fields. My closest neighbor a couple hundred yards away.....a cattle farmer. Less than a mile away.....a landfill which has become HUGE over the last couple years which without a doubt is contributing to the problem. I understand it is harvest season....with the crops coming off the bastriches are all out looking for new homes, but I really think the landfill is the bigger issue here. It's humungous. In the winter it looks like a ski resort. They bring trash in by rail from all kinds of neighboring states.....THANKS. The bigger the landfill gets, the worse my rodent problem is. We lived here 2 years without ANYTHING, and last year was horrible.

I plan to buy a new home in town in late spring/early summer......I just hope I can deal with this mess until then. I don't think it is time to the extent of last years rat infestation.

Any ideas on preventative measures I can take to make it as minimal as possible this winter? Pointless to try to seal off any and all tiny holes. Not proud to say, but I live in a double wide on rented land currently. One of the worst financial decisions we ever made, but that's another story. Anyway, with the covering that is underneath this dump, they can just chew through any old given spot they feel like chewing into.

Actually, if it were a possibility.....I'd probably just pack up and move to town now until I am able to buy. I don't want to deal with this crap again. Two problems with that idea; I have three house dogs.....a 180# rottie, a 70# golden, and a fat beagle. No landlord is going to allow my guys to live in their rental. Secondly, I'd have to break a lease by only living there until I bought a house within the next 6 months.

This sucks
 
#3
I was a country boy. Lived there for the first half of my life, and when my parents broke up my mum and I moved right into the heart of the city.
I love the convenience of being close to everything, the city lights and all the activity. But it does get to me some times. City slickers around here are pretty uptight, always having to be somewhere and if you get in their way you get a big greasy look, as if you are a nuisance to society.

I really miss the genuine people out in the country, people are a lot more layed back and friendly. I miss the whole "not having to be anywhere" lifestyle. Being in the city feels like you're always caught up in a rush.
 
#5
My little cat with the double paws was a real good hunter.
We kept him a little bit hungry, fed, but not stuffed, and he kept the house and lands rodent free for 10 years. He is older and retired now, but I once saw him kill and shred a small rabbit. So he has earned his keep. Not all cats hunt, but a good country tiger loves the chase.

And with those double paws the little boy has, he hit mice like a sledgehammer. It was a pleasure to see him at work stalking.
 
#7
ROON said:
I really miss the genuine people out in the country, people are a lot more layed back and friendly. I miss the whole "not having to be anywhere" lifestyle. Being in the city feels like you're always caught up in a rush.
Click to expand...

Always a problem in the city "It's Friday night, you have to be doing something" :rollno:


I have to admit I've been a city slicker (well suburbs) all my life,the country seems really nice though, I'd love to live somewhere more laid back when I'm older.


oh also did you know rats and mice genitalia drag against the surface they walk upon, thats why ultraviolet light works well to track em' kinda disgusting though.
 
#8
Can't tolerate no vermin in the house, I'm with ya brother Tim.

Do you have any idea of a specific entry point they are hitting?

Any chance of getting the fam/dogs out while you do a full bomb?

A quick/inexpensive fix to help prevent new ingress is to do a fiberglass shield around the foundation. Even rats hate gnawing through the stuff and it will last for years. It can be a big job depending on the house, but it's only simple digging and the material is easy to find/work with. You get that waffle fiberglass sheet (scrap from an old prefab shed is what we used) and dig out around your house going about 10-12 inches down. You set the fiberglass in there flush against the house and fill it in to hold it. You can then fill the gaps at the top with a trowel of cement. We didn't end up doing that last bit with the quik-crete, but it still made a big difference in the rate of invasion. Couple that with some nice well fitting door sweeps and keep your fingers crossed. The harder part really is getting to the point of having a clean, vermin-free, slate to start with before you go set up the mote.
 
#10
Musiclogic said:
Findlay Ohio, and that's in the country........LMAO you've got a Pilot Truckstop....LMAO what more do you want????? geeeez
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LMAO lolrz!!!!!111!!! :rolleyes:

Findlay is my home town, but I am actually about 12 miles out of town. The mailing code is Alvada, which is a gathering of about 3 houses with a post office in the middle.

PS, the Pilot actually isn't in Findlay either, but rather just outside of Van Buren.
 
#13
bigfatbass said:
Can't tolerate no vermin in the house, I'm with ya brother Tim.

Do you have any idea of a specific entry point they are hitting?

Any chance of getting the fam/dogs out while you do a full bomb?

A quick/inexpensive fix to help prevent new ingress is to do a fiberglass shield around the foundation. Even rats hate gnawing through the stuff and it will last for years. It can be a big job depending on the house, but it's only simple digging and the material is easy to find/work with. You get that waffle fiberglass sheet (scrap from an old prefab shed is what we used) and dig out around your house going about 10-12 inches down. You set the fiberglass in there flush against the house and fill it in to hold it. You can then fill the gaps at the top with a trowel of cement. We didn't end up doing that last bit with the quik-crete, but it still made a big difference in the rate of invasion. Couple that with some nice well fitting door sweeps and keep your fingers crossed. The harder part really is getting to the point of having a clean, vermin-free, slate to start with before you go set up the mote.
Click to expand...

I'd definitely do this if this were a house, one that I planned to stay in. But, this is a manufactured home that anything could chew through at any point. Plus I plan to move in 6 months or so. Good advice, for the record though!
 
#14
hbarcat said:
There's plenty of rats in the city, too. :hmm:
Click to expand...

+1 Have to clear out the stuff that attracts them. My neighbor has an ongoing rat problem, but my place has never has a problem. They have ivy and lots of similar plant cover and climbing vine plants, rodents love. They have lots of stuff all over their house and papers, more stuff rats love to nest in. Worse they have four dogs, a rabbit, and couple other pets. Pet food attracts rodents for a easy meal. Easy to get pet food and nooks and crannies of plants and stuff stacked all over to nest and its rodent heaven.

I've lived in cities all over the country and so things aren't much better. You hate having spend 20 minutes drive anywhere. Here its 20 minutes to drive a couple blocks, in general I gauge and hour+ to go anywhere.

No pizza deliver, be happy most the deliver pizza is the overprice cheap crap pizza. Internet connections should be fast but so many users it slows down. Take all the things your griping about and there is a city version of the problem and you're paying more housing and everything else.

I'd say your renting I would be hammering on the landlord to address the problem and called the deptment of health if he doesn't. He might be willing to let you out of your lease to avoid city telling him to clean up the property and point to the landfill too. Dogs I would say keep their food in strong sealed container the rats can't chew thru, and don't feed the dogs more than they can eat for a meal so you don't leave food out.

Time for a big ole alley cat.
 
#16
Try one of those plug-in electronic random high frequency generators designed to deter rodents.

When I moved into my house the previous owner left one running underneath my large deck. I unplugged it and later noticed I had a groundhog digging large holes to get under there and mouse problem in my basement. Plugged it back in and haven't had a problem since.

Don't go for a cheapie one, they don't work. My neighbor tried a cheapie without success then bought a more expensive one with great results.

This might not be a good idea if you have pets, so beware.
 
#19
My wife and I moved to the country from the big city 10 years ago. Both born and raised in Seattle which was a GREAT city to grow up in in the 60s. Now it's way too big.

Quite a culture shock to move to a town with pop 1200+. But I like it even though there isn't much in the way of entertainment. And yeah it's kind of a bitch to travel an hour north or south for major shopping trips or gigs.

It is nice having wildlife in the yard and living in a small community where everybody kinda looks out for everybody else. Of course that means everyone knows your bizniz too. Good thing I don't do much!

Sad story: We have guest squirrels living in the ceiling. Borrowed a "Have-A-Heart" trap to catch 'em. Baited with bread, molasses and cheese and scattered nuts all around. For two weeks had it set up in my wife's studio closet where they hang out and they didn't come anywhere near it. We went on a week vacation and I forgot to disarm it. You guessed it - poor little guy. I'm so sorry I haven't had the heart to set it up again. The mate is still up there and scolds me regularly.

It is weird about peeing in the yard. All the guys that come over piss in the backyard.
 
#20
Did you try investing in 5-6 cats? I too live in the country and while my rodent problem is nowhere near as bad as yours, we still get the occasional mice. The cat takes pretty good care of that problem. the only mice I see is dead and on my front porch where my cat puts his "trophies".
 

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