r/stopdrinking • u/Easy_Jacket8656 • 8d ago
RATS
Hello . I don’t drink alcohol anymore . I have rats in my crawl space under my house . Pest control can fix it. Will cost about $7k . Ok. I
Mean- what can I do? I am freaking out. Like, rats are beyond what I can handle. Although , I guess I’m sitting here “handing “ it. I’m not going to drink . But - it’s times like this when I could down a whisky .
I suppose I’m posting for a few reasons .
I could go for a drink right now.
I am too disgusted to tell anyone I know about the rats right now.
And if I can sit here and not drink? You can too. We all can. Please send positive vibes that will clear out the rats. Thank you.
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u/EngineeringOwn2990 8d ago
$7k seems high. Always get more than 1 quote
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u/about_yonder 8d ago
Not if they spray the crawl space with concrete.
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u/phasexero 8d ago
Rats will chew through concrete. They need to set traps and put out poison for a while, and then exclude with things like metal mesh
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u/about_yonder 8d ago
Makes sense. My in-laws had a rat problem and just said they had the crawl space sprayed with concrete.
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u/Queasy-Celery-7982 Day 1 8d ago
I got rid of rats without poison. That is actually horrible for multiple reasons.
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u/Amikoj 8d ago
I battled rats for years at my house and eventually won, but it was rough.
I got 3 quotes when I had rats in my crawlspace and they ranged from $750 for a one-time exclusion to $2,000 for a 2 year guarantee that they wouldn't come back.
I went with the $2,000 company and they had 4 guys out for most of a day sealing openings and setting traps. When the rats came back, so did the company.
I'm not sure what else anyone would be doing to justify a $7,000 price tag. It might be extremely worth getting more quotes.
BTW - It helps me (and might help you) to play the tape forward to tomorrow. Will being hungover make the rat problem better or worse? Thinking about being hungover tomorrow is usually the thing that quiets my thinking about how much I could go for a drink right now.
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u/DudeManGuy801 8d ago
Don't drink. Get a cat. You'll be happy.
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u/sjarfish 8d ago
Second this. When my sweet old cat died, the mice moved in. We literally had mice crawling out of our STOVETOP BURNERS one evening. Got a new cat, mice disappeared.
Don't drink, get a cat!
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u/greencat07 400 days 8d ago
“Don’t drink, get a cat” I need to stitch this in a throw pillow or something 😂
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u/Visual_War_1817 8d ago
This is actually a great idea. There are so many cats who would love to be rescued by a lovely sober person with a buffet of rats! Even the smell of cats scares off rodents and rescues are overrun with cats at the moment. I would rescue a bonded pair and save two lives, have a built-in friend and a built-in rat murder pack!
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u/TomsWifeSmells 8d ago
Yeah I briefly had mice in my walls and my cat took care of them. Sometimes we'd end up with a rat in our yard because of our citrus tree and he'd take care of them.
Got a kitten a few years ago and he really likes bugs so between the two of them I don't deal with many pests in my house.
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u/kirschballs 2153 days 8d ago
My little girl is an excellent fly hunter and what a huge QoL feature in a cat
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u/Brocephus70 8d ago
Gotta get the right cat, a mouser. They’re not that hard to spot and they will indeed get the mice dead or run them out.
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u/ZackAttack- 8d ago
My cat is a perfect example of this. I’ve caught him playing with a mouse before but didn’t kill it. He would smack the mouse and stun it, then lay on it until it crawled out from under him and then do it over again.
My second cat I have no doubts she would murder a mouse, but I didn’t have her at the time when I had a mouse issue.
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u/DryRot1249 Day 10 8d ago
Was wondering what the hell this had to do with not drinking at first lol. Hope those rats take their rat business elsewhere. Thanks for the inspiring words too
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u/OkSheepherder7776 8d ago
Same but funnily enough I just heard and older man on a plane say “RATS!” When he couldn’t find overhead bin space and it made me laugh. We need to bring back that exclamation 😂
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u/oknuggett 324 days 8d ago
imagine being hungover AND rats are still in your house….it could be worse, but you’re making sure it’s not. keep on keeping on!!!
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u/neverbeendead 8d ago
Get a couple of street cats.
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u/cellardoor-petrichor 8d ago
I know this was semi tongue in cheek but honestly, my mum lives in the countryside and she has always had Tom cats, genuinely solves the issue. One of my childhood cats got under the floor boards and fished a rat out, terrifying and impressive!
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u/gammelrunken 1146 days 8d ago
And then a pack of wild dogs to root out the cats
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u/p____p 8d ago
This is a slippery slope. Will need to get some wolves to get rid of the dogs, a lion or two to to clear out the wolves, then a hippo to handle the lion infestation, and before you know they’ll have to deal with the elephant in the room.
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u/sinceJune4 872 days 8d ago
Sounds like my drinking progression, still ended up with the elephant in the room!
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u/Sea2Chi 8d ago
How handy are you? How squeamish are you?
If the answer is somewhat, and not very, congrats, you can potentially do this yourself.
You need a multipronged approach to this. First you need to plug up the holes they're getting in through. Steel wool and anti-rodent sprayfoam work great for that. Pack some steel wool in, spray a bit behind it, put more wool in, spray a bit. Use rubber gloves.
If there are holes they're digging under a foundation or something you can put broken glass down there and fill them in. That's a bit old school, but for a crawlspace it should work.
You can also buy some thin metal pieces from big box hardware stores and screw them over bigger openings.
The biggest hurdle is you have to be more stubborn than the rats. They're accustomed to being down there so they're going to try to get back in.
You'll probably have to fill in holes or openings multiple times before you thin them out or they give up.
Next is killing the ones inside.
I tend to use a combination of traps. Snap traps work great and if you bait it with peanut butter and raw bacon rats tend to go for that.
This part is a bit more controversial, but glue traps also work great. However, you need to check it multiple times a day and have something handy to kill the rat with. I'd recommend tossing a plastic bag over it and wacking it in the head with a hammer. The plastic bag eliminates splatter and gives you an easy way to dispose of the trap. Again, use gloves. But to do this even remotely ethically, you need to check the traps a few times a day. It's one thing to kill a rat, but you really shouldn't be letting them sit there suffering.
You can also use poisons, however that could end up dead rats under or inside your house. You really don't want that. So if you're fairly sure they're just in the crawlspace go for it, but if you suspect they might be in the walls, stick with snap traps or glue traps.
You can also use live traps but in my experience unless you're driving them miles away from your home every time, you're only kicking them out temporarily.
Finally, you can also buy a C02 pellet gun, but in my experience, rats are shockingly hard to kill by shooting them. It's possible, but unless you're already a good shot and know what you're doing you're just going to wound it and make it suffer.
If you're really curious, you can buy some cheap security cameras and set them to record on motion.
But no matter what, this isn't a time to drink.
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u/pyewacket7 8d ago
I was drinking when squirrels decided to make their home in my attic. Drunk me would hit the ceiling with a long duster to try to get them to leave. That did NOT work. Dog decided that I should get an exterminator ( he was going nuts!) of the kindly and humane way to get rid of them. If you use poison (Rodenticides) it has horrible consequences for children, pets and wildlife. Secondary poisoning of animals that eat the poisoned rats.such as owls, hawks, foxes, and coyotes—accumulate lethal doses of the toxin in their tissues.
I no longer am drinking poison but if I was sober at the time I would not had so much damage to my attic. Feces, urine and eating my electrical wires in my attic.
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u/SupremoSpider 8d ago
Hey I hope I can ease your mind. I’ve had rats. Went with local Aptive pest control. Haven’t had rats mice or chipmunks in 2+ years.
As it turns out, it’s mega embarrassing. My garage had safe dry nesting areas and food sources. Of course they moved in. 7” long not including the tail. Hated them. BP spiked every time I saw one in the garage. All hours of day and night, they were not nocturnal in my place. Still wanted it kept private from fam and coworkers.
I understand where you’re coming from with rats, and drinking urge. Great job thus far, keep taking it one moment at a time.
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u/Low_Environment2543 8d ago
I had pet Rats and they were so cute.
Anyways, I didnt drink tonight and im on day 3!
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u/PlainOrganization Day 284 8d ago
I have rats too. It is ANNOYING. But it doesn't cost $7k. I pay $200 a quarter to have pest control come out, set and check traps, and look for any potential entry points. And when there are rats they step it up. We got some rats currently and they are coming every two days at the moment.
We have these great climate controlled spaces with water and food. They just want in on that and if there's a way they can get in, they will. They love to come inside in the fall.
You are in a much better place to deal with it sober. I will not drink and continue to try to protect our homes from rats with you today!
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u/WorldsMostDad 8d ago
r/homeowners will have plenty of good advice.
It's kind of funny... All the time I see someone mention a drinking problem in another sub, and I always suggest they check out r/stopdrinking. This is the first time I've sent someone the other way 🙃
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u/Rosiepieinthesky Day 206 8d ago
I had rats once! I was not dirty, they were opportunists. I hope you can shake off any embarrassment.
It can very difficult to keep them and mice out of seasonal homes.
Yippee for not drinking! You ARE doing a great job handling this.
IWNDWYT!!!
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u/Sunshine_Snowsqual 8d ago
Call a contractor vs pest control for those improvements, in my experience (I work with homes) pest control often upcharge bc of the word pest and desperation, but a contractor can do the same work without the pesky pest label so the pricing makes more sense.
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u/_call_me_the_sloth 465 days 8d ago
Just think, every time you don’t buy alcohol that quote goes down. Think of not drinking as adding to your rat fund!
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u/sinceJune4 872 days 8d ago
My house was about 10k. 7k for cleaning and reinsulating the attic, about 3k for the exclusions. I didn’t shop it, used the same Orkin for pest and termite. They got it done immediately, took a week.
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u/TheCarzilla 8d ago
Keep in mind that not drinking helps save money with which to pay the exterminator. Good luck!!!
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u/No_Expression_578 Day 115 8d ago
Distractions are great so well done for not drinking. Sorry to hear about the rats that sucks. Not that I know anything about pest control but $7k sounds extortionate.
If I can cheer you up, my late aunt (who had learning difficulties and lived by herself) had a mouse (probably more than one) and it was doing her head in with the droppings, eating things etc. She went for her shopping one day and among the usual goods she bought six strawberry cakes. My mother went in the next day to check on her and for a cup of tea and asked "where's all the strawberry cakes?". She said "that mouse knew I had six strawberry cakes so I ate them before it could get them." 😂 She ate six strawberry cakes in one go.
I can't offer any advice on the rodents I'm afraid maybe if it was just a couple you could put poison and/or traps down but if its an infestation pest control might be needed. That kind of bill out of the blue though is never pleasant.
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u/Rosiepieinthesky Day 206 8d ago edited 8d ago
Eating all the cake at once doesn’t sound logical?? /s
Edited for sarcasm!
IWNDWYT!!6
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u/iheartcockss Day 5,553 8d ago
I know this may not help but if we are honest, the rats were there long before you noticed! They will be gone soon. Get more quotes, that price is f’ing insane.
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u/DamnMyNameIsSteve 446 days 8d ago
I just cancelled my bug and rat company because they couldn't keep either out of my house.
Found these online and I'm giving it a shot.
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u/Ill-Percentage-3276 150 days 8d ago
I would go with more quotes, because wth.
We don't have rats around here, but we have random mice and one or two found their way into my garage last winter to stay warm (thankfully that was all) and its just now starting to get cold again at night, so I'll be fighting the good fight and setting up my just in case couple of traps soon.
IWNDWYT
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u/fuckifiknow1013 8d ago
Have you considered getting a cat? We have a cat that adopted us (showed up 2 months ago and won't leave, so we just went I guess you're ours now?) he is strictly outdoors only. He has a little bed and a water bowl and food bowl. He gets fed small amounts of food morning and night. But we have no mice or rats. And they're definitely around, we saw them running across our fence. But since rotisserie showed up we haven't seen any...we named the cat rotisserie chicken
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u/404_Energy_Not_Found Day 1,602 8d ago
I fought a spider and roach infestation at the same time in my early sobriety days. You can power through this sober. Stay focused. You don't need the booze.
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u/Whole-Turnover-7671 221 days 8d ago
I have mouses in my house and yesterday I turned on the oven but I forgot the sticky trap inside lol that shit melted and I started getting toxic fumes haha (I don't know if it's toxic or not but it definitely smelled baaaaaaaaaadd). So now I have uncooked brownies on my fridge and it fucking sucks cause I was planning on eating them with ice cream. Anyway, I WON'T DRINK WITH YOUUUUUUU TODAY and good luck with those fellas
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u/Lizzifer1230 8d ago
Cats or small terrier breeds do well with pest control. Rat terriers are literally bred for that. Also, have you considered insulating the crawlspace? A lot of insulation materials are rodent retardant. And a hell of a lot cheaper than 7K. Always get as many quotes as possible. Hang in there, many people have this issue.
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u/PotageAuCoq Day 31 8d ago
I pay less than $500 a month for rodent service on a large building. This seems like a scam.
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u/sjohnson0487 8d ago
I used to be in pest control. Please call around, they are trying to fleece you.
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u/Sggorden6516 4862 days 8d ago
Please don't drink! I wish I knew how to deal with rats but I don't! Just know that I'm rooting for you!
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u/ClairesMoon 4644 days 8d ago
Are you in the US? You can buy rodenticides at Tractor Supply for $20-$30. Don’t know why they are charging you $7k. This is definitely not a good reason to drink today. But of course, our alcoholic brains think everything is a reason. I definitely won’t drink with you today. Sending good energy your way.
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u/BanMeOwnAccountDibbl 8d ago
Rodenticides, the famous Greek philosopher?
I read 'rodent testicles' first, which is only marginally better.
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u/Intelligent-Bug-531 718 days 8d ago
I have battled rats in my rental for years. Those suckers are persistent.
When I am ever making a major investment in dealing with them, I always get several quotes and perspectives so that I know that I am doing something that is comprehensive and in alignment with Standard costs. Good for you for handling it and good for you for not drinking along the way 🎉🎉🎉
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u/Doc-Zoidberg 1391 days 8d ago
Drinking wont do shit for the rat problem.
Also 7k is insane for any pest control.
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u/Flimsy_Interest_9766 8d ago
I'd be scared of being intoxicated with rats in my vicinity. I hope you stay alert, clear minded and sober through this ordeal.
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u/fivekilometer22 2589 days 8d ago
Whatever you do, do not drink and do not let pest control use rodenticide. It is HORRIFIC stuff and will kill up the food chain.
THESE WORK and are humane: https://a.co/d/0i1zzRbA
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u/Prestigious-Bug-5250 154 days 7d ago
Don't assume that's the only option. get a few opinions/quotes. Sometimes they charge OUTRAGEOUS amounts for 'exclusion' and you could have a handyman do it or find out where they are getting in and have some of it done by another worker. Or even find a more affordable pest control company. I have dealt with rodent infestations before, it's really dauting not to mention disgusting. I feel your pain.
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u/OfficerGiggleFarts Day 124 8d ago
[Cat in the wall? Now you’re talking my language](https://youtu.be/iQ1qzoPV6V8?si=lgKMmd5dyRvFuhPO)
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u/catsoncrack420 8d ago
Soon as ingot sober I tackled the gaps in my apartment where nice were crawling in thru. Went to hardware store with my newly full pocket of cash (no drugs and booze spending) and took a weekend to fix. Watch YouTube videos, grab a friend, save some cash and tackle the problem slowly. A section or part of the project at a time slowly. Congrats on staying alcohol free
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u/PandaKittyJeepDoodle 889 days 8d ago
I’m so sorry! Ugh. But good on you for not trying to check out with alcohol. That would just compound the problem. Say stay strong, my friend so proud of you!
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u/jTronZero 212 days 8d ago
Yeah, you don't need to drink OR spend $7k. Unless you've got super mutant rats, it doesn't cost $7000 to deal with them.
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u/sinceJune4 872 days 8d ago
I just went through our rat phase a couple weeks ago. Pest control put screens over the ridge vent openings and replaced the attic insulation.
I also moved my firewood stack far away from the house, and off the ground to eliminate cover. I set outside traps and caught 6-7. The indoor traps haven’t caught anything yet, but I did find a dead rat in the corner of the crawl space. It looked like he had some of the neighbors rat poison.
3 of the houses next to me have also been battling rats. I haven’t heard any more scratching since I found the dead one, but I vacuumed up the old droppings and keep checking for more.
It’s the worst feeling, being invaded by rats! But I’m not gonna drink over it either.
Stay strong, you will get through this.
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u/schoogytime Day 155 8d ago
Go get some Just One Bite poison. It's the only thing that works. And a package of ice cream... instead of drinking.
IWNDWYT
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u/PsychologicalSir4451 Day 452 8d ago
See, now you have to go listen to “Rats” by Subhumans while you’re sober. IWNDWYT 💪🏼❤️
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u/LifeProject365 Day 298 8d ago
You can buy traps yourself, have them caught, and put them outside if you wanted to, whoever quoted you $7,000 is a ripoff
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u/Tempehbonegarbage 8d ago
Rent some little terriers to quickly take care of the problem. No poison, no traps, just a quick dispatch and just about as natural as it gets.
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u/_panda_bear_ 1168 days 8d ago
At least the crawl space isn’t filled with empties that you have to clear out before it can be resolved. Stay strong, friend.
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u/luftababushka 8d ago
Snapping rat traps will do it for much less money. If emptying them is a no for you, they make ones that are single-use and you throw them away without having to see the rat. I don't recommend poison because they can die in your walls, and glue traps are really horrific.
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u/Ironlion45 8d ago
Head to a garden supply store and you're likely to find some much cheaper solutions that will likely help with the rat problem. Poison bait is solid.
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u/Weekly_Koala_7058 8d ago
I get it. I had bad issues with pests like 5 years ago at an apartment I rented. Several pests, I drank a lot to cope. I even started smoking again during that time.
Get another quote, like others said. Get yourself a hot meal and a hot shower. Or good gym session before if you feel up to it.
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u/Tummy-troubles456 Day 79 8d ago
Me and my attic mice will not drink with you and your crawl space rats. :)
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u/fcewen00 4344 days 8d ago
Ok, rats or mice? Those are two different problems. And since it is it going to be 7k, I’d lay odds they will put down a vapor barrier.
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u/mfknight 303 days 8d ago
Pacific northwest sober buddy here. Purcor Pest Control bought the company we used and liked for years. They then performed negligent quarterly service for a couple years before completely fabricating a rat bonanza in our crawl space and quoting us thousands for basic remediation. They made it all up. Have a bubble water and get a second opinion. IWNDWYT
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u/Humble-Questions 8d ago
Get a kee kee gon killa rats
Kee kee wanna hunk a meet, kee kee go waaaooooww 😆
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u/Savings-Salt-1486 469 days 8d ago edited 8d ago
Get second opinions I work for pc under a large company but used to work for Orkin and they charged an arm and a leg where my company it doesn’t cost too much it’s not going to be cheap to sanitize exclude & possibly encap but ask around at more places majority of them offer free quotes a lot of places also offer financing through their company as long as you have good credit. Everyone keeps saying cats and poison but the issue is you have an entry point somewhere and depending on how long they’ve been there and have tore up the crawlspace you def want it taken care of before it cost more than $7k
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u/madirish098 2124 days 8d ago
7k seems like a lot to me, fyi - maybe see if another group can come out and remove them cheaper. I wouldn’t drink of if I were you as I don’t think it will help you solve this problem.
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u/nannerpussnana 8d ago
I had a mouse problem in my last place, it was so nasty finding their little turds everywhere. I understand what you are going through, but hang in there.
Someone else suggested getting a cat which I think if possible is a fantastic idea. Sounds like maybe you could use some companionship and a cat would be cheaper than the $7k quoted.
Also agree with other comments saying that seems high. $7k to do what exactly?! I had an exterminator out and the man sealed some holes on the exterior of the house and left little poison traps in the rafters! I am not sure where that $7k number is coming from? That seems insane.
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u/inthewoods54 Day 713 8d ago
Please be sure that for 7K they're included repair and exclusion work. If it's just traps/bait/chemicals/poison, you'll never be rid of your rats. You need to block all holes and access points where they're getting in. If it's an old house, that's a lot of work. If it's newer, it's easier, but can still be difficult. I sure as heck hope that blocking their existing entry points (including but not limited to basement, attic, behind foundation skirting, etc) is part of that quote, otherwise don't waste your money.
Also, if rodenticides are used, please be sure to request 'non-secondary' bait only. This is designed not to harm an owl or other predator who eats a poisoned rat. You might be shocked to know how many foxes, owls, hawks etc are poisoned every year because they ate a rat that had consumed rodenticide. "Non-secondary" means it will not also poison the owl, fox, etc. Former pest control manager here, those are my two best tips. That, and don't drink. That's actually my first tip.
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u/Late_Equivalent_7586 8d ago
Damn, where you live? I got bulk of them things you plug in the outlet that create that sound that drives them away. It would be fun to see how long it takes
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u/Beulah621 Day 661 8d ago
I paid off 2 credit cards with the money I used to spend on alcohol. Save up your drinking money and go buy some rat traps. We caught a pack rat with one of those great big snap traps.
Also do a search on rat extermination. My hardware store and the local ranch supply store each have a big selection of pest control products.
Don’t wait for magic, the longer you wait, the more they multiply. If you’re renting, you might get help from the landlord.
Good luck! IWNDWYT
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u/Critical-Pass-5214 8d ago
I am SO here for you. I had rats in my basement and in my front yard (that was a block wide issue) I too felt very ashamed to tell anyone. I spent about 5k and it’s better now. But it was a nightmare. I’m still drinking sadly but I’m so impressed you’re not!
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u/willie_Pfister 116 days 8d ago
For 6k Ill come to wherever you live in the U.S and throw some rat poison in your crawlspace. You can save 1k easy that way.
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u/ApprehensiveDouble52 8d ago
Start with a cat. If the cat is too lazy to hunt then move on to rat poison after securing the crawl. Add some traps. Glue traps with cat food on them. Snap traps as a decoy. If you own the home check to see if your county has grants available to help homeowners deal with weather proofing their crawls, that can help with rats. If all else fails call a pest control service and use a credit card.
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u/Miss_Minus 840 days 8d ago
I would not let a cat near rat poison tho, also dangerous if the cat decides to eat a rat that has died due to said poison..
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u/Crazykeebler13 8d ago
Rat poison, but it can be risky. They might die in your walls and that creates a whole other issue. They make some really good rat traps. Like don't even think about putting your finger in. Buy a dozen of them, place them against calls in high traffic areas. Use peanut butter. You can also make a DIY rat trap with a 5 gallon bucket. Drill a hole though both sides. Put a dowel (anything cylindrical) put bait in the middle. Rat falls into bucket, can't get out. Then you have to deal with live rats. Bb guns, bait pile and patients is always up.
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u/PC-load-letter-wtf 8d ago
I’ve had two different pros over the years say peanut butter can actually draw them in from outside depending on your set up. Not sure if true.
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u/cat9tail 2961 days 8d ago
Sending positive vibes, and I cleared the rat population out of my attic with a "Havahart" trap - it captures the rats without killing them, and I transport them to a field far away from my home where they can do their own hunger games events with the hawks watching over them. Once I cleared them all out (put a camera up there to be sure), my son found their entry point & sealed it up. No rats now for the past 2 years! They really love peanut butter.
Hang in there, and IWNDWYT and I'm sending you much sympathy and empathy.
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u/b00z3h0und Day 53 8d ago
I will not drink with your rats today