As mentioned in the fall landscape report, many of us have experienced increased visits by packrats this year. Please do not use any kind of poison in your yard to kill packrats. Poison is actually food to the packrats and while you might succeed in killing a packrat, you will encourage additional packrats to visit your yard. Additionally, the poison is usually harmful to pets and other desert wildlife that we want to encourage. A poisoned packrat will typically become food for some other desert dweller and that desert dweller can be harmed.
To reduce the packrat visitors, ensure your yard is packrat proofed by reducing or eliminating as many nesting areas as possible. From a vegetation perspective avoid or frequently inspect prickly pear, thick rosemary, oleanders which are thick at the base, and untrimmed desert spoons. Also avoid or frequently inspect various man-made attractions such as stacks of firewood or stacks of bricks (particularly those with holes in or around the stacks). Don’t forget to look behind your walls! Not all tradesmen properly remove materials used to work on our homes and some have stacked material behind the wall on common property. This is never allowed but you might not be aware it happened if you don’t check. Also, we occasionally see yard men throw plant trimmings over the wall rather than properly disposing of them. Plant trimmings should never be tossed over the wall and this also is prohibited by our landscape rules. Both of these things could provide nesting material or hiding spots for packrats.
If you do have a significant problem and can’t locate the source of the problem, chat with your neighbors. It could be that a packrat has taken up residence in your neighbor’s yard and your property is simply too tempting for the varmint to stay away.
If you do discover nests in your front or back yard, contact a packrat removal specialist such as Mr. Packrat. A reputable firm will NEVER use poison for packrats but instead will live trap and remove the rodent. Most firms in Tucson will provide a free estimate. The cost of packrat and nest removal is typically based on the size of the nest.
If the packrat visitors are coming over the wall and you decide to trap them yourselves as several homeowners have done, please keep in mind the following:
- Never trap more than two consecutive nights. You will actually draw more packrats to your yard due to the scent trails they leave
- Clean and disinfect the area with 50% PineSol and 50% water after catching something (or after two nights if you caught nothing) and wait until you see more signs of packrats before attempting to trap again
- A used packrat trap will attract other packrats. When not trapping packrats ensure the trap is put away where it can’t be scented by other packrats
- Never ever use poison! You will encourage visits from packrat relatives and risk harm to other wildlife
- Consider coating rocks with 50%Pinesol and 50% water and place near areas that seem to attract packrats. (Suggested by a homeowner who says it works. I haven’t tried this myself).
Remember that packrats are a part of the food chain in the desert. We’re fortunate to have a large amount of green space surrounding our community and that brings with it various desert critters that we have to deal with or tolerate. We can’t eradicate packrats (or snakes or scorpions) but we can minimize our contact with them and ensure we aren’t doing anything to unnecessarily attract them.
✉ by Kathy Mitton, SMVE Landscape Chair Phone: (cell)