# ULTRASONIC RODENT DETERRENT AND TORTOISES



## wellington (May 11, 2012)

First does anyone know if they really work? Second, would it bother a tortoise. I would like to use them in my yard. The rats come in to drink my pond water. I would be closing my tortoise into his house each night, but would feel better if I knew the rats didn't even want to come near my yard


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## dmmj (May 11, 2012)

They really don't work, they have done studies on them and their effect is negligible at best. I honestly don't know how their commercials can continue to air, as to their effect on tortoises I can't say.


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## Jacqui (May 12, 2012)

So why are there rats in your area?


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## wellington (May 12, 2012)

Jacqui said:


> So why are there rats in your area?



I live in the city, Chicago, their all over. Plus I live with several restaurants close by. The city baits all the time, but never wipes them out completely. They used to let stray cats into the neighborhoods, but I don't think they do that anymore, not sure how well that worked anyway. I don't have them in my building or anything like that. They just like to visit my yard at night and drink from my pond. We have set traps before, but they aren't big enough, the traps, to kill them, just badly hurt them, and I can't handle seeing them like that. I would rather scare them from my yard then kill them.


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## ascott (May 12, 2012)

Hmmmm? I wonder if a motion sensor light would do anything??


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## Kerryann (May 12, 2012)

If it works as well as the bark away did for my schnauzer I'd say save your money.


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## wellington (May 12, 2012)

ascott said:


> Hmmmm? I wonder if a motion sensor light would do anything??



No. Most of us have them. We have even been out in the yard about the time they usually are out, having a little family get together and they come right in as if we weren't there.


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## ascott (May 12, 2012)

I just did a quick search and found natural deterring methods can be to place peppermint oil around area you don't want them in as well as to have a dog come pee around area you don't want them in.....interesting....


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## wellington (May 12, 2012)

ascott said:


> I just did a quick search and found natural deterring methods can be to place peppermint oil around area you don't want them in as well as to have a dog come pee around area you don't want them in.....interesting....



I have a dog. Now she does have a run that she pottys in and I must say, I don't think I have ever really seen them in there. They don't eat dog poop like everyone (city) says they do, darn. But when she is out in the yard, where the rats go for the water, she has gone pee there and they still come, however she doesn't potty a lot in the yard, but her pee kills my grass/weeds. The peppermint oil I will try. I never heard of that. Anyone know where to get it? Thank you ascott for searching that. However, you are never going to hit the 50% being so kind  LOL


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## Tom (May 12, 2012)

The ultrasonic ones don't work here either and I figure if the rodents can hear/feel it, so can the torts. The rat size snap traps from any hardware store work well for me. We set them out at night and pick them up during the day. Trap placement and what and how you bait them with is critical for success or failure.


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## wellington (May 13, 2012)

Tom said:


> The ultrasonic ones don't work here either and I figure if the rodents can hear/feel it, so can the torts. The rat size snap traps from any hardware store work well for me. We set them out at night and pick them up during the day. Trap placement and what and how you bait them with is critical for success or failure.



Those, snap traps are the kind we have used. It does work a lot of the time, but a lot of the time, they get badly injured, get out of it and then they suffer. Because my husband leaves so early for work, most of the time it's me finding them. I can't stand seeing them like that. I am a BIG BABY when it comes to animals. I can't finish them off and I feel so bad, that I get very upset, I cry and it's not a good thing at all.


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## TylerStewart (May 14, 2012)

I have two of these solar powered deterrents I'll sell you real cheap, brand new in the box 

They failed miserably for me.... I bought 3 thinking they'd keep the friggin rabbits off my cactus. The plant directly in front of the thing was the first one eaten. I ended up running it over with my truck because it wasn't worth the effort of getting out of the truck to move it. On the bright side, I still have the other two, never opened. The place I got them from is www.AnimalOff.com. Terrible.


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## wellington (May 14, 2012)

Thanks, but no thanks, I don't want them. Maybe you should run over the others, might get enough joy out of it to make it worth the cost. I think I will try the Peppermint oil that ascott found to work. We'll see, can't hurt, I don't think


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## Momof4 (May 14, 2012)

try this. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5D3GKlTkpY


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## Momof4 (May 15, 2012)

Have you decided? I'm glad you posted this because we are having a bad ground squirrel invasion.


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## wellington (May 15, 2012)

Yes, I am going to try the peppermint oil. I don't think the scarecrow would work very well for my shaped yard. Probably would have to have a few of them and I have one water spout. The peppermint oil would be the safest for my yard and animals. Now I just have to find it. You know I would get it? I am not sure if it's a cooking thing or a scent oil, like a bath thing. Any ideas?


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