Rodents everywhere in DC

[Anonymous]

If residents cared, wouldn’t they stop feeding the rats with all the garbage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If residents cared, wouldn’t they stop feeding the rats with all the garbage?

The biggest issue is restaurant waste, trash cans the rats can access and all the hidey holes - sewers, metro. There is not much residents can do without an actual citywide plan of action .

[Anonymous]

Aw, rats!

[Anonymous]

I always thought restaurants should be mandated to have DAILY garbage pickup. It’s the only way.

[Anonymous]

Don't use poisons to kill the rats. If you do that, you will also kill the rat predators.

What happens to all the rat carcasses after they die from the poisons? Predators come along and eat them, of course. The poison in the consumed rats then poisons the predators, and they too die.

What happens when the predators die? Rat population proliferates. And people complain about rats everywhere.

So they put out more poison, and the cycle continues.

Stop putting out poisons. Use traps, rat zappers, trained falcons/dogs, feral cats, dry ice down their holes. But don't use poisons. They sound easy and fuss free, but they're really worsening the proliferating rat problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Don't use poisons to kill the rats. If you do that, you will also kill the rat predators.

What happens to all the rat carcasses after they die from the poisons? Predators come along and eat them, of course. The poison in the consumed rats then poisons the predators, and they too die.

What happens when the predators die? Rat population proliferates. And people complain about rats everywhere.

So they put out more poison, and the cycle continues.

Stop putting out poisons. Use traps, rat zappers, trained falcons/dogs, feral cats, dry ice down their holes. But don't use poisons. They sound easy and fuss free, but they're really worsening the proliferating rat problem.

Interesting. Why doesn't the city put out traps and then empty them? Seems a sanitation type job . Why no plan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not too long ago, we were having dinner in the patio of a well-known coffee shop in Dupont Circle when 5-6 rats came out of the bushes & started jumping and twirling as if they were dancing Swan Lake.

I see DC alleys & streets filled with rats. I see rat poo everywhere. I see them blazingly crossing streets in plain sight.

How can we pressure DC officials to do something about this? Educating ppl to be careful with their trash isn’t enough.

What about increasing the frequency of trash collection in the city? Is there anything that can be done to address this issue, which has gotten worse during the pandemic?

They are much, much worse in Arlington. Especially North Arlington.

This is not true at all. I have lived in both DC and North Arlington. I have seen one rat in Arlington and so many in DC. So many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not too long ago, we were having dinner in the patio of a well-known coffee shop in Dupont Circle when 5-6 rats came out of the bushes & started jumping and twirling as if they were dancing Swan Lake.

I see DC alleys & streets filled with rats. I see rat poo everywhere. I see them blazingly crossing streets in plain sight.

How can we pressure DC officials to do something about this? Educating ppl to be careful with their trash isn’t enough.

What about increasing the frequency of trash collection in the city? Is there anything that can be done to address this issue, which has gotten worse during the pandemic?

They are much, much worse in Arlington. Especially North Arlington.

What? Never seen any rats in South Arlington.

I had rats in my walls in my condo in S. Arlington. It was awful.

You had rats in your walls or mice? Some areas, like Fairlington, have a big mice problem, but I haven’t heard of a big rat problem.

[Anonymous]

The rats have moved uptown to AU Park, Cleveland Park and Chevy Chase. The city comes out and puts out poison but all you people with bird feeders and fountains need to be careful otherwise you'll start seeing them too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there any large cities that don’t have a lot of rats?

Paris, according to friends who relocated here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any large cities that don’t have a lot of rats?

Paris, according to friends who relocated here.

Un no. The exact opposite. Paris is one of the most rat infested cities in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The rats have moved uptown to AU Park, Cleveland Park and Chevy Chase. The city comes out and puts out poison but all you people with bird feeders and fountains need to be careful otherwise you'll start seeing them too

Dog feces is a significant issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not too long ago, we were having dinner in the patio of a well-known coffee shop in Dupont Circle when 5-6 rats came out of the bushes & started jumping and twirling as if they were dancing Swan Lake.

I see DC alleys & streets filled with rats. I see rat poo everywhere. I see them blazingly crossing streets in plain sight.

How can we pressure DC officials to do something about this? Educating ppl to be careful with their trash isn’t enough.

What about increasing the frequency of trash collection in the city? Is there anything that can be done to address this issue, which has gotten worse during the pandemic?

They are much, much worse in Arlington. Especially North Arlington.

What? Never seen any rats in South Arlington.

I had rats in my walls in my condo in S. Arlington. It was awful.

You had rats in your walls or mice? Some areas, like Fairlington, have a big mice problem, but I haven’t heard of a big rat problem.

I had rats in my walls in CC DC - so loud at night!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Better, harsher abatement is necessary. A team of rat dogs and a couple of handlers can clear a block in a night.

This.

A Ratter team (handler and 3-4 trained Jack Russel terriers) can kill HUNDREDS of rats a night.

PP here. Exactly. We need this. It's not a left/right issue. Just kill the effing rats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Better, harsher abatement is necessary. A team of rat dogs and a couple of handlers can clear a block in a night.

This.

A Ratter team (handler and 3-4 trained Jack Russel terriers) can kill HUNDREDS of rats a night.

Ok, all of these are great suggestions, but what can we do to force city to do something? And because everything is so controlled, I doubt that it would be ok for some random home owner to bring a team of trained dogs or cats or falcons and unleash them without some neighbors complaining and owners getting fined. We should have the city pay for this and hire professionals.

We kill so many feral cats in shelters, they are not easily adoptable, and they get neutered/spayed and released. Why not get some of them into the cities? They can co-exist with us like they always did and do in many places. Falcons and trained dogs would be on demand (as they require trained supervision), and cats would be to do maintenance work while we sleep .

Yes, what can we do? I remember years ago when we lived in Dupont we had the city come out multiple times..the rat people came.out.in space suits and basically said there was nothing they could do. Errr, Ok...

"what can we do?"

Email your ANC and your Councilmembers to demand rat abatement through ratter teams instead of the less harsh methods we employ today.