I don't know if I can post this here or not but we have a large pack rat problem out in the desert. When people poison the critters the poison doesn't kill them. It just makes them sick and other animals eat them. The secondary animal will die. My husband had a device for keeping pack rats out of car engines. The love to chew and eat the car wires causing $1.000.- of dollars of damage. My husband is a former aerospace engineer. The device is make in America in Cave Creek in our workshop.
Please tell your friends so we can save the hawks,owls,good snakes and coyotes
Mickey, Cave Creek.
www.Rid-A-Rat.com

Mickey, I have kept them out by leaving the hood open of a vehicle that isn't going to be used that day, but I wish you luck on your venture.

You place them one time in the car and that is it. We have sold 1,000 of them in about 1 1/2 years. So far we are in 22 stores with several waiting to get set up to sell them.
Mickey

If it could keep pack rats and other rodents out of the garden, too, I might be interested.

Steve,
We are now up to 28 stores. No, our research centers have just worked on keeping them out of cars. You can't do it all. I suggest using a live trap and then drowning the rats.After they have chewed all of your plants and garden cushions they are not cute any longer. It is hard to say what type of animal you have in your yard. We are researching only on pack rats and their behaviors. They also carry the germs and viruses.
I started trapping them were we live and was shocked how many I have caught.It is terrible to relocate and animal as it is a strange habitat and don't know food and water sources and other animals in most cases are the alpha. Termination is the kind thing than a slow death.
You are welcome to check out our web site:
www.Rid-A-Rat.com
Mickey

Mickey, thanks for the link.

In three years I have trapped 17 voles, 3 pocket gophers, 2 pack rats, and 3 squirrels in my garden. Squirrels get relocated near a lake six miles away. Pack rats have been known to expire in the traps before I attend to them. Vole and gopher traps kill the beasties. Right now I think rabbits might be the only animals nibbling on my garden, and I'm hoping for coyotes to return soon. Deer are a little too big for the traps, so it's Liquid Fence and Contec "bambi blasters" to keep them at bay. There's been a little nibbling of flower buds by deer this year, but not so much as in previous years. The fence keeps out the javelina, and I've only lost two plants to attacks from subterranean vole attacks.

It may be that the sonic/ultrasonic bleeper that I keep in the garage is helping to keep rodents away from there a bit. We've had rodent damage to cars when we lived in NJ.

Steve,
We have 2 research facilities here. In our labs it was proven the sonic devices did not work. We have also checked other products and urban legends. They don't hold up in the lab. It is funny sometimes the stuff people tell us they use.
I had one pack rat running through the garden. So far I trapped 10, I am shocked how many I've gotten.
Relocation is not recommended, animals do not know the area and can't find food or new living quarters.
I set my traps once it gets dark and check them n the morning. I keep them closed during the day so I don't catch anything else. My husband set a trap for me and in about 5 minutes we got a stupid rabbit that we let go.
Our deer don't seem to bother anything here. We think they are cute.....
I have some bug eating some of my plants now. It's always something!
We have shipped RId-A-Rats all over the US, people are using them for other critters that are getting in their cars.
Mickey

Mickey,
You are right: with a garden it's always something. The only thing that seems to grow without too much additional care is garlic. I find I forget to use it. So every summer I dig it up, divide it and replant it. In another decade the whole garden will be full of garlic.

One of the things that has kept me from considering buying your device is that I could find no place on the site that said how it worked. I have a master's degree in engineering and I care about stuff like that.

I don't care very much whether the animals live or die after relocation. I just don't fancy the act of killing them myself. I generally take them to a place where they might find water, with the idea that they have a fair chance of success. But if a rat dies of thirst in a Havahart cage before I can relocate it or afterword, I don't get too broken up about it.

As for the sonic/ultrasonic device - I have proven two things to my own satisfaction:
1) When the neighbor's dog is barking I can turn it to its loudest setting and the barking stops. It would appear that doing this consistently has trained the neighbor's dog not to go on barking for long stretches of time. Not bad considering it is 200 ft away.
2) When a squirrel that I had caught in a Havahart trap heard it, it scared the bejeezus out of him. Had to take pains to clean up the driveway.
So far, as long as it has been running in the garage we've not had rodents there. Maybe it's a coincidence. Who knows?

update, we are now in 50 different hardware stores and getting phone calls daily from individuals from all over the US from our web site. Pack rat season is here now. I trapped over 40 rats this summer. I didn't even know that I had a problem until I found on had chewed on a trunk of one of my plumeria.
Some sonic devices do work but not all and it depends on what you are using them for. The ones we tested did nothing to the pack rats. Our devices are only for car engines.That is the only thing we presently test for. We also have a device that keeps the pack rats away from pool and jacuzzi wires and one for Bar B Q's. For some reason the pack rats like to nest in the Bar B Q's.
Mickey

Sounds like you have a good product going, best of luck on your venture. Be sure that if it becomes a problem here I'll be knocking on your door.... right now I think the #@#** bunnies are too much competition for them!

Better go out and check my horse trailer...

That's great Mickey! "Where there's a need, fill it". Sounds like you've found a much needed solution. I had (one???) roof rat last year. It's/they're gone with a little help from Truly Nolen. I went to the UC Davis Web site for guidance on the whys and wherefores of rats. Amazing reading. There is a heat map of density of rat populations in the US. Not much population in the Rocky Mtn states, NM and Arizona (compared to the coastline states, for instance.) BUT, Phoenix Metro is "hot". Lots of rat population. I'm guessing it's from the remnants of the citrus growing industry. Their favorite food.

OH man - and I can handle snakes, scorpions, bees and all of that phobic material - but rats? OMG.

Yeah. Rats are just nasty. Interesting creatures in their habits, however. They can decide to play at one person's house, procreate at another, nest at, another and dine at another. Rarely do all those things in one place. Birth rates are off the charts. We need more birds of prey. I know of two barn owls in my neighborhood during Fall months. I don't think they can keep up with the population.

OMG - barn owls are some of my absolute favorite birds - I don't think there's anything with more beautiful markings.

Maybe we should ask Liberty Wildlife for a donation, lol... you know Birdlady-Susie works there, now, yeah?

Yeah, I knew that about BirdLady. And I know about Liberty. at American Express we have them visit every year or so as a 501c3. The birds are better behaved that the employees :). Love the Hoo hoo hoo .

Hmmmm...how technical..I just use peppermint...lol.

Peppermint? To keep rats away or to get employees to behave?

Ha!

I would like to know about that, though, too - is mint a rat deterrent? I wonder if it would do anything for pack rats.

Mint is a rat deterrent. I grow a lot of it just for that purpose and keep peppermint oil on hand to soak cotton balls in to place under seats and engine compartment.....

I bet your car smells like a candy cane! Great idea - and I just noticed a shop that sells essential oils...