Does LA have a rat problem like NYC?

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

As for rats: Get cats.

I bought this place in 04. In 08 a rat found its way in to one of the kitchen cupboards from beneath the house. I put poison bait out and it died. I know it died because I found the bluish tinged droppings and the garage stunk like a dead body for 2 weeks. Shortly after that some feral cats took up residence beneath my house. I haven't had a rat or even a mouse since.

Hungry cats rule.

[JustPassinThru]

If it's true that there is at least one rat for every human, then NYC has twice as many rats as LA. It would take an army of Mumbai rat catchers to make a dent in the rat population in either city.

LA is not conceding the title without a fight, though. The inner city and coastal areas have their fair share of rats, but the hilly areas where many affluent citizens reside are prime rat habitats. These creatures thrive on the food which we put out for birds, squirrels, and our pets, in addition to the various fruits on the trees.

In October, when the weather changes, this roof rat enters homes and chews on wiring (which sets off alarms and causes fires), invades the pantry, leaves urine trails and droppings everywhere, and drives our pets crazy. The thought of a rat in our home puts fear in one's heart and money in the exterminator's bank account.

You win for now, NY, based upon rat size and quantity. Just give our roof rats a little more time. They're smart, agile, and stealthy - kind of like little furry ninjas.

[downtown lover]

Heck no, thank god!

[Miss Pip]

I've been here for 3 years. Lived in La Brea, Encino and Culver City. Never seen a rat.

I lived in San Diego for 3 years and found 1 dead rat below my kitchen sink cubbard.

[Lumerian Feast]

It's not as bad as NYC, but there are definitely rats here. In the palm trees, like people say, and also just in people's back yards. I've been at people's houses on several occasions where a rat has scurried along a fence -- clean homes in decent areas. But the rats aren't nearly as big as on the East Coast -- that's b/c LA rats tend to be black rats, as opposed to the Norwegian rats in NYC, which explains a lot:

Los Angeles rats are very different from New York rats. New York rats are the fat, mean and ugly brown rat, or Norwegian rat. Los Angeles has some Norwegian rats who came West via the railroad and can be found mostly downtown, but the dominant species here is the black rat, sometimes called the ship rat because it arrived, along with many other unpleasant things, when Europeans discovered the coastline.

On the trail of those dirty rats - Los Angeles Times

I also know that rats can be a big problem in the Palisades. The story of the "Rathouse of the Palisades" is extreme, but interesting: Palisades Rathouse: Unchallenged by Health Officials, Elderly Twins Fed Local Vermin Population - Page 1 - News - Los Angeles - LA Weekly

[Vary]

Not long after we moved here, my husband's truck started acting up. He took it to the mechanic, and they opened the hood to find a dead rat that had been chewing on the wires. The guys loved it--they all whipped out their phones and started snapping pictures. Apart from the fact that we had to pay for repairs, it was pretty hilarious.

I've used my son's air soft gun to shoot them in the patootie and chase them out of the yard on occasion. My next door neighbor calls the city as soon as she sees one, so they trap often around here.

[marumut]

i see an occasional rat on the wires or crossing the street, but i don't think the problem is that big.