I Got Mad Skillz

Drenching rain last night, and another false positive. So I decided to clean the RZ this morning. Skilled technician that I am, it's now shorting out constantly - flashing a red false positive as soon as I turn it on, every time I turn it on.

I've taken the RZ out of action for now. I dumped the bait, and the RZ is standing on end, under shelter, so that it can drain and dry thoroughly.

False Positive

Another one. It rained hard last night - maybe that's why. Or maybe it's time to clean the RZ again, oh joy.

Still no critter sightings lately. But we don't spend much time in the garden during the week. This weekend will be a good test.

False Positive

Did We Win?

Nothing at all for a few days now. No kills, no false positives, no rodent sightings.

Just to keep my edge, I knocked a mourning dove nest off the windowsill last night. Relax! There were no eggs in it. And it's a whole lot less cute when you see the shit they leave behind.

Quiet Time

No kills or false positives lately.

I find myself wondering if we're seeing less action because we've already made a dent in the local rodent population, or if it's just one of those random things. To be continued, I guess.

The Surge Is Working

Yesterday was quiet - no kill, no false positive. This morning, the red kill light was flashing, and we had a dead mouse.

False Positive

Cleaning Your RZ

I noticed another false positive this morning. I reset the RZ, and got another false positive right away.

According to the docs, this means it's time to clean the RZ. The docs detail a 6-step cleaning procedure, including an hour of soaking time, scrubbing with a brush, flushing with "a gentle stream of fresh water..."

Sounds idyllic. I opted to just scrape the hardened turds out of the death chamber (latex gloves, paper towels). Seemed to work: no more immediate false positive when I turned the RZ back on.

False Positive

Yesterday evening. Surprising. No rain recently - seemed like ideal dry conditions.

That's 5 false positives to 3 kills. The kills are great, but the frequent false positives are a nuisance.

A Mouse!

Finally, unambiguously, we zapped a mouse. Midday Saturday. Based on its small size, the other kills are looking more and more ratlike.

So, in a week, 3 RatZapper kills total: 2 rats and 1 mouse. And the pace has picked up.

False Positive

Kibble intact.

Friday, June 15, 2007

A Kill!

#2. Another large mouse (or rat? The debate rages.) This one was textbook - slid right out of the RZ. No hassles.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

False Positive

And the kibble was missing. Weird.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

False Positive

Peanut butter doesn't seem to be helping. Switching back to kibble.

Earlier posts