Advice on pests - living in house vs apartment

[mp413]

Hello, we are a couple moving to Bangkok with our 2 cats. We like the idea of a house as coming from Africa we are used to having space and a big garden. I have been reading about lots of snake encounters on the rise in BKK, and of course having visited I have seen the rats for myself! Someone also mentioned scorpions to me... With cats (and planning for a family) - are these kinds of pests a real concern for safety of our pets and ourselves with a house (indoors and/or outdoors)? Are there precautions people take that work well? (Not rat poison- or pouring gasoline-type precautions, but hopefully less harmful ones.)

An apartment would be a difficult adjustment for us and our cats, and we would love to have outdoor space, but not if any of us would be constantly facing encounters with pests. Many thanks!

Edited January 26, 2019 by mp413

[madmen]

Delete

[worgeordie]

If you managed to cope with pests in Africa,you should have

no problem in Thailand,Rats are everywhere,you have cats

problem solved,most of the snakes you see around gardens

are small and harmless,Lived here 30 years and only seen two

scorpions,the pests that concern me most are Mosquitoes and  

Termites ,if your coming from Africa easier to adjust to wildlife,

than if you were coming from a Western country,dont worry too much.

The biggest threat to life and limb is driving,or trying to cross the road.

regards worgeordie

Edited January 26, 2019 by worgeordie
add on

[mp413]

Thanks a lot, actually we live in Rwanda, you would be surprised, it's an immaculate country... Pests are actually not a problem here! No rats, no snakes, very few stray animals, but yes we do have insect pests. I don't think our cats are any kind of match for rats of the likes I've seen in BKK... I am actually more afraid they would be harmed by rats! Helpful to know about snakes, although the NY Times article from a year ago ("Snakes of Bangkok Move In") seemed to indicate that far more harmful/deadly snakes are actually not at all uncommon in the city... 

 

Any other advice/thoughts?

 

[Brayka]

There are firms that do Pestcontrole. We let it do once a month. Helps a lot, nothing in the house or garden, it’s also pet friendly.

About snakes, most of them are harmless, and moving away faster then the blink of an eye.  We only saw 1 in 4 years, and living in the National Park.

[ftpjtm]

We are in Chonburi, so a little more rural than most parts of Bangkok, but definitely not back woods territory either. 

 

In our neighborhood (gated neighborhood of 40 homes with small yards) over the past 5 years notable snake encounters include a nearly 2M python which was terrorizing the local dog population, and a 1.5M King Cobra. Both were captured by the surprisingly efficient local Animal Control officers. The neighbors have had many small, non poisonous snakes as well. I once found a scorpion under a, moist, outdoor floormat and always check footwear left outdoors before inserting my feet. 

 

None of this has not presented much of a problem if some common sense is used. There are plenty of house pets around. The aforementioned dogs taken by the python were puppies "owned" by some migrant construction workers which were mainly left to fend for themselves in a field abutting the neighborhood. Pets kept in the confines of the yards have never been bothered, and pets left to roam free are more endangered by cars than snakes or wildlife.

 

I personally have never seen a rat in our neighborhood, although others have. Again, using some common sense, like not keeping garbage out of doors, seems to keep them at bay at our home. The wife keeps a ring of powder insecticide around the outside of the house which keeps ants and other insects under control, and she claims it keeps snakes away too. I can't argue the point as we've never had one in the house. We also have rodent deterring electronic boxes plugged into our outdoor electrical outlets, which supposedly emit high frequency which scares off rodents. It doesn't bother me or the dog, and I honestly doubt that it does anything except consume electricity and flash an LED day and night, but they're innocuous enough and our house has been rodent free so maybe they do work.

 

Keep plants and trees trimmed back from the house, as they can become a highway for ants to enter. And the local ants/termites can tunnel through concrete to build nests if left alone, so best to proactively deter them off IMO.

 

We have rain gutters and downspouts on the house, draining into the storm drain system. Per the advice of a long time expat I drove ~7cm pointed screws into the plastic drain pipes, in a circular pattern around the circumference. He claimed that this would deter sewer rats from climbing through the pipes for access to the house via the roof. So far that seems to have worked. 

 

Most of the Thais just seem to tile their entire yard to deter the wildlife. I constantly fight with the wife to keep a small section grass and garden, which is ironic because I thought we were buying a house, rather than a condo, so she could have a garden. 

 

I would imagine that most well maintained condos would have less of a pest problem. Although you could also be more susceptible to insects and mice/rats attracted to the mess left behind by inconsiderate neighbors. 

 

The most serious situation caused by wildlife was when we had an outbreak of dengue fever in our area. Again, the authorities were surprisingly efficient, spraying standing water, passing out mosquito repellent FOC, and insisting that the builder/manager of the neighborhood dig up and fix a clogged storm drain pipe that we had been complaining about for months. Most of those who were afflicted routinely spent a lot of time outdoors and/or didn't have bug screens on windows. Our house, with a profusion of bug screens and AC, became a popular place for socializing. 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2019 by ftpjtm

[MyFriend You]

20 hours ago, mp413 said:

Thanks a lot, actually we live in Rwanda, you would be surprised, it's an immaculate country... Pests are actually not a problem here! No rats, no snakes, very few stray animals, but yes we do have insect pests. I don't think our cats are any kind of match for rats of the likes I've seen in BKK... I am actually more afraid they would be harmed by rats! Helpful to know about snakes, although the NY Times article from a year ago ("Snakes of Bangkok Move In") seemed to indicate that far more harmful/deadly snakes are actually not at all uncommon in the city... 

 

Any other advice/thoughts?

 

I lived in Kigali for 2 years, had a house with a big yard, lots of trees and bushes and personally have killed 3 green mambas and the bush rats are huge compared to the little fellas in Bangkok.  Eternal Springtime weather ............living in Bangkok???  get an apartment, the cats will be okay.