EAGLE, Idaho — Eagle neighbor Des Hughes has lived in Eagle for 30 years. She said the rat problem in her neighborhood began when development started on a nearby dairy farm at the end of Floating Feather Road and Eagle Road to the west.
"As soon as they started working on that, they are gonna develop all of that and have been, and ever since they've been working on that, we have had a massive rat problem because we've displaced all the rats that were in the dairy farm," Hughes said.
WATCH: Eagle neighbors on growing rat program
She said a second wave followed when a large vacant lot about a block away was also developed.
Hughes said she first became aware of the problem about four to five years ago when a conversation with her neighbor made her realize rats had moved into the area.
"My neighbor next door, he said, I've already caught like five rats. Are you having a rat problem?" Hughes recalled.
Since then, Hughes said the problem has turned into an ongoing battle inside her own shed. She showed Idaho News 6 large rat traps and holes she says the rodents chewed through to get inside. She said she has caught approximately 15 rats so far, with the rodents ranging widely in size.
"They're sneaky little guys, and they're smart. They know exactly what's foreign and... you can see all of the droppings everywhere," Hughes said.
Hughes said she uses large traps baited with raw bacon, peanut butter, and cheese — and warned that the traps are powerful enough to take off a finger if they snap while being set. She said she gets her traps at D&B Supply.
The damage extends beyond the shed. Hughes said rats ate the seats off bikes stored inside, destroyed a lawnmower, and chewed through nearly anything they encounter.
"They'll eat the plastic rubber off of anything; they're just super destructive," Hughes said.
Hughes said she has also been hesitant to clean her shed because of health concerns.
"I know it's disgusting, isn't it? And you have to be really careful because if that trap snaps while you're baiting it, that'll take your finger off," Hughes said.
Hughes said she also stopped using her backyard pond because of concerns about rats and the risk that poison set by neighbors could harm birds coming to the water.
Her neighbors have also caught rats, and one neighbor watched a rat jump over his barbecue and into her yard.
"I think we all have the problem," Hughes said.
Hughes said she believes development is a key driver of the problem across the Treasure Valley — displacing rats from farms, barns, and vacant lots and pushing them into residential neighborhoods.
"Every place that there's infill, there's something there that you're taking their home away from when you're building 30,000 million apartment buildings," Hughes said.
Hughes said she hopes the regional conversation leads to solutions focused on education and trapping rather than poison — which she said poses a serious risk to pets, cats, birds, and other wildlife.
"We gotta figure out a solution other than poison. Like that... I would underscore that 100,000 times," Hughes said.
Eagle City Council Member Nancy Merrill said the rat problem is not new to the region — and she has personal experience with just how dangerous the animals can be. In November 1989, a rat chewed through wiring at her family's egg farm in Eagle, sparking a fire that spread from building to building and destroyed most of the farm, which housed 500,000 chickens at the time. Merrill said it was one of the largest fires in Eagle's history.
"I know that rats are a nuisance. But they can also be dangerous, and they can also carry disease, and so it's not just a little furry animal that's causing problems. They are a problem," Merrill said.
Merrill said she has heard claims that the rat problem originated in Eagle, but pushed back on that characterization.
"I've also heard of rats up on Five Mile, and there in North Boise and the Foothills. They've been around for a long time," Merrill said. "As long as we've had agriculture in the valley, it's a Treasure Valley issue, not just a city issue."
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Merrill said she met with Ada County Commissioner Ryan Davidson about a week ago to learn more about what the county is planning. She said the county's willingness to bring everyone together gave her confidence.
"I felt very good about where the county was going, that they were stepping up because it wasn't just an Eagle City problem," Merrill said.
Wednesday's meeting is a fact-finding discussion. Merrill said Eagle has not made any commitments of staff or funding at this point, but city leaders want to be part of the conversation. She said questions on the table include whether the abatement district needs to be broadened, whether rats need to be added to it, and how Central District Health funding — which provides $250,000 to help — could factor in.
Merrill also acknowledged that Eagle's budget is constrained following legislative cuts to annexation and construction roles, leaving limited resources to address the issue independently.
For neighbors dealing with rats now, Merrill said there are steps people can take before turning to government solutions — including cleaning up trash, removing anything rats could shelter in near foundations, and contacting pest abatement businesses that offer trapping and other eradication services.
"I'm glad that we're at least taking a step forward to see what we can do," Merrill said.
The Ada County rat mitigation discussion begins Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 6 p.m. at the Ada County Courthouse.
