tara Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 I was sitting in my garden on the edge of the trapline on the phone chatting to a friend. When l saw a great big rat run along the back of my garden it run behind my pond which is up high.It was so big all brown with a really long tail.I knew we had mice at one point but thought that moving the chicken would have stopped them going into my chooks.I have 6 ducks in one run and 6 chooks in another l have been going through a 20kg bag of food every 2 weeks.A friend of mine have the same and she gose through a bag every month.Im so shocked at it as you see them around bins.I feel dirty seeing it like my animals are dirty we all know what people would say ie the neighbours the old thing about chickens.I have put down a tube with poison in it dont want to but l cant be over run with rats.I am a veggie and love animals but l really dont want rats.Im just hoping l can get rid l know it sounds bad but l can see why people want to make sure there are gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 I was sitting in my garden on the edge of the trapline on the phone chatting to a friend. When l saw a great big rat run along the back of my garden it run behind my pond which is up high.It was so big all brown with a really long tail.I knew we had mice at one point but thought that moving the chicken would have stopped them going into my chooks.I have 6 ducks in one run and 6 chooks in another l have been going through a 20kg bag of food every 2 weeks.A friend of mine have the same and she gose through a bag every month.Im so shocked at it as you see them around bins.I feel dirty seeing it like my animals are dirty we all know what people would say ie the neighbours the old thing about chickens.I have put down a tube with poison in it dont want to but l cant be over run with rats.I am a veggie and love animals but l really dont want rats.Im just hoping l can get rid l know it sounds bad but l can see why people want to make sure there are gone. your not dirty and ive seen you mention how often your animals are cleaned out on otyher posts a while ago. ive heard that there are so many rats that theres at least one to two rats withina couple of feet of each human being. as to killing them, needs must, they carry diseases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 You're not dirty, Tara, and despite what your neighbours might think, it's not the chickens either. We are all within close proximity to rats now, unfortunately. We had a huge one come into our garden a couple of years ago and it had been attracted by fallen apples from next door's tree rather than anything else as it carried them into our garden to eat them! If it doesn't go away, your local council should come and help get rid of it, at a cost usually but if you make sure that there isn't any spilled chicken feed or wild bird food on the ground, it's more likely to head for other gardens where food is easily available. Good luck! They are nasty and make your flesh creep, don't they. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tara Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 OOOOO we have 2 fruit trees in the garden an apple one and plum so may be its also eating them.Would you use poision as l was reading all about it and im not sure. Exterminators use anti-coagulant poisons. These cause a slow painful death over around five days to the rodent. The anti-coagulant literally stops the rodent forming any blood clots, so it bleeds to deaths – blood will come from its eyes, it nose and other orifices and will also fill its so that they drown in their own blood – this is a horrible way to die. Just sounds horrible just dont know what to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Article about dealing with rats **here**. You are not alone Tara. I think I've just seen of out latest unwanted lodger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Didn't someone on this forum buy some sort of ninja rat trap? I think it was a pretty quick death involving an elastic ring?? I think it was supposed to be very effective Am I talking rubbish again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tara Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 Yer l saw that but hated seeing it lay there dead.What id like is a human way that works fast.Mind sounds to good to be true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 I'm pretty sure it was Egluntine had the Ninja rat trap! Trouble is, nothing can be guarenteed - traps, if they work properly first time, are a humane way of getting rid as death is instant. Sadly, ratty likes to feel around with it's paws first - out of 10 we caught with a trap, 8 put their heads in and died instantly, the other two put paws in and we had to dispatch them ourselves I found a combination of traps and poison works well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Twas me. It hasn't worked, because I think the Tom Cat rat bait got the blighter first. Haven't seen it for a couple of weeks and the tunnelling has stopped. For now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 How horrible . I agree, you shouldn't feel it's your fault. It's just one of those things. I've no experience so no advice to offer. Hope you find a way to despatch it satisfactorily . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 ANH - If you have no experiance does that mean you have never had rats? if so do you do anything to repel them or is it just luck? Any rat repellant actions would be good to know so if you have a secret.........! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Well, if I have got them I've never seen them or any signs of them . We back onto a field so presumably they might be about somewhere . We have had the occasional fieldmouse. I do take the grub/glug in every night and try not to leave food lying about. The girls are very tidy eaters luckily . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 Hi Tara!! Horrible things!! I can understand your worries - I have visited you as you know and I think your set up is fine! Sadly they seem to be everywhere so it pays to be vigilant. B & Q sell traps etc... so take a look next time you are down there! (in the gardening section). Medway council will come and bait for rats free of charge (my sisters neighbour had them out recently) - but I wonder if once they see our chickens they may asume that they are the cause and blame them - and then charge for their services! My old neighbours run a catering business from home and used to store food in their shed - untill they saw a rat that is!!! They were very good and told us before getting in the rat man. (that was before I had chickens). I wonder though.......should we have traps in our gardens "just in case" - because just because we don't see them doesn't mean they are not there! Does anyone do this?? Louise PS: I am now waiting to win the lottery so that I can have more and .......how did we ever live without them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 I have baited boxes in my garden all the time. I set traps when there have been definite sightings. Crafty beggars are so clever that they can remove the peanut butter from traps so sensitive that a drop of rain sets them off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillus Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 I had a rat tunelling into my Eglu, bought a big rat trap and caught it on the first night. I am told that death was swift and painless and if I got more rats would not hesitate to do it again. I am always worried about poison as little mice might eat it and I have a soft spot for the smaller rodents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henhathnofury Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 It's a tricky one all right. I had the same about a month ago and decided that the risk of disease and attack by the rat, plus the fact that they generally send out a young male scout and then start to breed, justified poison. I did the same: put it in an old tube. Strangely enough, the rat disappeared but the poison has not been touched. The bag it was in was unbroken. My daughter spilled some food and left it out one night and in the morning, the food was still there - so definitely no rat. I would not be suprised if they could sense/smell the poison - they are highly intelligent creatures. Yes I am generally a peaceful veggie but animals in the wrong context are invaders. I feel differently about foxes now too...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tara Posted September 21, 2008 Author Share Posted September 21, 2008 I had the council out last time when l saw a mouse they left a trap.Dont know if it worked they used poision a friend has lent me a trap to use poision in a tube.It was very big and as my little boy plays with dirt dont want him getting anything nasty.hI louisewomble hows it going my other half built a big duck pen around by our garage now and there are more ducks mmmmmm lots more eggs.We had to move the hens to the other side because of the rat eating there food.Going to build them a great big run at the back next to the ducks.I take it you like the cube and are hoping to get one, cant believe how great it is my self no bending down.Might have to call the council out again but im worried that it could go against me l suppose if im putting down a trap then thats only what they would do so ill see how l get on. and lots of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piptiddlepip Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 It's be a brave rat than ran the gauntlet of my two furry little pest exterminators. But if I saw one I wouldn't waste time with rat traps - an air rifle and a silencer would take care of that little problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
