Omlet Eglu Cube and large run for sale

[stoice]

A previous thread or two ago I joined in on the topic of rats. We had mice coming into our garage but i saw the start of what looked like a tunnel on the edge of the chooks run. Traps in our garage caught about 4 mice but haven't caught anything now for about two weeks. Hoping it was mice outside too I put down mice traps ('The big cheese' classic type inside a cut open lemonade bottle to stop any other creature getting caught) Apart from a few instances of slugs eating the peanut butter i used and subsequently not tripping the traps, I caught a further two mice. Right by the girls run. I was on the understanding that if i had mice, chance were I wouldn't have rats as they would see off any mice in the area.

 

Well.

 

Found another entrance tunnel into the girls run. Filled it. Lifted a ramp I have that leads into the shed the girls live in and OMG!!! two more tunnel holes. This is clearly rats. Filled them in and buried some chicken wire over the two holes too. Was digging over the run and clearing away old hemcore, poo etc and discovered a huge tunnel under the soil! half a foot deep down, about three foot long. Not happy. The girls run is standing on brick edging that I had also submerged into the soil (To stop the wood rotting as well to hopefully stop any digging) I have a paved are to one side of the run and my garden shed is surrounded by the brick wall boundary of my garden on two sides and a neighbours concrete bottomed wooden fence on the other. I bring the food in every night anyway but clearly I have created some kind of ratutopia and it's freaking me out! I've also found tunnels into my plastic compost bin. Never noticed rat evidence before we got chooks and my OH (Never especially overjoyed at the prospect of me getting chickens) is not happy to say the least.

 

Sorry for the long history, my OH always rolls his eyes and gets huffy if I mention the girls too often anyway and now ive told him about the rat problem...

 

Anyway. I just wondered what type of poison/trap is best to use in all your experiences. Is eradibait any good? Should I get anticoagliant (sp) type stuff instead? Loose bait or blocks? Would traps be better? (ie: Obvious dead rat - no smells from a decaying rat under our shed)

 

Thanks

[Egluntyne]

I have been using **Tomcat** around the place in baitboxes.

 

I found Eradibait useless.

 

I set traps at night and flood any holes with water.

[stoice]

Thanks Egluntine

 

Wasn't sure of eradibait either. Also not sure if loose bait or blocks are the way forward. Block seem 'no spill' although I'm worried the rats may carry them away. Is the hole in the block significant? Do the bait boxes have spikes to keep them there?

 

I've also found this as I am worried about smells from the dead ones. Do you think it'd work?

[Egluntyne]

It might work. I'd only be worried about smells if one died in the house tbh.

 

The bait boxes I use have rod onto which you thread the blocks of bait, through the hole you describe.

[stoice]

Cheers eqluntine

 

Doing rat diposal research on-line i found this DIY homemade rat and mouse bait. Cheap but sounds really gruesome. At least the bodies aren't full of poison if a neighbours cat finds one.

[Daphne]

um I have no solutions I'm afraid but am scared witless by your 0.5 deep x 3 foot rat tunnel (I thought they made tunnels close to the surface) and I know we do have rats about between 3 chicken keeping gardens. We had a rat man come out a few summers ago and put loose poison (just the blue stuff) down under a shed and behind a tile on a rat run. It did the job, but there was a smell of dead rat from under shed - but it was a sunny summer. I'm not sure you'd get much whiff in this weather. Also, it wasn't terrible, I mean not exactly eau de parfum but not gaggingly awful.

[stoice]

am scared witless by your 0.5 deep x 3 foot rat tunnel

 

It was quite a shock to discover I can tell you. Bottom of tunnel was about 0.5ft down but the tunnel was pretty big (Baked bean tin diameter) so the soil above it was only about 4-5inches thick. I suppose the best solution would be to pave the girls run but i guess I'd have to dig down really deep to concrete over it first as the rats'l just dig under the slabs. (thats if any are left once I've put the poison and traps down )

[C&T]

We have a small mice problem, and keen for it not to becoming a large one... We have tried spring traps with peanut butter - but caught nothing so far, and there was definitely some activity last night.

 

I was worried about using poison, as so many of our neighbours have cats. Not worried about the cats eating the poison directly, as can put it in the special lock boxes. But is it a problem if a cat then finds the dead mouse/rat and tries to eat that?

[atsw]

For the mice problem, try a little bit of Mars Bar (yep, the chocolate). We get a lot of mice in our house, and they always go for a bit of sticky Mars Bar. Add bonus, being a bit sticky, it won't easily come off the trap, so more chance of catching your mouse.

 

Rats - yep, had them too earlier this year. Managed to get rid of them by using a long (2.5m) drain pipe, filled with some rat bait and sealed at one end. Seemed to do the trick, after two weeks all signs of activity disappeared.

 

Andrew

[C&T]

Giving away CHOCOLATE, and a MARS BAR at that to a mouse???

 

hmmmm. I'll give it a go - although counselling might have to be obtained.... That's another expense chalked down to the chickens...

[Cuckoos Nest]

stoice,

sorry to hear about your rats, I would get yourself some plastic bait boxes and antico-ag blocks and make sure you take any and all food in or secure at night. I think the treadle feed hoppers are a good idea as only the chooks can get access to the food, thinking of getting one myself.

 

Keep banging on about this but make no apology, make sure you follow exactly the instructions on the bait, always get a bait box with a key that lets you lock and replenish bait. keeping on top of the situation will pay dividends.

 

By the way anyone thinking of using the "bicarb" recipe had better be aware that even for rodents that method of control is totally illegal, it is deemed as causing unnecesary suffering.

 

Steve

[charliechick]

Hi guys,

 

We also have problems with rats. Tunnels kept on appearing starting from the skirt of the run and going in. After so long filling them in and putting bricks in certain places etc I decided to put slates along the edge inside the cube run half way in the ground.This worked for a while but somehow they found a way in. I used rat traps with a chunk of cheese as bait and these work a treat. Morning after I found 3 huge fat dead rats. Easy, as no poison. Not seen any more for a while now. Soon though i think I'll put the run on slabs that way there will be no way into the run. With plenty of bedding tho for them to scratch about and as they free range it won't be so bad.

 

Charliechick x

[Egluntyne]

My Eglus are on slabs and it does seem to prevent them getting in, but it doesn't stop them tunneling under the slabs.

 

I set traps as well as using bait boxes, and haven't yet caught one:?

 

Might have to sacrifice a chunk of Mars Bar. Cat food and Peanut butter haven't worked.

[Redwing]

How do people with cats/dogs cope with poisonous remains or traps? my dog gets his nose in to everything! my OH won't hear of any control measures because he is worried about the dog.

[Guest]

I have been using **Tomcat** around the place in baitboxes.

 

I found Eradibait useless.

 

I set traps at night and flood any holes with water.

 

Hi there

 

What kind of box do you use with this as the site is a bit confusing as there are several types of boxes!

 

Louise

[Egluntyne]

**This** is the one.

 

A bit pricey, but very sturdy. It will last forever. I have 4 of these.

 

I also have a couple of similar, cheaper ones that I got from ebay.

[tanyajb]

Cheers eqluntine

 

Doing rat diposal research on-line i found this DIY homemade rat and mouse bait. Cheap but sounds really gruesome. At least the bodies aren't full of poison if a neighbours cat finds one.

i've looked at that and it is really cruel and disgusting! i too have a rat problem and haven't wanted to poision them because it to is a horrific death plus i am worried about my dogs, cat and the hedgehogs eating it. but i have got to do something i think that snap traps and shooting are probably the most humane although i do worry about other my pets getting their noses snapped in them. Has anyone tried shooting them with an airgun? rats are a nuisance and can spread disease but i can't understand the level of hatred that a lot of people (not aimed at you stoice!) feel towards them, they are inteligent little animals just going about there buisness and trying to survive! i wish they would come up with a poison that didn't cause so much suffering

[stoice]

I agree tanyajb

I'm going to put snap traps down aswell as poison though. (Hopefully it'd be the traps that get them as we've caught mice this way and at least it's quick) The poison should then get any stragglers. I'm worried about my chooks getting hurt by them (Rats can be quite aggressive) as well as the disease they can spread to us as well as the chooks. At the end of the day someone's got to go. Me and my girls all pay our way so sorry Roland and chums.

 

I was shocked at the bicarb thread i found. Please don't think I was trying to encourage ANYONE to do this

[tanyajb]

Hi I've seen my hens fighting with rats over their food! and i have taken 2 dead young rats off the hens (they were trying to eat them,YUK!!!)i had to chase the hen around the garden a prise her beak open to get it off her! another day i heard a horrendous squeaking squealing noise in the garden and found the 2 hens pecking a rat to death, it was red all over, it was horrible! i took it off the girls and wacked it over the head with a log to put it out of it's misery!!that was the first time i had ever killed anything i don't even like killing snails!! But the bigger the rat though the more chance of the hen being hurt by them!

[Egluntyne]

I have wondered about trying **these**.

 

The only thing that would put me off is that it might catch the wrong creature. Also. if the anaesthetic didn't work you would have to do the deed with a shovel or similar.

 

I am having a spot of bother with one persistent rat. I normally manage to get rid of them, but this blighter has been hanging around for about a fortnight.

 

I keep the place tidy etc, and food in metal bins and all the rest of it, so it is doubly irritating.

[tanyajb]

I have wondered about trying **these**.

 

The only thing that would put me off is that it might catch the wrong creature. Also. if the anaesthetic didn't work you would have to do the deed with a shovel or similar.

 

I am having a spot of bother with one persistent rat. I normally manage to get rid of them, but this blighter has been hanging around for about a fortnight.

 

I keep the place tidy etc, and food in metal bins and all the rest of it, so it is doubly irritating.

PLEASE DON'T USE GLUE TRAPS the rspca are trying to ban these because they are very inhumane.

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=NewsFeature&articleId=1223294840203

[Egluntyne]

Thanks for that tanya. Very informative. I'll not bother.

[stoice]

Wonder if this works?

 

Robert Dyas sell it on-line but they are out of stock at the moment

[Egluntyne]

I like the look of that. I've emailed them for further info.