4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[thechickenkeeper]

Yes , rats, so far I have seen the local stray cat take one from the garden, big enough to feed her family, i myself caught one that was burrowing under the black plastic that covers an area under the deck, to stop the weeds coming up, next bit not for the squeemish,close eyes now, I clubbed it with end blunt side of the axe, direct hit, not to sound too macabre, it kind of reminded me of one of those funfair sideshows,with the mallets and the strange looking clowns that pop out of the holes, and if you hit enough of them you win a cuddlely monkey.

 

I have set a trap under the house, on the path of a little vermin, I can see it’s little footprints,left in the dust that has gathered on the top of an old printer left by a previous tenant,( soon to be appearing on TradeMe), the printer that is not the previous tenant. The rat has not been fooled by the trap as yet, infact it has eaten all of the dairy lea slice off of the trap without setting it off, careful eating this rat. It now has a small smorga’s board of food, chick crums, laying pellets of two varieties, and dairy lea cheese, no wonder it’s quite happy to live under our house.

[jackiepoppies]

Poison it

 

Jackiex

[Jillus]

We have an ongoing probelm with rats and a mink but that is another story. We have had the best success with the rats with the big old fashioned wooden and metal rat traps from the hardware shop. It is a quick clean kill and you are not left in any doubt as to whether the rat has gone, unlike with poison which I don't like to leave laying around even in special 'feeders'

 

The Nooski Trap is expensive but reputed to be good, I have had one for two months now and not caught a thing though. Others swear by them.

 

Good luck with the rat problem.

Edited January 21, 2009 by Guest

[Jillus]

By the way they cannot resist bacon smeared with peanut butter, much better than cheese!

[Egluntyne]

The Nooski Trap is expensive but reputed to be good, I have had one for two months now and not caught a thing though. Others swear by them.

 

Ditto to the above.

 

Have now bought a Fenn trap but need to construct a tunnel.

[mrsallen08]

Is there anyone who is not trying to fight of these little *add own explitive*???

 

We are using x2 traps 'apparently recommended by rentokil!' But although we have seen the rat wandering past, he seems too clever or too full on layer pellets to even sniff our cheddar! This weekend we are going to have to up our game and try something else! Does anyone know any retailers for landmines???

[stoice]

Does anyone know any retailers for landmines???

 

Sounds like a plan!

 

Lots of people seem to be dealing with the little fiends. My metal trap from a hardware store has had peanut butter removed without setting the trap several nights in a row (Noticed slugs all over it the other night - i wonder if they could be polishing it off without setting it?) In fact the only thing I've caught with it has been a field mouse and that was with a piece of baby bell I had tied to the trap with severel loops of cotton. I'm going to get a plastic t-rex type trap that is easy to set with one hand or foot and it has a 'well' for the bait to go in, hopefully rummaging about in that should set it off. Looks more hygienic to dispose of the critters too.

 

I've had much better luck with poison though. Loose bait in tunnels into composter, bags of bait in the tunnels under the loose laid slabs and a pre baited box with the bait in block form down side of shed and along rat run between shed, girls run and composter. I know it's working because I've spotted roland dead down the side of my shed. Just waiting for the weekend for daylight to get the rake out to remove it.