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Rats

By Guest grd, in The Nesting Box

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

Not sure where else to post this..... so it might as well be here.

 

We have a rat that has set up home right next to the eglu. Initially it was in the compost heap (green plastic bin), but I removed the lid so it's nest got wet, so it moved and now it's burrowed under some paving slabs. I don't want to put poison down and I really don't want to kill it. We don't have a cat and the surrounding area is severely lacking in cats. :? So I bought a cage trap. Has anyone used one of these before with any success? I'm going to set it tonight and see what happens. If I do catch it.... feeling a bit nervous about the "releasing" part. Is there any chance it would turn round and savage me when it's out of the cage? :anxious:

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Sheilaz Feathery Fanatic

Sheilaz

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:( Graham, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm not sure that you will have success with the live catch method. Plus, where would you release it? Less than 3 miles & it'll be straight back. Further, and it'll prob. die somehow else. I think they only go for the throat when cornered, so that's good news!

But, if you have one rat, you probably have at least a dozen. Really! Even using the most effective method of baiting, they are hard to get rid of. Rats are very neophobic, so often don't go near any trap for at least 2 weeks. Peanut butter under the bait is a good tip. We had cages & they never went in, and a zapper which was too sensitive to damp and they didn't touch either. A mouse trap type (bigger!) thing worked when we were desperate, having seen 6, and they were feeding in a compost bin so we knew where to leave it, but was too slow catching one at a time whilst they bred.

It had to be the bait in the end, they had started to take over & rats are a real threat to chickens. This was last winter/spring and we've been clear since. I should have acted sooner when I saw the telltale hole in the compost. All the neighbours had them too, so I think it was the compost heaps rather than the chickens that had drawn them in. But, their food, and importantly for rats the water are easy meals.

Do get rid Graham, I wish creatures no harm, but rats and humans or hens cannot live alongside each other.

Yours, a rat expert, Good luck!

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Lesley-Jean Chatty Chicken

Lesley-Jean

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I really don't want to kill it.

Why :?: I really cannot think of one good reason why you would not want to kill it. Unless it is a lovely black and white pet rat :!:

 

If I do catch it.... feeling a bit nervous about the "releasing" part.

Why would you want to release a rat ? You must know what nasty disease ridden thing they are ahd how much damage they can cause :!:

 

Savage you :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: With luck :!: I'm sure your man enough to bite its head off :lol::lol::lol:

 

You've given me a good laugh here Graham. Good wind up, well done :!::lol::lol::wink:

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Popcorn Feathery Fanatic

Popcorn

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Now Now LJ. I don't think Graham is winding anybody up. Seems genuine enough to me.

 

I can't add any useful advice Graham...we've had mice around the Eglu which the cat has seen to, but no rats. I do know they breed like rabbits and will come back to their nest, especially if they have a free meal with what the chooks don't want.

 

They say that we are never more than 6 ft from a rat don't they.....and your concerns of being bitten are totally justified. My Dad has been cornered by a rat in his butchers shop, and it frightened the life out of him. No joke at all.

 

Good Luck :|

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Mrs Frugal SUPER CHICKEN!!!

Mrs Frugal

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We had a rat get into our rabbit hutch a couple of years ago. It was a nasty big cheeky one. It was horrible. We brought the rabbit and guinea pig into the house and put down a trap. It got the rat but didn't kill it properly so I had to finish the job to stop it suffering - something I don't think I'll ever get over as I'd never killed anything before and found it really upsetting.

 

Last year we had another rat in the garden. This time we put down poisoned bait as this one was a really brave one and used to walk past the back door *ugh*. We never saw it again.

 

I don't recommend the trap method after my experience.

 

Good luck Graham! Hope you manage to get rid of the blighter one way or another!

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Charlottechicken Eggcentric Egluowner

Charlottechicken

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We only have so many rats around because as a race, humans are dirty creatures. We drop litter and dump unwanted items, which include foodstuffs, anywhere but in the proper place. Rats are only cleaning up what we discard. If there is a rat problem, there must always be a food source nearby, eliminate the food source and the rats will either die or go off in search of richer pickings.

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The Dogmother Eggsistentialist

The Dogmother

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:lol::lol: He's definitely not on the wind up LJ - we had a conversation about the rat situation this afternoon. Graham isn't keen on killing it because he's never harmed anything in his life and is a big softie (Ahhhhh!). I have recommended killing it too as I saw one turn on my Grampie who had a stream at the bottom of the garden.

 

Tell you what Hon - you catch it and I'll come and kill it for you. Just take the boys out while I do it.

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Guest

Guest

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L-J, perhaps it's not the thought of killing a rat in particular, but the thought of killing a living thing, that is putting Graham off. I can't bear spiders, but I couldn;t kill one, just as we keep humane mouse traps, and take any captured mice to the woods, way outside the village to be set free.

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Cinnamon Cocka-doodle-loopy

Cinnamon

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We only have so many rats around because as a race, humans are dirty creatures. We drop litter and dump unwanted items, which include foodstuffs, anywhere but in the proper place. Rats are only cleaning up what we discard. If there is a rat problem, there must always be a food source nearby, eliminate the food source and the rats will either die or go off in search of richer pickings.

 

Well, I am not sure I am in agreement with you on this one.

We have a stream,which attracts rats,& we cannot get rid of it .

We also have hens which would explain the food source bit,& we are not getting rid of them either :?

 

I don't live in a town where there is litter,I live in the country & rats are just part of life.

 

We are as tidy in the garden & around the hens as we possibly can be.

I am going to stick with poisoning them,rather than changing the way I prefer to live.

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The Dogmother Eggsistentialist

The Dogmother

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I'm surprised at you Graham :shock::roll:

 

I guess you must be a vegan too as you don't want even a rat killed.

 

I'll give Mr Rat a big smack with a shovel for you if you like :lol:

 

You do make me laugh LJ :lol: and there I was thinking you were non-judgemental and all that :lol:

 

He's not a vegan - a meat eater like me. As I said, Graham is a big softie and wouldn't hurt a fly.

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Guest

Guest

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I'm surprised at you Graham :shock::roll:

 

I guess you must be a vegan too as you don't want even a rat killed.

 

I'll give Mr Rat a big smack with a shovel for you if you like :lol:

 

I live in the New Forest, so if I do catch the rat alive, I certainly won't be releasing it near to anyone's house. :roll:

 

LJ - why must I be a vegan if I don't want a rat killed? :? Surely it's best to explore the non-killing alternatives first?

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