patsylabrador Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 We've been pestered by an enormous rat for weeks, it ignores rat poison and I try to keep wild bird food off the floor. It has learnt to climb a nearby tree and drop down onto the feeders. It is very bold and not scared of me so I was able to get close enough to give it a whack on the backside with a rake a few weeks ago. We didn't see it again until yesterday and it was up to it's old tricks. This time I wasn't alone and so we managed to ping it on the backside with the air rifle, it jumped pretty high and ran away very fast. The gun's not powerful enough to do any harm but it must have a very sore bottom. By the way I'm not allowed to use the air rifle on account of me being utterly girly and useless with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 hand grenades.. landmines..... Seriously, do you know of anyone with working terriers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CluckyBucks Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Ive had a rat or two pestering me for a few months now, its taken the poisen yet still burrows holes under the eglu I dont know what to do. xx xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Call the rat man in; contact your local council or pest control service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 Bring the hens food in at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucywatkins Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 We contacted our council about rats. He visited 3 times, yet they only charge you a one off fee of £12.00. Cheaper than buying poison or traps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meezers Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 I've had a rat getting into the run for a couple of weeks now,it's coming in from the field beside us and is digging right under the mesh and coming up about 3ft into the run. It ignored the poison I put out - and I'm not too keen on using it anyway. So I bought a couple of rat traps, baited them with layers pellets stuck in peanut butter (yum yum ) to make sure he had to have good tug to get at them,shut the chooks in their coop for a few nights, and put the traps in the run where the tunnel is and I caught him thursday morning. I'm giving myself a couple of nights to recover from the factor, then I'll put the traps out again incase the rest of his family are visiting. If you can get past the ug bit, it's a kinder, quicker death than poison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Which type of traps did you use meezers anything special or just a bog standard one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meezers Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Which type of traps did you use meezers anything special or just a bog standard one? I couldn't find any 'bog standard' ones , I was looking in Countrywide and bought 2 pre baited traps, about £4 each. They look like traditional traps, but have a plastic bait impregnated with 'rodent lure', it smells quite nice, sort of like vanilla , but it didn't lure my ratty, which is why I smeared the peanut butter and pellets over it. I've set the traps again tonight, though I'm not sure we've had any visits since thursday, will keep you updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Be aware that if you have one, you are bound to have more rats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meezers Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I've set the traps again tonight, though I'm not sure we've had any visits since thursday, will keep you updated. Caught another this morning. Was hoping I'd caught ' mr & mrs' but I'm not sure they are fully grown , so I may be working my way through siblings - how many in a litter ? I could be setting traps for a while yet ! oh well, better dead than alive in my chook run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Result! Well done! I put a trap in our compost last year to try and catch our monster rat. Caught a robin - so put the trap under some carpet and then caught a shrew Rat was too canny When we have a problem they don't dig into the run, it sounds easier if they do as you can be more sure of what you catch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 CM, do you put any food in your compost? That can really attract them - if that's the case, then try putting just garden and chicken waste on the compost and put the food waste in a wormery. My Can-o-Worms produces beautiful compost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Yes I put peeling in there - nothing cooked. I did have a wormery many moons ago but didn't get on with it, probably because I didn't pay it much attention. I have a bait box out at the moment and haven't seen the rat that we did have for about 3 weeks but they do have a habit of going away and then popping up again. I am using bait blocks at the moment but do worry about a rat taking the block away and dropping it for a dog to pick up so I have had to attach them to the inside of the bait box with wire -quite a performance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Fingers crossed that it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I caught a couple with the standard Tom & Jerry traps. Loaded with bacon rind. Have bait boxes littered around the garden and chicken area now. Only got rats when the horses moved into the field next door, much as I like to look at them. They will persist in digging under the concrete slabs to try and get in the run. No luck yet. Best news is that the house at the back has finally been rented and they have 2 dogs. Their garden backs onto the chicken area, so am hoping the dogs will see the rats off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
