theherd123 Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Please help. There is a rat in my greenhouse - what should i do? 'Kill it' will do doubt be the resounding answer but i dont think i could live with myself if i did that! Could i trap it and release it back into 'the wild' or is that just a mad idea Im reluctant to put poison down as i have my bears to think about. What should i do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 I would kill it Emma. They have a tendancy to come back from miles away if they are released, & you may be giving your rat to someone else too You can get narrow tubes thet the poison goes into,so its safe to have in the garden with other animals. Spare a thought for my pal Katrina.Her cat dropped a live rat in her kitchen 6 weeks ago, & its living in the spaces between the walls of her house.They can hear it every night,& cannot get rid of the darn thing Its eaten through the washing machine hose, & they have even knocked the tiles off the bathroom wall to try & get it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 yuk! yuk! yuk! You have to get rid of it! GRD caught his and drove it a long way away before releasing it. But realistically, vermin are becoming more of a problem, increasing in numbers. So you should kill it. Maybe ask for advice from a specialist, particularly with regard to your pets? I HATE rats! yuk! yuk! yuk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 You can get a poison called Erdirat that's supposed to be safe for other non-rat animals. Lesley and carl have been using it. After Graham's experience, I'd kill it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura007 Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 that sounds like a song by ub40! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted February 26, 2007 Author Share Posted February 26, 2007 Quick update. The rat has gone! OH has cleared all stuff out of the greenhouse and it was no where to be seen - dont know if i should be worried or relieved! Do you think it will come back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 The chap who does my garden from time to time said to me that you won't have a rat, you will have rats. They breed like mad. I tried the humane Eradirat and they loved it. I reluctantly put poison down and haven't seen a rat in a while. Unfortunately they were in my compost bins, so I no longer compost kitchen waste which is a pity. Might start again in a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted February 26, 2007 Author Share Posted February 26, 2007 We have called the council and they said they would put down poison if thats what we wanted - the poison is not pet friendly so that is not really an option, they dont offer other solutions They told us that a rat will normally live across about 5 gardens so the nest might not be in our garden - a positive point in this rodent fiasco! OH is being sent to get a humane rat trap - not too sure what we will do from there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 It's true that if you set it free it will come back, apparently they've been known to travel up to 5 miles Might be worth dropping a note through your neighbours doors letting them know and asking them to be aware of any rats in the neighbourhood; could be some old dear leaving food out on the ground for birds and it's attracting rats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted February 26, 2007 Author Share Posted February 26, 2007 It's true that if you set it free it will come back, apparently they've been known to travel up to 5 miles If we catch it i might just have to leave it 6 miles away then! Will drop notes round but i must say i can see the chickens getting blamed for the rat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Will drop notes round but i must say i can see the chickens getting blamed for the rat You've got a point there Emma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Not sure what I'd do really, use as kind a way possible to get rid of it I suppose. You could post it overseas Obviously a silly joke. Rats can cause a problem to the chicks so that would be my decider, sometimes you just have to make choices you don;'t like. Good luck Em, could you shout at it, like you demonstrated at the cafe, that might do it BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted February 26, 2007 Author Share Posted February 26, 2007 Good luck Em, could you shout at it, like you demonstrated at the cafe, that might do it BBx Hmmm now theres a thought! Can you and Clare come too that might help! The greenhouse is being demolished and skipped at the weekend so hopefully this will stop the rat thinking it has somewhere to hide. The bears will then have 'access all areas' so that might put him off too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 If I were that ratty, I'd be scared with the bears on the loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 The chap who does my garden from time to time said to me that you won't have a rat, you will have rats. They breed like mad. I tried the humane Eradirat and they loved it. I reluctantly put poison down and haven't seen a rat in a while. Unfortunately they were in my compost bins, so I no longer compost kitchen waste which is a pity. Might start again in a few weeks. My first thought was "only one?!!" We used Eradirat but had to resort to poison as well. They were in the eaves which open into the bedrooms - I wasn't prepared to have them any nearer They were also under the feed shed by the chickens and under a couple of the hen houses - so they had to go We've found that they got into the house by chewing through the airbricks - the builder had used plastic airbricks They are all covered with concrete blocks now and will be replaced in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Em, we can't poison rats who live in the donkey's straw store, as the donks eat straw... I hate poison and would do anything rather than use it, and risk putting it into the food chain, but rats are evil creatures who spread disease and MUST be killed somehow. Shall I send OH up with his trusty pitchfork? I've killed one this way too . I am fairly sure you can buy traps where they go in, eat the poison and cannot get out again, so die in the sealed trap. You just throw the trap away. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted February 26, 2007 Author Share Posted February 26, 2007 Shall I send OH up with his trusty pitchfork? I've killed one this way too . OMG!! Im such a soft hearted wimp i looked at it in the greenhouse through the glass and thought it looked quite cute with its little whiskers I think i could cope with a trap like you described - will look for one on t'internet when i have the courage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Shall I come up with my shovel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 sorry to be ignorant - but what are 'thebears'? I put rat poison down in my barn a few weeks ago - they igored it and have not been seen since!! The poison is still intact and I will leave it this week , but then put it away safely - I hate having it there and having to worry about the dog and chookie girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Don't worry, you'd ever have guessed - The Bears are Emma's two English Bull Terrier dogs - they're mad as a bag of ferrets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted February 27, 2007 Author Share Posted February 27, 2007 Don't worry, you'd ever have guessed - The Bears are Emma's two English Bull Terrier dogs - they're mad as a bag of ferrets Claret you say this and you havent yet met them - their reputation goes before them as usual! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 Don't forget, I saw the video on your phone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted February 28, 2007 Author Share Posted February 28, 2007 Don't forget, I saw the video on your phone Opps i forgot! eek! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
