Installing Indoor Cat Tree

[susanbb]

Having problems with rats...live close to railway so they have always been around. Despite removing food source at night , putting down Eradirat and using numerous bits of machinery to send out sonic beams, the little blighters keep coming round. Any ideas of any good repellants as I'd be really grateful. I do have a cat, but he just looks at them when they come to visit.

 

Many thanks

[ballgunner]

maybe humane traps in b&q would be good and release them in a park ps they love oranges

[Egluntyne]

Have just bought one myself this am . My neighbour reckons If I catch one I should "drown the bu**er!" I think that may not be legal.

[ballgunner]

we had one in the compost bin and a rat lived in there so it spoiled the compost as we dont know if it has disease so we cant use it at least it didnt bother the chooks

[Egluntyne]

That's where mine live....in the compost bin. I took the lid off and startled him a while back....he was eating an old aubergine that I had discarded.

 

Recently I have been aware that he or one of his companions has been burrowing under the slabs which the Eglu sits on.

 

There has been a battle of wills between him and me. I am determined to win. I have bait boxes and traps everywhere and thought I'd give one of these live catching boxes a try too.

 

The garden is like an army assault course for rodents.

[Gallina]

I don't think much of the idea of releasing rats into parks....

 

If your chickens have attracted rats and they are breeding in your garden, then I don't think you have any option but to kill the vermin. They really are nasty pests. If you can't bring yourself to do this, then you shouldn't keep livestock.

 

On the other hand, I can't see any reason why you shouldn't use compost if a rat has been in it. I use mine quite happily, and the rats have helped break it down nicely: there is a lovely fine tilth where they have been tunnelling. You can wear gloves if you are worried.

 

I am sure you can drown rats if you want to. But it's much easier to use inhumane traps to start with.

[The Dogmother]

I'd recommend gloves if you think that rats have been in the compost you're handling. I agree with Gallina about killing them though, I hate doing stuff like that, but they really are a menace and need to be culled.

[ballgunner]

i dont like killing them as we used to have pet rats and the one in the compost ran away so the next door neighbours cats have probably had it

[Guest]

What's the best way of killing them then?

I am shuddering at the thought here . . .

[The Dogmother]

*winces* (rat lovers please don't read any further) whacking them over the head with a shovel, although a friend of mine had one in a trap and lowered it into a barrel of water.

[Cinnamon]

We are having an ongoing battle too.

We have a stream runnung down the side of the garden,& further up,over the road,there are lots & lots of rats.I was watching them through the window over the weekend.

The neighbour whose house they are nearest sat out there with a gun & shot a fair few

 

I think its illegal to release caught rats again,isn't it.........I am sure that was mentioned here before?

 

I do know they will travel miles & miles to come back home again.........

 

Best do as Clare suggests I think

[The Dogmother]

Know anyone with a working terrier/ferret?

[Egluntyne]

That's my inclination. It can't be any worse than bleeding slowly to death from an anticoagulant overdose.......At least drowning only takes 2 or 3 minutes. I agree it is not for the faint hearted.

 

I wouldn't fancy having an angry rat in a trap in the car....and if you were to release it you would have to take it a realistic distance and so would have to drive. Imagine if it somehow got out. You'd have to drive with your bicycle clips on!

 

Terrier??!! ....Good idea. Anyone in Sheffield have any contacts!!

[craftyhunnypie]

My sisters long legged Jack Russell is brilliant at sniffing out rats & catching them. She smells them in the pheasant pens, digs like mad until she finds one then shakes it to death!

I would definitely hire her if I saw one in my garden! I've got a cat, but she seems to prefer pigeons!

If I charged for the hire of my sisters Jack Russel ' Peggs', then I'd soon save up for my eglu cube. Now there's a plan!

 

Emma.x

[The Dogmother]

I reckon you'd have plenty of business too Emma

[Egluntyne]

My rat live catch trap is set.....pretty tricky it was too! baited with some ham.

[The Dogmother]

Looking foward to hearing what you catch Egluntine.

[Egluntyne]

Absolutely bu**er all to date. The cheeky so and so has even removed the peanut butter from the traps that are so vicious that they could take a finger off!

 

He has avoided the live catch cage altogether......bait untouched....it is very sensitive, so I;m sure it would work.

 

I thought he had succumbed to the poison as he had not been digging around the Eglu for 3 days....but he's back with a vengeance.

 

Does anyone know of a Terrier owner in Sheffield?

[The Dogmother]

Try asking around any farm shops, they might know.

[Egluntyne]

Try asking around any farm shops, they might know.

Good Idea....I will.!

[The Dogmother]

Or a good vet might also know.

[susanbb]

Just when I thought it was safe to go out in the garden What do I see I saw a very small vermin helping itself to miniscule crumbs of Rich Tea. This was on Friday evenibg,but may have nipped it in the bud as the blue bait from my bait box has gone. Could this be a victory or am I being over optimistic

 

Susan

[The Dogmother]

They've never 'gone' Susan. If you've had rats, there will always be a chance that they will return, so keep the traps out and baited.

[susanbb]

Thanks. That's what I thought and especially as we live by the railway they've always been around.Even when I didn't have the girls , they often popped up.

 

Susan

[Hazel_L]

we had a problem with rats burrowing into the run UNDER the brick and paving-slab base

 

OH got some sheet metal and we dug a vertical trench and sunk that in to a depth of 8-10 ins so they can't dig in now

 

The local council were really helpful - supplied traps and everything... (I got spring-traps rather than bait or humane traps but he had a choice)