Luvachicken Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 We thought we had a rat in the chicken run because a perfect round hole appeared with a little tunnel. Originally hubby dug down to the tunnel and blocked it off with a breeze block, but the rat eventually re-dug the tunnel. We went and bought 3 rat traps, loaded them with Christmas pudding and waited. We have caught nothing. The traps have been there a good 3 weeks or so. Hubby even put some spare food down and that has not been eaten either. Could another animal have dug the tunnel and hole ? Hubby keeps saying it could be a mole but I told him there is no mound of soil on top and I don't think there are any moles near our house. Things we do have are squirrels but I'm pretty certain they don't dig tunnels. I really want to give the girls all of their run back but can't until we catch whatever it might be. Any ideas ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Sounds like a rat to me. We had one last year and it took ages to get rid of it. I put poison down and eventually it went. It made small round holes and was very persistant. Hope you find out what the culprit is . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Does sound like rat.Luvachicken we had great success at weekend on first setting rat trap.We baited it with Nutella,a big blob and caught it that night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 rats are very fussy about new food sources and new objects in their territory and it can take at least a month for them to start taking the bait if they take it in the first place. I was told when I did a bit of research when I took over pest control on the Allotment that if after the first month the bait hadn't been touched then to move the boxes or traps to a new location then if not used repeat every 4 week until a location was found that the rats liked and leave the boxes/traps in that place full time luckily I only had to move one box once Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 yup, after my recent experiences, I'm afraid it sounds like a rat They are indeed fussier about food than you'd expect them to be I've tried all sorts in my rat traps (jam, peanut butter, biscuits, assorted cake/pastries etc etc). Have decided I have had most success with Galaxy chocolate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Peanut butter gets them every time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Peanut butter gets them every time mine weren't interested. perhaps that was my fault for using the healthy organic chunky stuff - mebbe I should have bought them a special jar of something else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 mine liked skippy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Chocolate every time, they love the stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Mice do dig tunnels too - if it is a really small hole it could be them. If a larger hole then a ratty. I think stoats/weasels/mink can do the same, but more likely a determined rat. If there is a dark mark along your fence/bricks they like to take the same route and mark it. Place the traps along there. I got 2 different sorts - one is a tube in the greenhouse and the other is down at the back of the fence but more like a box with blocks (apparently choccy flavour) tucked well away inside. In the end the food that was eaten was actually in a corner behind the water butt where I accidentally spilt some and witnessed ratty chomping away. Sad really, but it had to be done. We have little wood mice now - where there's mice there's no rats and also a tasty snack on legs for the chooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 where there's mice there's no rats and also a tasty snack on legs for the chooks. that's not allows the case we 've had rats, mice and voles at the same time an the Allotments the mice do tend to stay in the sheds more but there a pain in the bait boxes as the tend to skin the bait the rats eat it all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 We had mice last summer coming under the fence from Next doors compost heap... I hoped the girls would eat then or at the very least chase them but oh no....the girls were unimpressed!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 We had a squirrel which dug tunnels once. I thought it was a rat until I saw it in action! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby22 Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 That has made me laugh . I am just picturing the squirrel Got to admire his unusual approach! We have a rat at the moment - four bait boxes out - but no, every morning I go into the chicken pen to find a mound of earth and a new tunnel! I have put so many bricks in there I have lost count. He is tunnelling under a set of slabs that are between a wall and the pen and I can't find the entrance hole I am getting through so much Stalosan at the moment because of him. Can't even see what he is after as I take the food in each night and rake the ground over. However, tomorrow night, when the girls have gone to bed, I am digging a foot down over the entire area, well probably two as they do try to tunnel to Australia, and placing mesh there It might kill me to do it but something has got to give Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 Thank you everybody for all your replies, they are much appreciated. It does sound like it probably is a rat then - I was just worried 'cos Hubby suggested it could be something else and I didn't want to kill a more friendly animal. On the Fat versus Sugar panorama program the other day, they suggested that rats adore cheesecake. I am willing to feed it anything and will try the chocolate, peanut butter and all your other suggestions, and get it a bit of cheesecake. Fingers crossed we catch it soon. Libby22, we dug down very deep but the blighter just dug up again. I suggested to Hubby that we could concrete the whole base of the run and he thought this was a rubbish idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby22 Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Ah, well that has probably saved me a lot of work I think you may be on the right lines with the concrete - perhaps I should move all the bricks and fill the rat tunnels with concrete - wouldn't that be a shock for Mr Rat tomorrow night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilda-and-evadne Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 I suggested to Hubby that we could concrete the whole base of the run and he thought this was a rubbish idea Alternatively, bricks. The floor of my WIR is laid - herringbone style - with house bricks, done on purpose to make it harder for rats as well as foxes to burrow in. Bricks are warm in winter and cool in summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 I suggested to Hubby that we could concrete the whole base of the run and he thought this was a rubbish idea Alternatively, bricks. The floor of my WIR is laid - herringbone style - with house bricks, done on purpose to make it harder for rats as well as foxes to burrow in. Bricks are warm in winter and cool in summer. That's a nice idea I can just see Hubby doing that for me But it is something to consider, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
