Rats

[gonzo_the_great]

If you are getting overrun?
Have a word with the local airgunners. And see if they would like to come over and spend dark evenings mopping them up with some night vision/IR scopes.
Get the job done without having to loose your own evenings.

 

[Tony]

I used to be one of the ones that went clearing with the air rifles

Not seen any for a couple of days, but I think that's mostly to do with us re-steel-meshing the rabbits' hutch and not putting food out for the birds or dog. Saying that the poisons still being taken.

 

[Janne]

Do they do sny damage in your house?

 

[Tony]

no, although we've heard them in the loft a few times this last week, they damage the shed, bird stuff, they leave droppings in the firewood, make holes all over the place etc

 

[Nice65]

I put a trail cam in the garage last night. Looks like we have a lone maverick in there very, very carefully licking peanut butter off the traps. I caught about 30 seconds of video footage of this chancer. It’s only a matter of time now as he gets bolder and is put in a permanent state of not peeing and crapping amongst my tools, and not doing the same on my camp chairs, bed chairs, cold box, big tarps etc.

What the larger creature is that digs the lawn, but also leaps the garden gate is can only be a fox. The cats next door don’t jump the gate, they slink through the bars. The pest bloke reckons badger, so the cam is out again tonight pointing toward the untidy compost heap (dump) part of the garden where the terriers are going nuts.

 

[Woody girl]

If you catch that pesky rat you can make some ratatouille.

 

[Tony]

I put a trail cam in the garage last night. Looks like we have a lone maverick in there very, very carefully licking peanut butter off the traps. I caught about 30 seconds of video footage of this chancer. It’s only a matter of time now as he gets bolder and is put in a permanent state of not peeing and crapping amongst my tools, and not doing the same on my camp chairs, bed chairs, cold box, big tarps etc.

What the larger creature is that digs the lawn, but also leaps the garden gate is can only be a fox. The cats next door don’t jump the gate, they slink through the bars. The pest bloke reckons badger, so the cam is out again tonight pointing toward the untidy compost heap (dump) part of the garden where the terriers are going nuts.

The mystery of the larger creature!! I can't really see a badger jumping the gate...

 

[Toddy]

It does mine. Right enough my gate's only three feet high, but the top of the slats are all carved up where the badger hauls itself up and over. It surprised me the first few times I saw it happen. They're very bold when they settle into an area, and they're noisy. Grunts and snuffles, etc.,
Next door neighbour blocked the hollow under the fence they were using before. Used paving slabs. Now they go up and over.

I don't think they'd manage a higher fence or gate though.

M

 

[Nice65]

Nothing at all on the cam, but Mr Rat has ceased to be. I found him earlier, cleanly killed in one of the traps.

 

[British Red]

We have a bit of a rat problem at the moment, we're next to a stream and wooded grazing ground for cattle, I've got a shed and another woodshed etc in the corner of my back yard, it's also where the kids rabbits are. Over the last while the rat population seems to have increased loads, I know Rats breed bast etc but for years I've just shot the odd one, we've had poison out etc and all's been good.

However, at the moment we're seeing lots of them, the poison doesn't seem to be enough (and we have it out in numerous places, it's also good quality) and shotting the odd one really doesn't have a huge impact. I've not generally used traps but I'm happy to, anyone here had success with them?

At the moment I'm inclined to get some traps, maybe put more poison down and sit for a while with the air rifle each day...

Any other suggestions?

Hi Tony,

When you keep livestock, you get rats. I have had great success with the Mk IV Fenn Trap in purpose home build artificial tunnels for eradicating rats.

Really happy to talk you through building and deploying them - drop me a DM if that would help?

Rat Trap in Place by British Red, on Flickr

Trap clipped in by British Red, on Flickr

 

[Robbi]

Hello BR ☺

 

[British Red]

'Lo Robbi

 

[Man of Tanith]

Hey Red
nice to see you
hope you're well

 

[British Red]

Wotcha Sam, not so bad, keeping busy, just set 2 dozen eggs to hatch Hows you & yours?

 

[Woody110]

My dad had rats on the farm, and he used the bags, looked like blue corn, and no longer has rats. So that stuff worked, not sure what it was called, but I can ask. That will have been from the farm shop.

You could have a lot of fun making traps though and seeing what works best.

 

[Nice65]

The mystery of the larger creature!! I can't really see a badger jumping the gate...

I’ve been putting the camera out all over the garden where I think it might be, but nothing. The dogs are still going mad around the compost heap, and the grass is worn by usage so an animal is definitely entering and exiting. So, it’s still a mystery.

No more rats in the garage though, and that was my main concern.

 

[Nice65]

'Lo Robbi

It’s been a while for sure since I saw that avatar.

 

[British Red]

Some things just won't flush

 

[Paul_B]

Got some farmer friends with rat issues. Fortunately they've got a few dogs including a ratting gundog. It seems that once a dog has killed a rat it often goes mad for them in the future. Our little terrier got one but I think it nipped her so she threw it in the air and caught it again. Then left it not dead. It was probably going to die of injuries. Wasn't there the next day. That was outside our house across the road.

Fortunately we don't seem to have rats. I really don't want our border terrier to get the habit of catching them. Rats fight back and any dog that catches rats will be scarred from be rats biting back. They're tough animals rats. In some ways I respect what they are.

 

[Nice65]

Some things just won't flush