rat problem

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kitla
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rat problem

Post by kitla »

I realise that rats are part of our wildlife & we try to be tolerant of them appearing in the garden from time to time. However, ours have become a problem & are breeding in ours & nextdoors garden & need to be culled. I called out a private pest controller who decided it would be too risky to use poison due to the number of pets around & they would bring enclosed snap traps & come regularly to empty them. But they havent come back to us - perhaps it would involve too many visits. So I think we'll end up buying our own traps. I'm worried about the hedgehogs so we'll need to raise the traps or unset them at night (our rats are active all day) These are the kind of thing https://www.homebase.co.uk/rentokil-enc ... ap_p404961" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Has anyone here used these? & got any recommendations of good or bad ones, as they're quite expensive (but much less than getting someone else to do it!) The p/c said they baited with a peanut butter & tuna thing.
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KathJ
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Re: rat problem

Post by KathJ »

Hi Kitla, we had quite a big rat problem last winter and they were getting into the chicken shed so we had to get rid of them. We used an humane cage, actually we had 3 of them dotted about in the end and then you can either remove them far from the garden or dispose of them {cry} but they had to go!! If you shop around the prices vary. We were concerned about using poison in case they died in the garden and the dog got them. It took a few of months but we eventually got rid of them, we caught 3 or 4 I think. We baited them with peanut butter, chocolate or layer pellets as they seemed quite fond them then! Good Luck >fi<
Kath xx

Mum to my beautiful girls Lucy, Holly, Rosie, Hettie, Polly, Ruby, Lily, Penny, Gracie, Maisie, Molly, Evie and my gorgeous boy Toby

RIP my beautiful Ranger, Roxy, Bluebelle, Poppy, Speckle, Daisy and Honey xxxx
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lancashire lass
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Re: rat problem

Post by lancashire lass »

I haven't used an enclosed rat trap but have used snap traps (and yes, peanut butter does entice them but rat bait is also very attractive) which worked well - at first. I can remember at least one or both traps being set off most nights and then one day it just stopped and no amount of treats would attract the rats. But I still had a rat problem.

Rats are incredibly intelligent and despite spacing the traps far apart, they worked out that the tasty treat ended in death and stopped visiting the traps thereafter.

Instead of buying an expensive trap, might it be cheaper to buy some snap traps and put them into much cheaper big lunch boxes (or maybe empty ice cream tubs?) with a hole drilled in the side? What I would recommend is don't set the traps at first (by all means, have the traps in the box so they get used to it) but put food in the box/enclosure (something like broken sweet biscuits, peanuts and so on - maybe a few outside the entrance and just inside the entrance so they can see and smell it) as they'll be very wary of something strange suddenly appearing in their environment. Give it a couple of days so they get used to it and see it as a source of food first before actually setting the trap.

Also, siting the trap is important - rats like to run alongside a wall where they are less likely to be seen by predators so don't put the trap in the middle of the floor, nor site it too near the entrance to their nest (where they'll all be able to see their friend die and learn to then avoid the trap)

KathJ wrote:We used an humane cage, actually we had 3 of them dotted about in the end and then you can either remove them far from the garden or dispose of them {cry} but they had to go!! If you shop around the prices vary. We were concerned about using poison in case they died in the garden and the dog got them. It took a few of months but we eventually got rid of them, we caught 3 or 4 I think. We baited them with peanut butter, chocolate or layer pellets as they seemed quite fond them then! Good Luck >fi<


The humane cage I got never caught a single rat - biggest waste of money.
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wendy
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Re: rat problem

Post by wendy »

I did have a problem a year or so back.
Arthur caught three and I put an open, upside down umberella underneath the bird feeders. Haven't seen any since.
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kitla
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Re: rat problem

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I have already got a couple of cage traps. I have caught rats in them sometimes & relocated them, (though I've been told this is not a kindness, they will be terrified, in strange territory & probably killed by the local rats) or had someone shoot them. Unfortunately I have also caught birds & hedgehogs in them, so I only set them in chicken run now. The other day I found a couple of baby rats in one, I really didnt know what to do with them, too young to release somewhere, too small to shoot, I actually released them in the end, how ridiculous! I think we'll get a couple of the proper boxed snap traps to start with & see how we get on with them, my neighbour will have to get some too as most of the burrows are in their garden. Its still cheaper than using the professional chap.
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KathJ
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Re: rat problem

Post by KathJ »

The only thing we caught with the snap traps was mice }hairout{ Yes, unfortunately you do have to persevere, I read somewhere that the traps needs to be down a couple of weeks before they'll go anywhere near. As for disposal, that was left to my OH but he just put the whole trap in a trug of water. I know it's not nice but they are vermin and I also read that for every one you actually see there are another 3 or 4 that you don't yike*
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Re: rat problem

Post by Grannyof4 »

I use rat bait boxes. Also I look for the holes where they are coming from underground. I get a piece of tube which will fit down the hole and pour bait down and then block the hole with something like brick etc. that will be impossible for them to move.
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kitla
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Re: rat problem

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I've bought a set of 3 trap boxes from amazon about £20 which is cheapest ive found. I've baited them with peanut butter & sweetcorn but not set them yet, best to get the rats used to feeding from them first. Several largeish rats run out of the chicken run when I go up there & poor Giblet has been hiding in her coop, so 2 boxes are in the runs, they'll be safe from the hedgehog at night. The 3rd is out near the rat burrows, that one I will remove at night. I've also baited the electric trap, I only killed mice when I set that in the chicken run so havent used it since, now I've put it out near the ratholes - I dont think any mice will be living there! I've set the trail camera towards a trap, we'll see how they react. ....watch this space!
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KathJ
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Re: rat problem

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Good Luck )t' Perseverance is they key I think!
Kath xx

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RIP my beautiful Ranger, Roxy, Bluebelle, Poppy, Speckle, Daisy and Honey xxxx
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kitla
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Re: rat problem

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Quite a bit of activity on the camera, the rats have been creeping up to the traps, sniffing them & running away. Eventually a couple of them took food from the entrance, but I didnt see any being brave enough to go inside. I've rebaited them tonight I'll try setting them tomorrow. I dont feel good about it after watching what seemed like a documentry about my family of rats, but it's quicker than poison. If only they didnt breed so fast!
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KathJ
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Re: rat problem

Post by KathJ »

You do have a twinge of sadness because they are quite cute close up but like you say they just breed to quickly and if you don't get on top of it you'll never get rid of them. We kept finding little piles of layer pallets around too where they'd been storing them to eat later so also costing us a fortune }hairout{
Kath xx

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RIP my beautiful Ranger, Roxy, Bluebelle, Poppy, Speckle, Daisy and Honey xxxx
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Re: rat problem

Post by wendy »

Yes I agree.
I like rats and had pet mice for many years. {cry}
But I cannot have them around my dogs and their food. Too many nasties they bring with them.
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kitla
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Re: rat problem

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Unfortunately the rat traps have failed to catch anything, dh has managed to shoot one rat with his air rifle, but there's too many of them now, I am afraid for Giblet's safety & worried they will find a way into our house As a last resort I have called out another pest controller who is going to use poison, they're quite expensive but the situation is getting dire.
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Re: rat problem

Post by Gwenoakes »

We have always had rats and mice round as we live in the sticks and have horses as well as chickens.
I have found through trial and error the only way to control them is to lay poison at regular intervals. I buy mine on the net and get different brands with varying ingredients, so hopefully they will not get immune to it.
The first summer we moved in here and this was before chickens too, we had them sitting on the lawn up on their back legs looking at us when we had a barbie outside, not even running away when we were moving about, so something had to be done and quickly.
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KathJ
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Re: rat problem

Post by KathJ »

Maybe that's the solution if there are so many. I must admit it did take us a while until we started to catch them. My OH borrowed an air rifle and spent many a night stood in the dark 'half cocked'!! Think we had the wrong sort of pellets though (not pointy enough) as he did hit them a few times but the pellets bounced off and the little blighters just laughed and ran away {rofwl}
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RIP my beautiful Ranger, Roxy, Bluebelle, Poppy, Speckle, Daisy and Honey xxxx
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