[A bit OT] Killing Rats

[Vortex]

Hi,

We've kept chickens for some years and this Winter some rats have "moved in" under the shed, and have created a network of tunnels - no doubt attracted by free food. The food source is now removed, and despite 2 traps and a large amount of poison (blue pellets) we still have rats. They seem pretty smart. They're obviously hungry because we see them by day nicking bread left for the birds.

Alpha Rat (now called "Shredder Bin Laden") is definitely a boy and has at least one wife. Scorched earth tactics are called for before we have a plague. I have various questions:

TRAPS Can anybody recommend a bait that is absolutely irrestible to rats?

POISON Our rats seem wise to "commercial" poison so I'm inclined towards the Ukranian approach....lacing some chicken food with some kind of lethal toxin. What? Where can I legally buy it?

GAS Pipe from car exhaust into tunnels with all possible exits blocked. Wife thinks I'm mad. Surely this will work? Can you also get pyrotechnic fumigators?

ASASSINATION Maybe an excuse to get an Air Rifle or pistol. I really don't have the patience to stalk the Prey though...but the Dirty Harry fantasy "Probably the most powerful airgun in thge world" does have some appeal.

VAPOURISATION WITH JAMES BOND LASER (son's suggestion) Unfortunately my 1mW, 630 nm eye safe pointer just doesn't have the grunt. Star Wars technology is beyond my budget and probably not CE approved anyhow.

Any other suggestions before the hunt saboteurs get me?

David

[Colin Irvine]

On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 08:20:19 -0000, "Vortex" squeezed out the following:

Airgun worked for me - rats will often let you get quite close.

[Tony Williams]

I use a Big Nipper with a piece of fatty fried bacon securely tied to it. That catches youngsters, but the big old ones got to be old ones by being more cautious and crafty. They are very leery of anything strange.

My pal uses a cage, because he reckons that once one youngster is seen in the cage (apparently ok) then all the others will follow. But then you have to kill them.

An air rifle needs practice but it is interesting, and practicing gets the rats used to the sound.

Rat's eyes seem to be very sensitive to the slightest movement near their level, but they don't appear to have much awareness of things above them. So I bait a particular area below an upstairs window and zero the air rifle for that distance. Choose a day when the wind is in your face.

If you shoot a youngster, stay still and leave it there, because there is a good chance that a parent will come to investigate, quite quickly.

[John]

Raw meat is recommended although we had success with a bit of untoasted crumpet. Bread tends to dry out and can be pulled off the trap without activating it. Chocolate, which is good for mice, doesn't seem to hold the same attraction for rats. Peanut butter might be worth a try.

Provided there's any kind of alternative food around, they'll nearly always go for that rather than the poison bait. Even if they do, one problem is that a dying rat might be eaten by your or your neighbours' cats and that is very upsetting. One of our cats was nearly killed this way some years ago and spent two weeks in great pain before its liver function recovered.

No idea although the runs will have mutiple exits. Are mole smokes still allowed?

You won't hit a barn door with an air pistol. An air rifle, however, is a different matter. You will find that closet killers come out of the woodwork from amongst the meekest and mildest members of your family who all want to have a go.

If only.

We had four under a shed - score so far is one snap-trapped, one live-trapped, one shot and one at large.

If you have bird feeders, fix inverted plastic dishes around the centre post. Ours climbed a narrow metal shepherds crook pole in seconds to get at the feeder but were stumped by a barrier.

John

[shaun]

Don't leave bread out for the birds (and ask neighbours not to) until you've got rid of them.

POISON

Your neighbours might not be best pleased when their cat dies :-(

It's an option.

Meanwhile, back in the real world..... ;-)

[mrcheerful]

always use gloves to handle the traps, they can smell human otherwise.

gun is very useful, forget the exhaust pipe, remember if you see one then there are at least a dozen nearby, persevere with poison, but again use gloves.

[Vortex]

Well I just found

Air rifles for under £50.00!! I had no idea.

Looks like I'll be making some calls for technical advice and acquire some weaponry next week.

David

[roy davidson]

I live trapped 16 of the beggars last winter, it took the whole winter to get them. The best trap had a sprung door, although the trap with a flap did give me three in one morning. Bacon seemed the best bait, often supplemented by a trail of oatmeal leading into the trap from the entrance to the den. I kept the traps baited year round and got another four this last autmn.

roy

[Howard Neil]

Yes. Get a Jack Russell.

I took this approach four years ago. There was a delay of a few months while the puppy grew but he killed his first rat when he was 6 months old. He soon got the taste for it and, within another month, the rats that were left alive decided to take up alternative residence. Since then, he has deterred any further infestation. You will need to train him/her to leave the chickens alone, though. Our JR showed an initial interest in playing with the chickens but soon learned to leave them alone.

[nightjar]

The problem with both these is the smell of rotting rats where you can't reach them and the plague of flies that accompany the bodies.

A silenced .22 rifle would be more effective as it has a longer range. Whether you can get the firearms licence for it will depend on where you live and the attitude of the local firearms officer. Ours is a keen shooter and is very sympathetic to anyone with a genuine need.

...

As already suggested, a Jack Russell. They are not terribly sane dogs, but they do keep the rat population down.

Colin Bignell

[Mary Fisher]

Bread left out for the birds seems to be the thing for your rats!

No idea but you don't want poisoned rat bodies lying around, they don't smell nice and the chickens might eat them. Mine love rodents.

Again, you'll be left with bodies, you won't be able to find them all.

You could call in pest control. I've found them very helpful.

A terrier.

Mary Yorkshire

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Think I'd prefer the rats.

[Huge]

very effective.

Also rat-traps batied with peanut butter. Fasten the traps down, though, since one of mine vanished without trace (I assume the rat either crawled away dragging the trap, or one of the owls scooped it up, complete with trap.)

[Huge]

[21 lines snipped]

I've seen professional ratters do this with chainsaw engines.

[Huge]

[26 lines snipped]

I should get on with it before the Government bans them.

[Huge]

[14 lines snipped]

Or a 410 shotgun. The ammo boxes even have pretty little pictures of rats on them...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes - no cat. A modern car might take a long time to kill due to the near total removal of the CO by the cat. What you really need is a nice old Cortina with a worn carb. ;-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Rats will exapnd to fill the food supply. Killing one lot just allows the next lot to move over.

Sure,m but see above.

OIts lots of fun. A scope equipped .22 air rifle is accurate and lethal yp to aboutr 40 yards, less lethal, less accurate up to 60.

Traps. Rat traps work. But unless you stop giving them a free lunch, they will always be back.

Terriers are good too.

[sylva]

Our "chainsaw engine" drove a fan that "dusted" burrows with "cymag".

AJH

[Huge]