Slightly off topic, but...

[Robert Allison]

My question is about rats. I have a shop that has been invaded by rats and I am currently without a cat that catches mice and rats. My old cat kept them at bay, but the new one just likes to watch them, apparently.

Anyway, I have set out rat traps and I have shot 2 with my pellet gun. The first night with the traps I caught 3 rats. After 3 more nights with reset traps and new bait, not a single rat.

I am wondering if rats learn to avoid traps after they see what they do, or did I get them all the first night? I don't know if I am just lucky and there were only five rats, or whether they all left after realizing they weren't welcome, or whether they have learned to avoid being seen and to avoid the traps.

Anyone know?

[Lew Hodgett]

SFWIW, D-Con worked for me.

As for the cat, quit feeding it.

When it gets hungry enough, it will figure out rats are a food source.

The neighbor had a couple of barn cats, they got a bowl of milk when the cows were milked.

That was it, and nobody taught them how to be "mousers", but they looked well fed.

Lew

[Swingman]

Basically, you caught the stupid ones ... good lesson in "natural selection".

And it sounds like this particular cat is not hungry enough ... good lesson in "welfare".

;)

[Lee Michaels]

"Lew Hodgett" < wrote

As an old farmboy, I can confirm that. We had a cat population on the farm. There was no vet care, vaccinations or spaying and neutering. It was a stable population that varied a bit from season to season. They got a bowl of milk each day. That was it.

It was survival of the fittest. They fed on a wide variety of critters. Those who survived to adulthood usually lived a few years. Both predator and prey were fairly fit. Any sign of weakness resulted had dire results.

[Robert Allison]

Well, he only has 3 legs, so I give him a break. He doesn't complain about only having 3 legs, so I don't berate him for not catching the rats.

[tom]

Try leaving the traps unset and baited for a couple of weeks, training the "smart" ones to eat without consequences. Then.... Tom

[Leon]

3 legs huh? He does not happen to have a gun shot wound also does he? ;~)

[mac davis]

yep.. the early bird gets the worm, but the 2nd mouse gets the cheese..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Swingman]

"Leon" wrote

hehe ... reminds me of Larry the cable guy and his story about having to shoot his horse with a broken leg. :)

[Robert Allison]

Heh heh! No, he got it chewed off by a pit bull,... and lived to tell about it.

[Leon]

Reminded me of you telling me that story about Larry the Cable Guy. ;~)

[Edward Hennessey]

Exactly. Rats are neophobic, e.g. they are wary of new things and careful with their first experiences with them. If that inaugural experience is finding brother rat dead inside a trap, avoidance is the result. The idea is to rotate types of attacks and not set all traps to kill initially. But, of course, you could use deadly devices--say an unbaited field of set traps-- to channel the rodents into an area with baited traps that are only later activated. Then again, there is a mongoose....

Regards,

Edward Hennessey activated.

[Maxwell Lol]

Next time use a push stick....

[Dave in Houston]

Ever thought about making him a WOODEN leg?

Dave In Houston

[asmurff]

Decon haven't seen any after the first week. But don't put it where the cat can get at it, sounds like it has had a rough enough life already.

[Nova]

I noticed that you said that you reset the traps. Assuming they are the snap type traps, I was always instructed to discard a used trap as it will carry a scent that rats/mice will avoid. I've always used a fresh trap.

Victor, the maker of traps, suggests the same thing (question 18):

[Doug Winterburn]

No need - just rename him "Tripod".

[Robert Allison]

Thought about it, but he doesn't even seem to notice that he only has three, so I just leave well enough alone. He is kind of inspirational in that way.

[Robert Allison]

Well, I put out poison, reset the traps, sprinkled some talcum powder in a few places to see if I could see any tracks. I went out last night and sat in the dark with the pellet gun again and never saw a thing. No tracks, no nibbles on the bait poison, no sounds of movement, no signs of anything.

Perhaps I got them all. I just find it hard to believe that I got them all in one fell swoop.

I will keep my eyes open and keep the traps and poison out. I just don't want it to get any worse than it was.

[Lew Hodgett]

Gotta lov it.

Lew