There are three holes near the fence where I think the critters have their burrows. What can I do? Is a rat infestation notifiable? Should I get the council to send out a ratcatcher? I don't fancy dealing with the little blighters myself because I know they can be dangerous when cornered. This is rural England, so since we all are apparently less than 5 metres away from a rat, it's still unpleasant, especially if they find a way of getting into the house. I've stopped putting out ~any~ food for the birds.
Look in your local paper for a Pest Control man. We have one near to us in East Anglia, and he deals with any type of pest you have, from rats to wasps to moles etc.
Before I do that, which will be costly for sure, can't I put down some rat repellent? I don't particularly want to poison them as stray cats come into the garden often and might eat the poison. And poisoned rats die a horrible death apparently. I'd much rather just drive them away.
I mowed the lawn this morning for the first time this year and discovered two or three holes that look suspiciously like the entrances to burrows to me. Some suggestions I've already found on the web:
I can't say for sure that any of them do. I believe the electronic ones to be about as effective as magnets for water softening, ie not at all. I am pretty sure that any method used to merely deter them will only see them return at a later date. Filling holes will just mean the holes move to somewhere else. Our guy uses proper boxes with entrance and exit holes, installed in a known visible run, the poison bait is in a compartment inside; no cat could ever get in there, and they are semi-buried under bricks, tiles etc, they are invisible unless you know where to look. He comes by about every other month and renews the bait. The neighbour's chickens, and our bird food, mean that there are always going to be some rats around, but they are generally to be found in the country near housing, anyway. The winter's rain has also disturbed a lot. I haven't actually seen one in the last three years or so, but the bait does slowly get eaten.
A fella I met in the States had this humoungous rifle, with all sorts of things like spring-loaded counterbalance weights and such. Down at the firing range, it made a sort of deep 'Whoof' sound, whereas most other rifles went just 'bang'. He used it to shoot ground squirrels on his brother's farm. I doubt that there was anything left of them to cook.
I would say the first thing is to have a good look for any places where they could enter the house and make sure things are secure. I found a spot where the buggers had chewed through a 4 x 4 timber to gain entry. The next thing is to make sure there's nothing worth their while coming for (loose bin bags etc).
Last year, I found a burrow entrance like this and after a few other attempts I shoved a hose into the hole and ran it for about an hour. No sign of further activity at that point but they probably moved on somewhere else.
If ypou let them become well established they will be even more difficult to deal with, given their breeding rate, so robust action is advisable.
The only really effective thing is to kill them one way or another. Just because most poisons take a while to have their effects doesn't mean they cause slow agony. They are designed to accumulate over time toward a lethal dose, so that the population doesn't make the connection between eating bait and its effects. Traps are good, but traps that kill immediately are not really appropriate in the open, where other species will be caught, and live catch traps rarely work well.
A decent air rifle at dusk can be a useful solution, if you have a steady eye.
If you know wher ethe holes are, Poison theem with ICE exhaust gases. Hose pipe and two stroke engine is good. The first bit will need to be a metal pipe for the heat.
On a slightly smaller scale, I get mice in the house every winter. I normally trap them as soon as I see one and generally have no problems. This year I managed over winter and thought no more of them. Last week I saw one, set traps and caught 8 What ever you decide to do, do it now, don't wait to think about it.
Trouble is a "decent" air rifle needs an FAC these days.
How does the rat catcher know which rats he's to take away then? the cute furry ones with long tails that are just living the way nature made them, or the evil scummy bald headed ones with tramp stamps that live as idly as possible.
As most people who bought their council house found out ;)
A hungry cat is required. We had rat issues around the pig food bins until we acquired a couple of 'outside cats'. Sadly one has succumbed to the trunk road we are on, but the rat population is very greatly reduced.
The cat needs to be a hungry out side one though. No use having a soft namby pamby urban lap cat :)
You're dam right there! It will demand the most expensive cat food, take the best seat in the house and sleep 22 hours a day ! The best hunter I ever saw was a Maine coon, mind it was bigger than most terriers!!
If need be put the traps inside a tunnel, I used empty plastic 2 litre bottles, cut one end of and bent it down a bit so the only thing that would enter is a rodent. I did this for about 4 weeks and caught 6 I think it was. I then made sure there was no food source available for them (previous owners had 5 dogs!) I havent seen any for a couple of years now.
There is no nice way to get rid of, either kill them or learn to live with them.
I also have on ocassion to babysit a terrier dog and a cat which I suppose kind of searches the place out for me should anything stray back in. Might be worth encouraging a cat or 2 although that could give issue to other problems if you are in to gardening.
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