Rats!

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zimtim
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Re: Rats!

Post by zimtim »

Is you bird feeder free standing.

You can make it harder for the rats to get to the seed
Greasing the pole.
Spikes
Chicken wire wired up an old bike/car battery.

Clean up any fallen seed at the end of every day.

With your rat bait mix with peanut butter and wrap well in cling film.
Rats then tend to take this back to the nest.
If your just moving your container suggest putting in a trap door in the central area allows you too place the poison out of harm's way. And it is easier to then see if the bait has been taken .
SteveWat
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Re: Rats!

Post by SteveWat »

The bird feeder is home made, I used a flag and the rats can’t climb up and get over the flag.
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I like the idea about the trap door.... now I just throw bait under the container, I’m pretty sure it’s taken but I can’t check.
....and we need to smarten-up regarding clearing away bird feeder spillage.
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chunky butt
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Re: Rats!

Post by chunky butt »

Our cat does most of the vermin control, but to help him out I've got a lovely little 410 which does the trick :D
daveuprite
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Re: Rats!

Post by daveuprite »

It's a regular problem for us. We keep chickens, donkeys and horses - so there's cereal-based feed everywhere in our barns. We've bought steel feed bins for all the horse chaff and grains, and I keep the chicken feed in an old broken chest freezer which still has a really good seal.

The key to deterring rats is all about food. Just take away every source of food if you can. Shooting them is daft. You'd have to stay up all night just to rid yourself of 1% of the population if you're lucky. That's more about men being all macho with guns than to serve any practical purpose. Poison is horrible and dangerous and can end up killing many other species you didn't intend to kill, including your household pets. Humane traps and relocation into far away woods is an option of course. I've done it myself. But for every one you catch there'll be ten lurking about loose. It doesn't solve it.

Concentrate on the food supply. But remember rats aren't fussy - they'll eat almost anything - including chicken shit, daffodil bulbs, etc etc. I've even seen them in the Autumn up in our pear trees munching on the fruit.
Richard Simpson Mark II
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Re: Rats!

Post by Richard Simpson Mark II »

We tend to get them in our roof at the start of winter. I use big wacker traps baited with peanut butter.

We con't see to many of them outdoors...a lurcher and a terrier tend to make it quite unfriendly for them...they only really go in the veg garden, which is dog-free. I have had good results shooting them with a Gamo Shadow .22 air rifle and scope sight.

I wouldn't use poison...too much collateral damage
Jak*
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Re: Rats!

Post by Jak* »

I have the same problem. I don’t want to use poison as I’m trying to encourage birds, hedgehogs, etc and keep chickens. In the last couple of years I’ve caught more birds in the humane traps than rats. I have borrowed an air gun, but since I got it the buggers have kept a low profile in daylight hours. A mate down the pub suggested putting down ferret poo as apparently this deters them. Unfortunately I can’t find anyone with ferrets locally, so if anyone on here lives near Matlock and either keeps ferrets or knows someone who does please let me know.
If your problem is moles I can recommend curry powder. After trying sonic detergents, humane traps etc. I visited my local Indian supermarket and purchased a large bag of hot curry powder, I knocked the tops of the mole hills, poured the powder down them and I haven’t seen the buggers since. Unfortunately it didn’t work on the rats.
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Elmer J Fudd
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Re: Rats!

Post by Elmer J Fudd »

Are thy nesting close by or just foraging at yours and nesting elsewhere? Track and trace (Not Dido's version, but a local spaniel or scent hound).

If they just travel to you for food then removing the food for a few months should reduce the numbers, but if they are nesting close by you need to find the nest and destroy it.

If you find the nest, surround the area with loose purse nets and send in the terriers, the dogs will catch some but the nets will hold the fleeing rats long enough for a no.5 shovel to be used.

Traps should be clear of human scent so wash them followed by leaving outside / rub on some dirt, then place them for a few days before baiting.

It may be as well to get an expert in for the first major attack on them, but make sure you help / watch and learn their tactics so you can repeat yourself.

Where I used to stay it was mice at cutting time that were the problem, we would get about a dozen a night in the traps for a week or so. You get paranoid looking for droppings around the kitchen.
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boboneleg
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Re: Rats!

Post by boboneleg »

Do you reckon theyre coming from the hedgerows by the motorway Steve, when I used to drive you'd constantly rats by the motorways because of the food thrown out of cars.

Good luck with trying to muzzle Holly, you've got to catch her first :mrgreen:
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Elmer J Fudd
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Re: Rats!

Post by Elmer J Fudd »

chunky butt wrote: Sat Mar 13, 2021 10:36 am Our cat does most of the vermin control, but to help him out I've got a lovely little 410 which does the trick :D
.410 ammo is pretty expensive these days, which is a pity as they are fun to shoot. We used them for Magpies when we were kids using a half full tic tac container, shaken to draw them in. Not sure why parents thought a .410 was safer than a 12 bore though.
catcitrus
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Re: Rats!

Post by catcitrus »

With the .410 has anyone tried removing the shot and refilling the cartridge with ordinary candle wax? Makes bore cleaning more necessary but doesn't damage buildings too much--you have a kind of soft sabot. You can get devious and add a few .22 pellets into the mix for greater punch. I don't recommend this approach of course, and don't take any responsibility for the outcome.
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