Jump to content

Rats - Know a good way to get rid of them?


Recommended Posts

We have rats in one of our byres, and hey seem to be avoiding the traps I have put down baited with peanut butter. I cannot use poisons as we have many dogs and I would not want to take the chance of one of them getting hold of a poisoned rat, so does anyone have any ways that they have got rid of these pests?

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Me, me, me!

 

I have two Patterdale terriers and a lurcher plus a friend with two ratting collies who will come and get rid. Just say the word and we are there.....

 

My lot would love a good rat.

 

If you give us a contribution towards petrol and ferry we will come and a-rat for you. We are on the westside (Walls).

 

PM me if you are interested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have a difficult job ahead of you if you don't want to use poison. Whatever trap you try and use, will only ever catch one rat at the very most, they're far too smart for their own good, and if one of their number is observed in distress that's enough to teach them that whatever was in the immediate vicinity of the one in distress is to be avoided at all costs, regardless of however tempting the bait may be.

 

The short answer would be, make the byre the home of some of your dogs, especially if any are terriers, as some varieties of terriers are born with a psychotic desire to kill rats. If they have the run of the place any rat who shows it's nose will lose it. If other breeds, some will kill rats some won't, it would be more a case of trial and error. A cat living in the byre is a possible alternative, again some will take out rats, some won't, it would be trial and error again.

 

No dog or cat I've seen killing a rat has ever eaten it, they just nip them in the back of the neck, toss them in the air a few times then leave them, so the risk of a poisoned rat being eaten is small, but nevertheless it's smart not to take the risk.

 

If getting in dogs or a cats to hunt them doesn't appeal, and poison isn't an option, there isn't really all that much else you can do unless remove from the building anything that they can destroy, ie everything that isn't rock, metal or glass, and wait. They will all move on of their own accord after a few months, once they breed that their numbers are making where they are cramped, available food is getting scarce, and the whole place is getting a bit ripe with their body waste products, one day they will simple vanish en masse. The less you have lying around they can eat or chew on, the sooner they will go.

 

[Edit] ^^ Frances posted while I was typing. A couple of terriers and a couple of ratting collies, exactly what you need.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yip - cats. I've lived in a couple of places where near neighbours have big rat problem but they don't come near my house/ outbuildings - even though plenty to tempt them like black bags waiting to be put out. I am sure it's just the smell of the cats?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^^^

adopt some older feral cats, who are hard to rehome, with a warm(ish)/dry bed and a guaranteed food supply (if they've been feral long enough, cheap cat food will do) they'll thank you by keeping down on pests. Just think good old fashioned farm cats as apposed to fat lazy house cats. But remember to get them fixed (V. cheap if not free up here) else they'll become a problem of their own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Two terriers and a lurcher (plus two collies on stand-by) still desperate for a good day's ratting.

 

You know where we are!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e302/Frances144/IMG_1505copy.jpg

 

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e302/Frances144/IMG_1544copy.jpg

 

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e302/Frances144/DSC00005.jpg

 

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e302/Frances144/th_MOV00128.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...