RATS lots of Rats

dodgyme

They are everywhere this autumn.

WE need more owls.

Roen

Correct me if I'm wrong, but did Ireland ever have any great numbers of owls at all?

I seem to remember hearing from a few boffins that they were one of the species that never quite made it here in any numbers.
I've yet to see one in the wild

boneless

We had plenty of barn and long eared (I think...) but their habitat was taken away... I see a barn owl frequently in UCD. I'd love to know where the nest is!!

I also noticed a lot of rats recently in Dublin. At least the buzzards will eat well!!

newsjunky

boneless wrote: »

We had plenty of barn and long eared (I think...) but their habitat was taken away... I see a barn owl frequently in UCD. I'd love to know where the nest is!!

I also noticed a lot of rats recently in Dublin. At least the buzzards will eat well!!

I live next to UCD and I keep hearing a Barn owl in the small patch of woods by my apartment. Maybe he's nesting there?

Also, I saw a rat swimming in the canal the other day *shudders*

boneless

newsjunky wrote: »

I live next to UCD and I keep hearing a Barn owl in the small patch of woods by my apartment. Maybe he's nesting there?

Also, I saw a rat swimming in the canal the other day *shudders*

Would you PM me with more detail of what part of UCD you live near? I was onto BirdWatch Ireland about the owl and they are very interested.

Thanks!!

newsjunky

Sure, no problem.

The Hill Billy

I've a rat problem myself. The feckers are taking over my back garden. I managed to lay poison yesterday so it'll be interesting to see if there's any lessening of activity over the next few nights.

It got so bad recently that I couldn't go out into the back garden at night for a quiet smoke. Any time I went out there was a flurry of activity in the "hedge" (ok, untamed tangle of weeds & bushes) near the back door & then high-pitched shreiking until I went back indoors. Saturday night one of the rats was brazen enough to walk right up to within a metre of me at the back door & then fecked off again.

If the poison doesn't take care of things I may need to resort to the heavy-duty strimmer (or can of petrol) & clear back any undergrowth near the house.

L-M

We had lived where we are for the past ten years, and the mother had fed the birds for the past ten years, and for the past five(since we got a shed) she had thrown the bread on the roof, now all this will stop. The other day she threw the bread up on the roof and when she was in the kitchen saw a rat stroll out, look around, go over to the bread and take it back in. The birds wil suffer now... I'm only interested as i have never EVER seen a rat in real life...

Roen

Limerick-man wrote: »

We had lived where we are for the past ten years, and the mother had fed the birds for the past ten years, and for the past five(since we got a shed) she had thrown the bread on the roof, now all this will stop. The other day she threw the bread up on the roof and when she was in the kitchen saw a rat stroll out, look around, go over to the bread and take it back in. The birds wil suffer now... I'm only interested as i have never EVER seen a rat in real life...

Well they're everywhere to be honest. I'm not sure if those stats about only ever being a maximum of 30 feet from a rat no matter where you are are true, but they are genuinely in every single part of this land, in every environment you can think of.

I think a suspended bird feeder is the answer to your worries, just tie one or two on to a tree or other highish object and the birds will have somewhere to land and feed away.

They're pretty cheap from any DIY/garden centre.

boneless

Roen wrote: »

Well they're everywhere to be honest. I'm not sure if those stats about only ever being a maximum of 30 feet from a rat no matter where you are are true, but they are genuinely in every single part of this land, in every environment you can think of.

I think a suspended bird feeder is the answer to your worries, just tie one or two on to a tree or other highish object and the birds will have somewhere to land and feed away.

They're pretty cheap from any DIY/garden centre.

I had rats climb poles to get at the bird feeders!! :mad: They are resourceful animals!!

L-M

I'll have to get one suspended by air:D... Or maybe try the poison....

gerky

Don't use poison it kills everything that eats it not just rats.
Rats are everywhere best you can do is just not give them a free lunch.
If you just buy a few feeders and hang them from something fairly high and use fishing line or something like it to tie it on with, but leave a fairly long length of line between the feeder and whatever you tie it on to.
Their good at climbing but they shouldn't be able to get a grip on the line.

L-M

Ya i'd be warey of the poison alright... Don't want to killl the innocent birds all the same...I'm guessin rats can climb anything??

gerky

I know a lot of people who use fishing line or fine wire and the rats cant seem to get a grip of it and I've seen a few try,But your going to have rats anyway and as long as you are hygienic and careful around the house you shouldn't have a problem.

fantasma

I have heard the best way to get rid of rats is to catch a big one and place him in a box with a secure lid. Wait for a week and then put another rat into the box. The first rat will then eat that rat through sheer hunger. Repeat this process with two to three more rats over a monthly period with the original rat and then relase him into the wild. God help all other rats within radius....any thoughts???This method has ben used by farmers in the past with good results.

gerky

Apart from being very cruel I suspect its just an old wives tale or farmers tale as the case may be and cant see it being effective.

dodgyme

most modern poisons do not contain the ingredients that harm predatory birds. I think there was some law about this a few years ago. A similar thing was used to removed the lead from fishing weights to protest swans and this had a big effect also. If you have rats in the hedge you have very little choice then to tackle the problem before they enter your house.

myjugsarehuge

We've had a minor rat problem lately too but we have a big pond and I think they took advantage of any fish pellets that were uneaten in the summer and we just didn't notice they were here till lately. I've got suspended bird feeders too and I've no doubt they scavenge amongst the bits that drop to the floor. All the bird food is kept in the house and they aren't in here - I hope.

I've been using good old metal "snap ur fingers off" rat traps (never ever set one when you've been drinking). Caught 2 big ones using mini picnic bars as bait. Now the damn kids have eaten all the mini picnic bars and nothing else seems to wedge on the trap as well, cheese, meat etc all pulls off too easily. There only seem to be little baby rats now, I watched one sat on the trap nibbling some cheese but it didn't set it off as it was too lightweight.

So I bought 2 smaller plastic prebaited mouse traps and seems to be doing the business - didn't catch any last night so hopefully they've all gone.

It got quite competitive, me vs them, even though I hate killing things and even rescue tiny spiders and daddylonglegs out the house. I can't resist a gleeful grin when I draw back the kitchen curtains and see I have got one of the bast**ds

dodgyme

keep us informed on how you get on. If you know where they are nested you can burn them out. I had to do this during the summer with a wasp nest. Took 2 attempts and alot of petrol and gas flame canisters. Auld fella got stung a few times and they near got me in the eyes a few times. ( thank god I never got laser eye treatment, or I wouldnt have been wearing the glasses to protect me.):)

myjugsarehuge

Well I didn't catch any last night either, so hopefully thats the end of them. We get owls here by the way, I forgot to say, Long eared owls bred in the trees opposite a couple of summers ago. Used to sit on the bench outside about 9pm with a glass of wine and watch them flying about (where was the damn summer this year? I still can't believe its nearly Christmas and I didn't get a suntan at all)

The young owls sound like squeaky gates that need oiling, strange sound for a bird. I also saw a barn owl over the garden last year and a friend of mine saw one a few weeks ago so they are still about.

I sympathise with the wasp problem. I have 2 beehives and I've had a couple of stings, the last one was above my ear and my eye swelled up, looked like I'd gone 5 rounds in a boxing ring Wasps are enemy number 1 because they raid the beehives and steal the honey for themselves. I used to just shoo them outside but 'm afraid it was squash the wasp this year.

dodgyme

Thinks it is probably a good idea if you contact birdwatch ireland about the owls. They would be very interested as these beauiful creature are in major danger. And they have a good website also.

myjugsarehuge

dodgyme wrote: »

Thinks it is probably a good idea if you contact birdwatch ireland about the owls. They would be very interested as these beauiful creature are in major danger. And they have a good website also.

I was a member of Birdwatch Ireland until recently but I've lapsed lol. Do you think they will be interested in the owl sightings. I didn't think they were that "rare". We get hen harriers here too and merlins, I thought they were just interested in real rarities, like European/American migrants like the mourning dove seen recently ?

dodgyme

no they would be interested in the owls because when they initiate projects for expansion of the population they need to know where they exist in determining the be habitat and feeding patterns and areas to work on. I would report the hen harriers and merlins too. I would only take you 5 mins to do up an email to your local branch. Is there alot of juvenile woodland near you?

myjugsarehuge

dodgyme wrote: »

Is there alot of juvenile woodland near you?

Yes there is a lot of young forestry within a 15 mile radius, well all ages of forestry, and we have an expanse of blanket bog nearby as well. The Cork branch guy never got back to me when I emailed him about something before, I'll dig an old copy of Wings out and see who else I can get hold of.

The Hill Billy

To the posters who are against laying poison for rats - if the poison is laid correctly there is very, very little chance of a birds or other animals from coming in contact with it.

gerky

I know that it can be used responsibly but a lot of people tend to be careless with it and even when used responsibly sometimes other animals like shrews, wood mice,wrens and robins cant still get at it.
And in general unless you have a fairly big population of them they wont do much harm and their around you anyway whether you see them or not.

Day Lewin

Rat poison laid by amateurs caused the death of several pet cats in this area recently. Whether they ate dead rodents or the poison itself we never found out. The vet was pretty sure it was Warfarin.

Day Lewin

Definitely a good idea. Like all rodents, rats like a bit of cover. Keep a strip clear of scrub etc at least one metre wide on the approaches to your house.

The Hill Billy

If you do have a rat problem - the best course of action is to call your Health Board & they will lay the poison for you. They've laid two lots of poison over the past couple of weeks for ourselves & our neighbours, & are due back again this week to check up on the situation.

dodgyme

big loada them on the road yesterday. I stopped the car and waited for them to cross to run them over. Missed one. Anyhow on the way back saw a few dead from where other cars got them. I have seen upto 20 rats in the last 2 month I reckon.

myjugsarehuge

Unfortunately mine seem to have decamped to under the chicken shed (sensible rats lol) I noticed a small "tunnel" between the concrete blocks that form the entrance steps. The big metal rat trap is the way to get them, but not tonight in this weather, they can have a reprieve until it stops raining. Bad enough setting the trap in the dry, a real finger snapper.

Tea drinker

Get cat(s), just don't feed them too well and they will get interested in the rats! I think female cats are best, the males can be lazy - particularly afte the snip.... can't blame them!

Sonnenblumen

dodgyme wrote: »

They are everywhere this autumn.

WE need more owls.

We need more hygiene, it's that simple. Rats hate hygiene and so it would increasingly seem humans also.

The Hill Billy

It isn't quite as simple as that I'm afraid.

While improvements in hygiene may help contain the number of rats in an urban setting - it just isn't possible in the countryside where their main habitats are hedgerows, ditches, undergrowth & little-used out houses.

myjugsarehuge

This isn't an MRSA type problem, hand washing and hygiene isn't the answer, rats have been around forever, longer than humans anyway, they are opportunistic and we give them lots of opportunities; poultry keeping and bird feeding in my case.

I personally don't mind them, truly, but they do carry diseases and realistically I have to get rid of them but its still a shame we can't all co-exist but such is life, or death if my rat trap works.

old boy

get a piece of fat bacon, stick it in an open fire until its well roasted, tie in to the trap, dispose of rat and bacon use milton or similar to remove the smell of death, rinse well, repeat action, if using rat bait, use the blue squares, secure them, rats have to gnaw to keep the teeth paired, when secured they have to eat them, otherwise they will stockpile, if they are still active after 10 days use another form of bait, as they can become immune to it, years ago i had a mouse infestation in my canery shed, i could not keep the bait down, my vet could not believe it, the buggers were huge, shine a light at night and they were squirming in an out thro the cage fronts, he gave me a script for something from the chemist cannot think what, that solved the sobs, they cost dear, lost some prized stock before the vet interviened

ivanthehunter

the best defence against rats are ferrets____ any ferreter will tell you this also i heard the story of the canibal rat but the sent off the animal would be the same as any other rat and there4 no use.. but it great to hear about barn owls, i live near marley park and i seen only 5-6 sightings in the last 15 years or so.

Sonnenblumen

Hill Billy wrote: »

It isn't quite as simple as that I'm afraid.

While improvements in hygiene may help contain the number of rats in an urban setting - it just isn't possible in the countryside where their main habitats are hedgerows, ditches, undergrowth & little-used out houses.

What can't be clean in the countryside, I mean how Hillie Billie an attitude is that ?

The Hill Billy

Sonnenblumen wrote:

What can't be clean in the countryside

You stated earlier that more "hygiene" was needed to combat an infestation of rats. How do you propose making the countryside more hygienic in such a way as to limit the burgeoning rat population? If you mean keeping the countryside litter-free rather than dousing every ditch with Jeyes Fluid, I agree.

Sonnenblumen wrote:

I mean how Hillie Billie an attitude is that ?

Sonnenblumen - There's also no need for you to start making personal comments about what you may perceive my "attitude" to be. Keep it on-topic.

Sonnenblumen

Hill Billy wrote: »

You stated earlier that more "hygiene" was needed to combat an infestation of rats. How do you propose making the countryside more hygienic in such a way as to limit the burgeoning rat population? If you mean keeping the countryside litter-free rather than dousing every ditch with Jeyes Fluid, I agree.



Sonnenblumen - There's also no need for you to start making personal comments about what you may perceive my "attitude" to be. Keep it on-topic.

Yeah, lets keep it on topic and tackle the root cause of rat infestations (urban and rural). Yes clean up the environment and eradicate Hillie Billie litter louters, ie Private, Commercial, Industrial and farming. Cities also have to contend with Hillie Billie offenders, but we've got to start somewhere.

Rats are 'naturally occuring rodents but numbers increase due to Hillie Billies'.

'Hillie Billies' are also rodent like attitudes and like rats neither would not be found in most clean places.

myjugsarehuge

old boy wrote: »

get a piece of fat bacon, stick it in an open fire until its well roasted, tie in to the trap

Great advice, although I used the good old frying pan rather than the fire. I hadn't tied the food to the trap and the buggers kept eating it without setting the trap off, not now !! I used the tiny bit of thin metal that runs inside the plastic bag ties.

old boy

another tip, get a pet fox, the average fox ? is presumed to eat up to 20 rats per day

myjugsarehuge

Unfortunately foxes eat ducks and hens too so maybe not such a good idea. Plus they stink apparently, someone I know reared a cub, stunk to high heaven

Day Lewin

You don't have to rear one in captivity to have foxes! I'm told they are smelly, never tried that. There are plenty of foxes around these days. Lots in Dublin suburbs and if you put food out at night they will soon find it! They eat mice and rats, and worms, and chicken, even the McNugget kind. They like fruit and sweet things too. I think it's amazing to know that a secret, wild world is living on, parallel to the technical 21st century existence that most people know...it gives me hope and energy.
Here's the link for an interesting blog of a committed foxwatcher in Dublin. http://foxwife.blogspot.com/

Chevy RV

fantasma wrote: »

I have heard the best way to get rid of rats is to catch a big one and place him in a box with a secure lid. Wait for a week and then put another rat into the box. The first rat will then eat that rat through sheer hunger. Repeat this process with two to three more rats over a monthly period with the original rat and then relase him into the wild. God help all other rats within radius....any thoughts???This method has ben used by farmers in the past with good results.

Are there any other suggestions that may clear a large infestation in a farmyard which has a slurry pit / dungstead beside it ?

Chevy RV

myjugsarehuge

Unfortunately the rats seem to have got wary of the metal spring trap despite my wearing gloves to mask my scent. Have been using poison as a last resort, putting it down in a tray under the shed when the chickens have gone to bed and removing it next morning. Seems to be going down remarkably well so hopefully the rats will be dead soon.

I did toy with the idea of "humane" trap, they are for sale in our local Co-op shop. Then drown them in the spare water butt. I could do it quite easily even though I am a wildlife lover, but my better half is a bit squeamish. They are vermin after all so these things have to be done. Catch them, drop the trap in the water and walk away for 5 mins, all over quickly enough.

As long as the poison is working I won't have to resort to it hopefully. Just have to keep an eye out for dead/dying ones and dispatch if needed.

Chevy RV

I have noticed smallish nibblings at POTATOES in a shed which is clean and where we store some veg on a table ?

What is the likely culprit here ?

Thanks for your help.

Chevy RV

The Hill Billy

Chevy RV wrote: »

smallish nibblings

Probably mice.

Redjeep!

The safest way to use poison is to wire it into the middle of a 3 foot length of 4 or 5 inch diameter tube or else buy a proper bait station that pets or loved ones can't get into. I'd also cover it with rocks or push it right under the shed so that nothing that isn't crawling can get to it.

This way it should be fairly safe.

Jackus

Yeah, people in this country just love rats. They feed them messin and throwin waastes ewerywhere. black bags with rubbish are everywhere. I live in Blanch and I know what I am saying. It is up to us - people! I always keep clean my house and garden. Last year we had huge 4 rats in backgarden. After my sudden action there is was only one survivor who just disappeard.
Simply - i went to Atlantic Homecare, bought the simples rat-trap for e2,50. As a bite I used piece of ham.
The first victim was catched after 30mins, second after two hours, third on the next evening... It was more than half of year ago. Since that time i didn't see any rat or even mouse in my garden.
Remember about plague and close your bin

OPENROAD

Interesting reading this thread as we currently have a problem in our attic, scratching noises etc.. Have brought in a well known pest control company who have placed about 8 bate points in attic, all hae been eaten and recently we had blue bottles but they can't locate anything dead in attic,though they tend not to look under insulation. We also initially placed a couple of bate points outside, one touched the other was not.

Had the guy up the other day, about 7th visit from them,decided to look in garage,found a dead baby rat, and also a nest. Having been using garage as storage so pretty full with junk which probably has not helped,shed area the same, so will have a big clear out. Very large garden, trees close to house etc. Still do not know how they are getting in the attic? appears to be no natural light in attic. Could they be getting in under the house?

I think I'm always going to have problems outside, live right beside Phoenix pk, but desperate to stop them getting into the attic.