Rats!!!

Cherry Blossom

[RANT] I've picked up 3 young/adolescent black rats from my drive this morning, all deceased, one was ran over and squished, one in tact, one forcably removed from the dog. A fourth (re-gurgitated :eek:) one was found in a corner of the dog run. Where the **** are they comming from??? :mad: [/RANT]

The worry is (a) one makes it inside the house and more importantly (b) they've been poisioned. I can only assume that the one in the dog run was found in the dog run to start with as the dog was taken straight in there from the house, this rules out the neighbours cats carrying them there as the run isn't left open so cats can't get in there.

The dog is fed in the house, she does get a kong when she goes in her run, but its brought back in with her, not left out. Kennel has been insulated with pillowcases stuffed with hay - is this a bad idea?

homerhop

Its an ideal situation for rats to nest in, warm and dry.Dont know if you have corn around you, but with the fields cut there will be an influx of rats and mice looking for new homes. Have you checked for rat runs around the kennel or any signs of where the rats may be getting in?

mbiking123

Hello

You can get a battery powered ultrasonic rodent detterent, power it up with a 9v battery and put it somewhere around the dog kennel ?

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/2-GARDEN-ULTRASONIC-RODENT-GARD-DETERRENT-RAT-MOUSE-NEW-/170704577115?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Garden_Plants_Weed_Pest_Control_CV&hash=item27bec9225b

Shop around, I got better value than this one. Just an example

mymo

AJ I doubt they are living in the kennel, the dog would have torn it to pieces to get them(westies love ratting), but as said before, now is the time for them moving around, I have even seen one round here (little dog and cat nearly floored each other trying to get there first) in a town. Mostly I see dead ones curtesy of the cat.
Look for rat runs, move things around in the garden and garage if you have one.
Hopefully they were just passing through looking for new cosy homes.
No idea how to tell if they are poisoned though.

sh1tstirrer

mbiking123 wrote: »

Hello

You can get a battery powered ultrasonic rodent detterent, power it up with a 9v battery and put it somewhere around the dog kennel ?

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/2-GARDEN-ULTRASONIC-RODENT-GARD-DETERRENT-RAT-MOUSE-NEW-/170704577115?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Garden_Plants_Weed_Pest_Control_CV&hash=item27bec9225b

Shop around, I got better value than this one. Just an example

They are useless as they get used to the sound of them after a few weeks. I remember getting one for mice a few years back and when they got used of the sound of it they walked on top of it without taking any notice.

charlemont

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

They are useless as they get used to the sound of them after a few weeks. I remember getting one for mice a few years back and when they got used of the sound of it they walked on top of it without taking any notice.

Exactly the same happened my ex. She got mice three weeks ago and bought the rodent deterrent and within two weeks a fat mouse was caught in the trap right below the thing.

Every time she sees a mouse I get a text:mad:

johndoe99

drop down to your local hardware store and get some old-fashioned rat traps, put some meat on them and keep your dogs in for a few nights. Better than deterrents and poisons, its best to see them dead than to hope they wont come back.

Cherry Blossom

mymo wrote: »

AJ I doubt they are living in the kennel, the dog would have torn it to pieces to get them(westies love ratting),

Good point!

mymo wrote: »

Hopefully they were just passing through looking for new cosy homes.
No idea how to tell if they are poisoned though.

They were small enough to easily fit through the mesh of the dog run. It was the sudden appearance of so many dead ones that was alarming so my first assumption was that they'd been poisoned - they were all the same size. I suppose I'll just have to keep my eyes open for them.

homerhop wrote: »

Its an ideal situation for rats to nest in, warm and dry.Dont know if you have corn around you, but with the fields cut there will be an influx of rats and mice looking for new homes. Have you checked for rat runs around the kennel or any signs of where the rats may be getting in?

There was a barley field right next the house, it was cut about 3 weeks ago. Think I'll just have to keep a look out for them. The dog is only in the run 4 hours a day max and often isn't in there at all for a few days at a time. I don't think she can be left run around the garden unsupervised for a while now though, or am I being somewhat paranoid over the whole poison thing?

Cherry Blossom

johndoe99 wrote: »

drop down to your local hardware store and get some old-fashioned rat traps, put some meat on them and keep your dogs in for a few nights. Better than deterrents and poisons, its best to see them dead than to hope they wont come back.

I'd be more likely to find the neighbours cats caught in them than anything else, unless they were actually closed in the dog run, and I'd feel like I was inviting them in there then

homerhop

Think ya are being a bit paranoid , if there is a field beside you there will be rats at any given time living in the ditch beside you.

lulurebel

Hi. I put down storm (rat pellets) 4 lumps of it, within a day they were gone. I put 4 more down a few days later and the next day they were gone. So i put more down again and they were gone that night. I'm just wondering are the rats eating it or are they taking them away storing them? There is a field of cows behind my estate. So i taught best to put some down. I haven't seen any rats around. Just wondering has anyone got advice. Should i keep putting the poison down every few days?

TooManyDogs

The problem with rat poisin is that the rats carry it off, the design is that they take it back to the nest but they often drop it. One of my neighbours was either throwing Storm pellets over my fence or the rats were stealing out of his box but over the space of 3 days we found 18 pellets between our garden and our sheep field so now I'd be very wary of using rat poisin anywhere

lulurebel

Thanks toomanydogs. I was thinking something like that might be happening but don't know if they are eating it or not. Someone told me to nail the poison down but it will only get wet then. So not sure what to do. I suppose just keep putting down the poison. thanks

Zapperzy

lulurebel wrote: »

Thanks toomanydogs. I was thinking something like that might be happening but don't know if they are eating it or not. Someone told me to nail the poison down but it will only get wet then. So not sure what to do. I suppose just keep putting down the poison. thanks

If you have cats or dogs I would avoid poison. If a cat or dog were to eat a poisoned rat they are in effect eating poison and can become very very ill. If your neighbours have pets I would warn them that you have poison down and to be careful that they are not catching rats.

lulurebel

I have no pets but have my garden blocked off. But have told the neighbours who have pets alright. Thanks.

Birdnuts

lulurebel wrote: »

I have no pets but have my garden blocked off. But have told the neighbours who have pets alright. Thanks.

Your better off using traps for a number of reasons

1)Rodents ie. rats/mice are becoming more and more resistant to many of the most commonly used rodenticides

2)Danger of secondary poisoning of other species that may feed on these rodents

3)The danger of these rodents dieing behind walls and pipes thereby stinking your house/shed out for weeks!! - this happened at my parents house and prompted a switch to traps with much better results

4) Using traps avoids all these problems and givens you an accurate handle on how many of these pests you are dispatching, so you don't have to keep wasting money on ever increasing amounts of rodenticide.

Masala

4) Using traps avoids all these problems and givens you an accurate handle on how many of these pests you are dispatching, so you don't have to keep wasting money on ever increasing amounts of rodenticide.

Ya.... but you have to handle the Trap when you catch one!!! UUUUGGHHH. I couldn't bear to be near a rat's body... whether dead or alive!!

With poison... out of sight is out of mind!!!

Birdnuts

Masala wrote: »

Ya.... but you have to handle the Trap when you catch one!!! UUUUGGHHH. I couldn't bear to be near a rat's body... whether dead or alive!!

With poison... out of sight is out of mind!!!

Just wear some gloves - given the points I made earlier traps are by far the most effective and safe option.If the rats dies in the house/shed you'll have to deal with the carcass anyways assuming you can even get at it. It also allows piece of mind for pet owners concerned that the rats might move the bait to an area were their cat/dog might pick it up.

Rockery Woman

I use the Klerat blocks and find them very good.

They are waxy blocks with a hole in the middle, you nail the blocks to a piece of timber.

This works really well because the rats must eat the bait where it is and cant carry it away. I buy them in a bucket in the local agricultural supplies shop. Many farmers use these.

I have hens and feed them a grain mix - unfortunately this attracts the rats so I lay this poision regularly (every 3 months or so).

One of my friends (who lives in an urban area) uses rat-traps. He finds this works well for him.

iguana

Another reason that the rats may be more prevalent right now is if you live near a water way that flooded last week. A lot of rodents would have lost their homes due to erosion and they will be looking for new territories. Warm, food filled houses will be extra tempting at the moment. I live by a river and had n problems last year but I heard a scrabbling in my kitchen this evening. I really hope it's mice.

I use an electronic rat/mouse killer and find them to be great. I lived in an area of London where there was a refuse strike during a heat wave so I had mice problems for the next nearly 2 years I lived there. The electronic killer was great. It killed the mice cleanly and efficiently and a light would flash when it had a kill in it, allowing you to dispatch it without you having to look at it if you didn't want to.

star-pants

Charlemont - I've deleted your post here & in the other thread. Youtube songs aren't really helpful posting.

homerhop

not 100% sure but i think them electric rat traps are illegal here

Cherry Blossom

Does anyone know what happens if a pet eats a poisoned rat (i.e. signs/symptoms to look out for). My dog hasn't had any ill effects from the one she vomited up again and I haven't found any more but I'm still on edge!

Birdnuts

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Does anyone know what happens if a pet eats a poisoned rat (i.e. signs/symptoms to look out for). My dog hasn't had any ill effects from the one she vomited up again and I haven't found any more but I'm still on edge!

Staggers, muscle twitches as the nervous system is destroyed/shuts down. In severe cases vomiting of blood and severe convulsions occurs. Saw a case in a Vets once, horrible business:(

headmaster

I'm told that if a dog or a cat eats enough of these rats, they in turn will take on the traits of the rat. That dog or cat is then eaten by other cats and dogs because they smell the rat in them. Yuck, it would make you think twice about having them as pets.

star-pants

headmaster wrote: »

I'm told that if a dog or a cat eats enough of these rats, they in turn will take on the traits of the rat. That dog or cat is then eaten by other cats and dogs because they smell the rat in them. Yuck, it would make you think twice about having them as pets.

Have you any evidence to back that up? No offence but whoever told you that was talking crap. If animals took on the traits of other animals they ate the world would be a very odd place indeed.

TooManyDogs

headmaster wrote: »

I'm told that if a dog or a cat eats enough of these rats, they in turn will take on the traits of the rat. That dog or cat is then eaten by other cats and dogs because they smell the rat in them. Yuck, it would make you think twice about having them as pets.

That sounds like a massive pile of sh!t to me! I reckon it's an old wives tale or urban legend.

Einhard

headmaster wrote: »

I'm told that if a dog or a cat eats enough of these rats, they in turn will take on the traits of the rat. That dog or cat is then eaten by other cats and dogs because they smell the rat in them. Yuck, it would make you think twice about having them as pets.

LOL brilliant!

Zapperzy

headmaster wrote: »

I'm told that if a dog or a cat eats enough of these rats, they in turn will take on the traits of the rat. That dog or cat is then eaten by other cats and dogs because they smell the rat in them. Yuck, it would make you think twice about having them as pets.

Just about to sit down to a chicken dinner, had chicken yesterday too, wondered why I'm feeling that sudden urge to peck at the ground and my head nods in unison while I'm walking. :eek:

pyromania

lulurebel wrote: »

Hi. I put down storm (rat pellets) 4 lumps of it, within a day they were gone. I put 4 more down a few days later and the next day they were gone. So i put more down again and they were gone that night. I'm just wondering are the rats eating it or are they taking them away storing them? There is a field of cows behind my estate. So i taught best to put some down. I haven't seen any rats around. Just wondering has anyone got advice. Should i keep putting the poison down every few days?

you need to nail the rat pellets to a piece of timber so they cant store them

headmaster

Instead of nailing down the pellets, it might be better if you could keep watch until the rat comes into view, then put the pellet down behind the left hand side of his/her tail. My great granny does it and it works every time, guaranteed. She gets so many people asking her how it works that she's going to buy a transit van and set up a business doing this herself.