Rats!!!

Hellrazer

headmaster wrote: »

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.

Banned for trolling--Twice in one thread is enough for me.

rubadub

This is the best trap I have ever seen, stupidly simple, pics of dead mice if it offends anybody

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A8o7AUX9ww

It can be used as a humane trap too, just leave out the water.

Cherry Blossom

rubadub wrote: »

It can be used as a humane trap too, just leave out the water.

As someone who kept pet rats for years there is no way I could fathom drowning them irritating as they may be, as for leaving out the water - I'm not sure what I would actually do with live wild rats.

Thankfully I haven't come across anymore, seems to have been one colony that somehow met it's demise in my driveway. It could have been the local cats that conducted a raid on a nest and somehow one managed to survive to crawl into the dog run. Next door tell me their cat regularly leaves presents on their doorstep.

kylith

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 excellent! I like dogs and I like (pet) rats, so this would be my perfect pet. Having one of my dogs melded with a rat would probably improve her IQ too.

I'm doing this as soon as I get home!

Interceptor

I keep pet rats and I find this thread offensive. I had threads deleted when I suggested shooting foxes to protect my hens - wild rats are harmless in small quantities and if you don't leave food lying around you won't have rats.

Rats make better pets than gerbils, hamsters and chipmunks and your rat phobia is your problem.

'cptr

Jackasaurus rex

Interceptor wrote: »

I keep pet rats and I find this thread offensive. I had threads deleted when I suggested shooting foxes to protect my hens - wild rats are harmless in small quantities and if you don't leave food lying around you won't have rats.

Rats make better pets than gerbils, hamsters and chipmunks and your rat phobia is your problem.

'cptr

Dead right Ceptor, Dont invite them in by leaving out food for them.

Alun

rubadub wrote: »

This is the best trap I have ever seen ...

The best one I ever saw was one a flat mate of mine (an Electrical Engineering student!) built ...

a) Metal tray (purloined from local pub) with a few mm of water in it
b) Upturned cereal bowl in middle of tray
c) Placemat covered in tin foil placed on top of upturned cereal bowl and secured in place with Blu-Tak
d) Piece of cheese placed on placemat

and finally

e) Two wires with crocodile clips connect to the tray and the placemat, and plugged in to the mains

The only snag was coming down in the morning and finding dead mice in all kinds of unlikely places including once in an opened packet of cornflakes!

star-pants

Interceptor if you have an issue with a post, please use the report post function.
Please don't bring other issues into this thread, you had one post edited in Jan 2010 that I can see.
Also foxes aren't particularly considered vermin in this forum, whereas rats would be and we allow the discussion of reducing vermin.
If you've any further issues you can PM me/other mods.

star-pants

On a separate note, I'd ask that posters to post the most humane method of removing rats. Whilst some may not like rats, electrocution is just unnecessary and cruel.

iguana

Other than the inert carbon dioxide gas traps used by some exterminators specialised electric traps are just about the most humane way to kill rodents. They work almost instantly and there is no chance of the animal being left injured and terrified while it dies of bleeding, starvation or attacks from other rodents as quite regularly happens in snap traps and always happens with glue traps. They aren't left to struggle in panic as they try not to drown, nor are they left to feel sick from poison.

star-pants

Thanks iguana, I guess I meant like the 'electrocution' method mentioned previous to my posting, didn't seem a right way to do it.

rubadub

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

- I'm not sure what I would actually do with live wild rats..

I read with mice you have to go a few miles away and let them out of the bucket, otherwise they find their way "home", it also warned that mice can jump 12-18" so you need a deep bucket, not sure about rats.

You can also deter them, I heard peppermint oil works and chilli powder. I have a big bag of extra hot chilli powder that I have scattered all around the entry points in my house, like a boiler and through cracks in floorboards etc.

kylith

rubadub wrote: »

I read with mice you have to go a few miles away and let them out of the bucket, otherwise they find their way "home", it also warned that mice can jump 12-18" so you need a deep bucket, not sure about rats.

The problem with relocating them is that you're dumping them in an environment that they don't know where they will most probably die due to predators, exposure or starvation. It really is kinder to kill them quickly with a snap trap.

Cherry Blossom

No I wouldn't be relocating them anyway, so its either find somewhere to put traps that cats can't get to, try to deter them or hope no more turn up. I'm not bothered by them at all, the house has been rodent free for some years now (we seem to have found all the gaps!) Its the chance of my dog picking up one that's been poisoned that I don't want.

iguana

Crud. I found poo. I don't have mice.

I've gone off living by a waterway.