the rats are back

buffalobilly

hello this is my first post here on boards.ie
now that the winter is here the rats are back:mad: putting down storm they are eating it like sweets put down about 50! pieces this last two weeks any ideas thanks!!!!!!

reilig

buffalobilly wrote: »

hello this is my first post here on boards.ie
now that the winter is here the rats are back:mad: putting down storm they are eating it like sweets put down about 50! pieces this last two weeks any ideas thanks!!!!!!

Stop putting it down. They'll continue to bring it back to the nest and stockpile it before they eat it. They won't eat it till there's no more. Some people recon that putting down storm causes a smell when they die. I've never had that problem. Storm manufacturers say that the rats will leave the building and go to a water source and die outside.

You could also screw the storm blocks to some ply or 2 x 1 lats. That way they will have to eat it instead of bringing it back to the nest.

leg wax

buffalobilly wrote: »

hello this is my first post here on boards.ie
now that the winter is here the rats are back:mad: putting down storm they are eating it like sweets put down about 50! pieces this last two weeks any ideas thanks!!!!!!

break up the blocks so they have to eat them on site and not carry them back and store them.

epfff

leg wax wrote: »

buffalobilly wrote: »

hello this is my first post here on boards.ie
now that the winter is here the rats are back:mad: putting down storm they are eating it like sweets put down about 50! pieces this last two weeks any ideas thanks!!!!!!

break up the blocks so they have to eat them on site and not carry them back and store them.

I now use the blocks with hole in them and a piece of tieing wire the nibble on it but cant take away

buffalobilly

i have it screwed down to lathes and put in wavin pipes but as i say they arl eating it like sweets they are even trying to take away the lathes

vanderbadger

epfff wrote: »

I now use the blocks with hole in them and a piece of tieing wire the nibble on it but cant take away

ya i got stuff called tomcat at the local coop store recently thats has holes thru the pieces so its very handy, some of the bait boxes have little rods in them that fit thru the baits so they cant bring them away
http://www.whitesagri.ie/section6/page8.aspx

whelan1

use the grain poison, they have to eat it to take it away

Birdnuts

There are growing problems with rats/mice becoming resistant to many of the most commonly used rodenticides - I use traps myself which are cheaper and gives one a better appreciation of progress in dealing with such infestations. Nailed 2 big fellas this week alone:D

mallethead

Why not try a cat , and not one of those cats that stick their claws in you when you happen to sit in their seat near the fire

lakill Farm

I agree with the cat. I hate cats with my Asthma but my stray cat called "stig" is an outdoors boy. He had a run in with the vet and got his bits removed last year and the he came into action. One rat the size of the cat he got. He got a treat. the rat got a slap of the shovel but was already well past dead.

An then last week i see my wifes springer spaniel puppy (5 months old) been thought by the cat to kill. He bagged a nice size one.

Now my worry is i have 5 bait boxes down, and refreshed the bait last week (i use storm and grate it in a cheese grater) but no bait was eaten since last may. I ave one in the slatted shed, in the hen house, at the septic tank, and 2 in the meal shed. All meal is kept in bins.

So is it just there coming in for shelter and food or have i a nest that dont take from my "treats" as the cat and dog seem to be on the tralil

vanderbadger

also have 2 rat zappers..use them in the attic for mice, put in some nutella and turn it on, mouse or rat steps into device to eat and the floor of the device gives them a shock and kills them, clean way to to rid of mice in attic

whelan1

hate cats and hate rats... can tolerate the cats just about, we have about 4 of them , no rats and no mice last year at all... have a kitten- his brother was run over- who is a petand is driving me mad

bbam

We always break up the storm.. otherwise it's carried off, its better to kill off the parent rats out looking for food, the nest will starve after that without the need for poison..

No more than 3-4 pieces at any one bait point, and leave 3-4 days between baiting, there is no use feeding more storm to an already poisined rat, let them die and then poison the next crew :rolleyes:

The last few weeks after the flooding of ditches etc has been bad for putting vermin on the move, they're all out looking for new homes and food...

pakalasa

Cats are the best of all. You don't hear many Pest Control companies going on about them for the simple reason that they make money from selling you poison etc. Cats are free.....:D

Tora Bora

Cat around the yard, will help with the rats, no doubt about that.

However, the real rat killer is a good Jack Russel terrier. Not alone, are they highly effective at eliminating an existing infestation, but the rats seem to KNOW, when there is one around the place, and retreat to a safe distance.

vanderbadger

Tora Bora wrote: »

Cat around the yard, will help with the rats, no doubt about that.

However, the real rat killer is a good Jack Russel terrier. Not alone, are they highly effective at eliminating an existing infestation, but the rats seem to KNOW, when there is one around the place, and retreat to a safe distance.

ya i have a fleet of cats, they are quite content to let mice into the straw where they themselves sleep, they kill the odd rat but im not convinced they do much work to be honest

Bigtalker

Hi All,

The last few nights I have been waking up to noises (very loud) in the attic. I went up last night to investigate(rubber gloves and all) and it took me a while but I found where I think they are living. There is no 'nest' as such but a significant amount of droppings and urine. Its pretty disgusting and I am feeling fairly violated/ashamed that we have them. We have called in the exterminator people and last night put down traps for them (we have not seen the rodents themselves) while we wait for the pest control to come. I am now concerned that this is going to be a yearly or on going problem! I know you can close up the gaps where they came in but I have been reading on various forums about consistent issues with vermin and people having to deal with them annually. Any ideas on how to keep them out permenantly? I dont believe it is possible to identify every single hole in your house!

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

lakill Farm wrote: »

I agree with the cat. I hate cats with my Asthma but my stray cat called "stig" is an outdoors boy. He had a run in with the vet and got his bits removed last year and the he came into action. One rat the size of the cat he got. He got a treat. the rat got a slap of the shovel but was already well past dead.

An then last week i see my wifes springer spaniel puppy (5 months old) been thought by the cat to kill. He bagged a nice size one.

Now my worry is i have 5 bait boxes down, and refreshed the bait last week (i use storm and grate it in a cheese grater) but no bait was eaten since last may. I ave one in the slatted shed, in the hen house, at the septic tank, and 2 in the meal shed. All meal is kept in bins.

So is it just there coming in for shelter and food or have i a nest that dont take from my "treats" as the cat and dog seem to be on the tralil

be careful putting down poison and having cats/dogs. One of my mates had poison down, and his dog killed a rat that was dying from the poison. the dog must have been playing with the dead rat for a while, and ended up being poisoned from the rats blood (according to the vet). she was a small sheepdog, and the rat must have had a lot of poison in its system. dont know how often this happends, but if it would kill a dog, it would deffinatly kill a cat

Atilathehun

Bigtalker wrote: »

Hi All,

The last few nights I have been waking up to noises (very loud) in the attic. I went up last night to investigate(rubber gloves and all) and it took me a while but I found where I think they are living. There is no 'nest' as such but a significant amount of droppings and urine. Its pretty disgusting and I am feeling fairly violated/ashamed that we have them. We have called in the exterminator people and last night put down traps for them (we have not seen the rodents themselves) while we wait for the pest control to come. I am now concerned that this is going to be a yearly or on going problem! I know you can close up the gaps where they came in but I have been reading on various forums about consistent issues with vermin and people having to deal with them annually. Any ideas on how to keep them out permenantly? I dont believe it is possible to identify every single hole in your house!

Had them in the attic ourselves about 12 years ago. Used to make an awful racket. Layed traps, and cought three of the basrrads.
Took a lot of searching, but eventually found the entry point. They burrowed under the footpath, through the wall, at a and were able to climb up inside the cavity:( I cut the footpath with a consaw, and lifted it up, and could clearly see the run!!

johnpawl

Bigtalker wrote: »

Hi All,

The last few nights I have been waking up to noises (very loud) in the attic. I went up last night to investigate(rubber gloves and all) and it took me a while but I found where I think they are living. There is no 'nest' as such but a significant amount of droppings and urine. Its pretty disgusting and I am feeling fairly violated/ashamed that we have them. We have called in the exterminator people and last night put down traps for them (we have not seen the rodents themselves) while we wait for the pest control to come. I am now concerned that this is going to be a yearly or on going problem! I know you can close up the gaps where they came in but I have been reading on various forums about consistent issues with vermin and people having to deal with them annually. Any ideas on how to keep them out permenantly? I dont believe it is possible to identify every single hole in your house!

We had serious problems with rats two years ago as well, similar to yourself. We bought a jack russell and have never seen one since, even during the cold last two winters. I can let bags of ration in the sheds now and the bags wont even be gnawed into, it seems they know she is around. She's very quiet and I thought she'd be useless, until one day shortly after we got her we came across a big rat in the farmyard. She brokes its neck in two seconds flat.

who what when

Atilathehun wrote: »

Took a lot of searching, but eventually found the entry point. They burrowed under the footpath, through the wall, at a and were able to climb up inside the cavity:( I cut the footpath with a consaw, and lifted it up, and could clearly see the run!!

Jesus christ thats unbelievable! How did they get through the wall? And through the cavity closer?

For myself we used to have a springer spaniel who was a rat killing machine. It was back in the sugar beet days. We would go for walks through the fields and i'd estimate in her 8 years she caught easily 400 rats. Unfortunately she died of poisoning which was almost certainly from a rat. Real pity. Have had several springers since and none of them have even shown an interest.

Tora Bora

who what when wrote: »

Jesus christ thats unbelievable! How did they get through the wall? And through the cavity closer?

For myself we used to have a springer spaniel who was a rat killing machine. It was back in the sugar beet days. We would go for walks through the fields and i'd estimate in her 8 years she caught easily 400 rats. Unfortunately she died of poisoning which was almost certainly from a rat. Real pity. Have had several springers since and none of them have even shown an interest.

Remember, a rat HAS TO, constantly gnaw and chew hard materials, to survive. If not, it's incisor teeth, will grow to the point where it cannot eat. It simply has to keep those teeth in check, and sharp by chewing hard stuff. They can cut through a 4 inch solid block, in jig time:( Absolutely no problem whatsoever. If it's leg gets caught in a trap, it simlply chews off the leg, and continues on regardless:cool:

In the sixties, France blew up a small island (atoll) in the south seas, with a nuclear test bomb. Literally destroyed every living thing on the island.

They went back over the years to to scientific tests ond so on on the recovery process, on plants and so on.

First animal the saw there, within a few weeks of the explosion was ....... you guessed ............. the rat!! Hail and hearty, and breeding and surviving:eek: Rats are the penultimate survivor.

theaceofspies

For the farm use a cat... it's a sorry cat that won't catch a mouse or rat. Mine has killed 2 rats in the last 2 days. I found bait to be useless.
For the attic use http://ecostore.ie/rodent-repeller-2500-sq-foot

reilig

theaceofspies wrote: »

For the attic use http://ecostore.ie/rodent-repeller-2500-sq-foot

I have one on each floor of the house (ground floor, first floor and attic). Had a problem with rats when we moved into the house after building and suspected that they might have gotten in while we were building. No problems since.

Bigtalker

theaceofspies wrote: »

For the farm use a cat... it's a sorry cat that won't catch a mouse or rat. Mine has killed 2 rats in the last 2 days. I found bait to be useless.
For the attic use http://ecostore.ie/rodent-repeller-2500-sq-foot

Thanks for your sugestion. We already have one of these sonar things in our house. We have one downstairs and one upstairs and obviously it has made no difference. Does these work for anyone? If they do come back I am getting a cat for the outdoors only(although next door have a cat and so does the house behind so maybe no point??)

berettaman

I use storm and the wax stuff that you can screw down to timber. I alternate in case they get used to a type. The storm I put in a plastic bag and crush with a hammer. I then pour it out in to plastic containers(ex chinese takeaway type). I then pour some out of date beer over some of it. The out of date hops smell brings them running. I always put it in areas that other animals cannot get to. I repeat the dose every 21 days at specific bait points. I never put down whole blocks as I have seen rats roll apples/chicks/eggs etc into their nest for stockpiling. When they eat the crushed stuff it's lights out....Bman;)

Bigtalker

berettaman wrote: »

I use storm and the wax stuff that you can screw down to timber. I alternate in case they get used to a type. The storm I put in a plastic bag and crush with a hammer. I then pour it out in to plastic containers(ex chinese takeaway type). I then pour some out of date beer over some of it. The out of date hops smell brings them running. I always put it in areas that other animals cannot get to. I repeat the dose every 21 days at specific bait points. I never put down whole blocks as I have seen rats roll apples/chicks/eggs etc into their nest for stockpiling. When they eat the crushed stuff it's lights out....Bman;)

So do you believe I need to continue with this sort of procedure for as long as I live in the house or should I be able to remove these Rats and block the hole and thats that?

berettaman

The problem is that they are in the house in the first place... The way the poison works, it is an anti coagulent and I know it makes them thirsty so they will look for water.... When a neighbour blocked up the rat holes and laid poison in the attic a rat ate its way into his utility room in an attempt to get out. This is a tough call for you but I would start with laying traps and poison. Do make sure to cover your water tanks in the attic too. Plywood does the job. Then locate all holes and runs and block them. We mixed cement and threw in broken glass, then blocked the holes with this mixture.(They ate through the first mixture before it was set, believe it or not.) Rats are incredible creatures.

vanderbadger

Bigtalker wrote: »

So do you believe I need to continue with this sort of procedure for as long as I live in the house or should I be able to remove these Rats and block the hole and thats that?

if they are in the house and you poison the bastards will stink
get one of these in and fill with chow
that way you can dispose of them without smell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV8VyviJYsw

berettaman

That's Excellent. I know what I want from Santa now!!:D

johngalway

Rats, poison, and houses don't mix. If it's a cold house with no central heating, ya might not notice. But, if it's not, turn on the boiler in cold weather and you won't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out, it'll stink ya out good and proper.

My uncle used to do it, so I know what it's like. They'll go in under the floors, back of the presses or hotpress and die, then decompose. Nice smell, not

I had a rat problem because of a bag of barley I forgot about in the back of the shed. I had to completely empty and clean out the shed, disposed of a lot of ruined stuff, cleaned up a huge mess and disposed of any junk. They had tunneled in through the mortar between the stones in the wall in a few places, made a tunnel under the shed and ate their way up through the floor.

My sisters two cats were sleeping in the shed at the time, lucky I didn't shoot the useless articles, didn't figure they were worth the cost of the lead.

So I evicted the cats, and tried trapping. It caught a few, but for the situation the rats soon won out. Then I had to use Storm. Then I won

I used to place bait then wait until it was all gone. Then I'd wait about a week before putting down more - that is really hard to do when you have rats cos ya want them gone ASAP. But the wait is worth it IMO.

No rats or cats now, no mess, all holes plugged up. All and any junk around the place was removed as cover is a haven for them. They also lived in a double stone wall beside the shed but can't do anything about that beside place some Storm beside it and keep an eye on it.

Hate rats.

gazahayes

We had rats a few years back they liked the bait so much they ate into the bucket and took out all of the blocks. it was 3/4 full before that!!

Dupont

pakalasa wrote: »

Cats are the best of all. You don't hear many Pest Control companies going on about them for the simple reason that they make money from selling you poison etc. Cats are free.....:D

cats are not just for christmas you know they will last to the new year if ya put them in the freezer;)

Rovi

vanderbadger wrote: »

if they are in the house and you poison the bastards will stink
get one of these in and fill with chow
that way you can dispose of them without smell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV8VyviJYsw

Can these be got here in Ireland, does anyone know?

vanderbadger

Rovi wrote: »

Can these be got here in Ireland, does anyone know?

ebay is where i got mine but a friend of mine is after buying one off connaght agri, they have them advertised in their section in journal

Rovi

vanderbadger wrote: »

ebay is where i got mine but a friend of mine is after buying one off connaght agri, they have them advertised in their section in journal

Ah yes, they have it on their website:
http://www.connachtagri.ie/index.php?p=119

They also have this yoke:
http://www.connachtagri.ie/index.php?p=141

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMVhtMkg0V8

Interesting.

LuckyPenny

The best and cleanest way to beat the rat.

fodda

Poison is a pure waste of money and doesnt work as they become immune to it.

Traps are cost effective and work out far faster and rats dont get immune to them they get killed.

Poison also kills other animals that eat rats so the poison is actually killing the very animals that would take care of your rats.......madness!

johngalway

fodda wrote: »

Poison is a pure waste of money and doesnt work as they become immune to it.

Ahm, not for me it wasn't. It worked, killed the rats, and solved the problem.

fodda wrote: »

Traps are cost effective and work out far faster and rats dont get immune to them they get killed.

Far faster my eye. The traps I set, which included fenns, live catch, snap trap and body grip traps, a kania trap, didn't stop the rats. Not quite sure how you're coming up with trapping being so more cost effective and quicker.

fodda wrote: »

Poison also kills other animals that eat rats so the poison is actually killing the very animals that would take care of your rats.......madness!

Not when you pick up the poisoned rats it doesn't. Also I didn't see other animals, wild or domestic, taking care of my problem.

fodda

johngalway wrote: »

Ahm, not for me it wasn't. It worked, killed the rats, and solved the problem.

Yes John but they get immune to the poison because they have such a reproduction rate meaning their offspring gain immunity etc.

Far faster my eye. The traps I set, which included fenns, live catch, snap trap and body grip traps didn't stop the rats. Not quite sure how you're coming up with trapping being so more cost effective and quicker.

Well one the traps are cheap and you set over and over again and secondly this isnt a dig at you:);):D:D but they are also clever, when you catch a rat you should never set it in the same place because when they see their mate with his head smashed in it does have some kind of effect on them:) set the trap in a different place and hide it in saw dust or straw and place 2 or 3 together or even more as they learn to set the traps off without getting caught. Also use meat tied on the trap so they have to tug at it.

Not when you pick up the poisoned rats it doesn't. Also I didn't see other animals, wild or domestic, taking care of my problem.

Yeah but most do not and stoats and other wildlife get poisoned and many many dogs ask any vet.

Birdnuts

fodda wrote: »

Yeah but most do not and stoats and other wildlife get poisoned and many many dogs ask any vet.

Well its in the persons interest to find these rats given the risk of them dieing indoors(behind walls, floors etc.) and stinking the place out for months - as I learnt from bitter expericence a few years back:rolleyes:. Plus pet owners should always take this risk factor into account and that is why I use traps myself. They work for me but then every situation is different - trying to deal with a rat infestation in a major warehouse complex is obviously an entirely different task compared to dealing with a few mice in ones attic. I guess thats why the services of rentokill are so popular and to be fair to them they do their best to secure their rodenticide in pet/wildlife proof bait boxes and the like.

To sum up, if common sense is applied then a rodent problem can be dealt with effectivly with minimum or no risk to non-target species.


PS: Has anyone tried those "sticky" carpet yolks ie. flypaper for rats, one of the inlaws uses this stuff and claims it works better then anything he has tried before!!

johngalway

fodda wrote: »

Yes John but they get immune to the poison because they have such a reproduction rate meaning their offspring gain immunity etc.

Well one the traps are cheap and you set over and over again and secondly this isnt a dig at you:);):D:D but they are also clever, when you catch a rat you should never set it in the same place because when they see their mate with his head smashed in it does have some kind of effect on them:) set the trap in a different place and hide it in saw dust or straw and place 2 or 3 together or even more as they learn to set the traps off without getting caught. Also use meat tied on the trap so they have to tug at it.

I'm going from my own experience here. As I said, I had multiple different types of traps out. I believe I used most baits I could think of from peanut butter, snickers, part cooked bacon and any suggestions I found on various dedicated forums. While I did catch some rats, the problem increased, not decreased. It was the first time I used Storm, simply because I had to use it, the traps weren't controlling the problem effectively.

fodda wrote: »

Yeah but most do not and stoats and other wildlife get poisoned and many many dogs ask any vet.

Can't speak for others, only myself.

fodda

johngalway wrote: »

fodda wrote: »

Yes John but they get immune to the poison because they have such a reproduction rate meaning their offspring gain immunity etc.



I'm going from my own experience here. As I said, I had multiple different types of traps out. I believe I used most baits I could think of from peanut butter, snickers, part cooked bacon and any suggestions I found on various dedicated forums. While I did catch some rats, the problem increased, not decreased. It was the first time I used Storm, simply because I had to use it, the traps weren't controlling the problem effectively.



Can't speak for others, only myself.

Peanut butter and chocolate is for mice which i trap in the same way.

One way of knowing if you have a problem is sprinkle fine dust on the floor, like out of a sander or similar then you will see what you have mice or rats, you will only have one as they do not live together.

For mice i use soft dough whole grain bread and use 4 traps together all facing inwards as one trap is no good and when caught move immediately to another area.

For rats i used smelly tough stringy meat and tied on with cotton just wrapped around, then place at the end of a pipe or 4 traps together facing inwards and then move straight away to a different location. I also cover traps in saw dust so they cant be seen and screw each trap tp a chunk of wood as some big rats will just run off with the trap if not fixed. I have even come across rats dead in traps eaten completely by others in one night.....that puts a shiver down your spine.:eek:

Always where disposable gloves and i always leave a rat for a few hours to go cold and stiff before i release from the trap because of nasties.

Get a ferret and ratting dog for rats or best and most satisfying is an air rifle and hours to spare just sitting and waiting.

Why did you have a rat problem John?

johngalway

fodda wrote: »

Why did you have a rat problem John?

Oh entirely my own doing. I had a bag of barley at the back of the shed for feeding ducks. I had intended to move it outdoors into a blue barrel with a lid but other jobs diverted time and attention and I simply forgot about it. Until ratty found it anyway :rolleyes:

Birdnuts

fodda wrote: »

johngalway wrote: »

Get a ferret and ratting dog for rats or best and most satisfying is an air rifle and hours to spare just sitting and waiting.

?

Some great videos of ratting terriers going about their work on youtube:cool:

PS: Heres something to scare the **** out of you all - check out the rodent in this recent thread!!:eek:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056441811

fodda

Yeah seen it and i have seen very big ones but not as big as that. Used to spend hours with dogs in potato sheds and hours shooting with an air rifle HW80. Trick is just sit perfectly still for 10 minutes then you see them and just how many rats there actually is. They say you are never more than 10ft from a rat at any one time. Seen where they have dug through floors from below.

keep going

anyone hear of mixing some gypsum with the poison and putting a bowel of water beside it,you can guess what happens

fodda

keep going wrote: »

anyone hear of mixing some gypsum with the poison and putting a bowel of water beside it,you can guess what happens

The rat gets plastered?

gerico

mix in broken glass into concrete/cement when shutting runs & blocking holes. that puts a few manners on them

reilig

fodda wrote: »

Yeah but most do not and stoats and other wildlife get poisoned and many many dogs ask any vet.

If you use Storm poison or any other variant of wax block, it will not kill other animals or wildlife who eat it directly or who eat a poisoned rat. The simple description of how wax blocks work is that mice and rats have no reflux (ie. they cannot vommit up what they have eaten - a unique trait to them). When they eat a wax block, it stops them from being able to feed, they become dehydrated and go in search of water - which pushes the wax further into their systems, blocking their stomach, veins and arteries and they usually die within 1 week of digesting the wax block.

In comparison, if a dog, cat, stoat or other wildlife eats a wax block, their bodily function allows them to vomit it up.

Grain poison doesn't have this function and it much more harmful.

vanderbadger

i noticed there the other weekend that there seemed to be a carpet of grass seed and kinda general mess underneath the baler and mower, now the mower had been power washed so I was a bit surprised, anyway i reckoned it couldnt be normal so must be mice or worse...
put out the bait box anyway and have found a good few dead ones i the shed since..little feckers must be nestiing in the nice cosy baler for the winter..hopefully the bait will clear them out, i hope they dont chew any electrics, mice arent too bad though i think, rats would be worse