Dealing with rats!

simx

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Werethe blocks fixed to something to prevent removal. What bait did you use

Yeah in a bait box, storm blocks

Thargor

Melodeon wrote: »

Terriers. That's all I'm saying, terriers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Pyu-Cj0gg

WTF is going on there? Why are there so many massive rats in that one tiny area? Is it from grain or feed being stored there or something?

patsy_mccabe

Just back from the shed there now. Saw 2 rats mad scampering when I turned on the light. Hate the feckers.:mad:

Grew up down the country with horses and stables, and indoor/outdoor cats. We rarely saw rats. The horses' rugs would have cat tracks all over them every morning!

I only advise getting cats if you are going to be willing to care for them. I adopted two "semi wild outdoor cats" from Drogheda Animal Rescue about 10 years ago and they were great cats. We kept them inside for a month as advised then fed them at the same time morning and evening, they stayed around. They trusted us enough that we could put spot-on on their necks while they ate to deal with paracites. One of them could be captured to be brought to the vet for vaccines, the other could not but lived to be at least 8 before disappearing.

Sorry I haven't read the thread to see if you can't have cats. But I write this as advice to anyone dealing with the same issue.

I adore cats though and now have three mostly indoor cats! But I don't live rurally anymore.

Doctors room ghost

Thargor wrote: »

WTF is going on there? Why are there so many massive rats in that one tiny area? Is it from grain or feed being stored there or something?

They are big poultry sheds on stilts that they drag along with the tractor
Free range broiler and the like.
YouTube ratting with dogs and you see them.
Plummer terriers were developed in the uk especially for ratting by Brian plummer.hes on YouTube too and wrote several books

Bass Reeves

simx wrote: »

Yeah in a bait box, storm blocks

Storm is not a great poison for alloys publicity. It is a multi feed kill poison as opposed to other that feed in a single feed

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenticide

Donald Trump

_Brian wrote: »

We stopped using poison here after finding a dead barn owl that had probably fed on a contaminated mouse.

I was gutted.

Got a few cats and problem solved.

Cats kills lots of wild birds too.

Birdnuts

Donald Trump wrote: »

Cats kills lots of wild birds too.

More so commoner garden birds like Chaffinches and Blackbirds - Barn Owls(which are much rarer from the loss of traditional farming habitats) in contrast are in much greater danger from secondary poisoning though consumption of dieing rats. In any case trapping avoids these problems(including the growing resistance of rats to many commonly used rodenticides)

Jurgen Klopp

Melodeon wrote: »

Terriers. That's all I'm saying, terriers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Pyu-Cj0gg

I always found this Mink and dog combo very satisfying

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

BarryD2

Problem with rats as I've found, is that they're very territorial. In that if they have been used to having nests in a particular area, they keep coming back. Agree with keeping them out if at all possible but they have an amazing capacity to climb and get through all manner of small spaces to get back where they want to go! War of attrition over a few years to change their habits.

Doctors room ghost

BarryD2 wrote: »

Problem with rats as I've found, is that they're very territorial. In that if they have been used to having nests in a particular area, they keep coming back. Agree with keeping them out if at all possible but they have an amazing capacity to climb and get through all manner of small spaces to get back where they want to go! War of attrition over a few years to change their habits.

They won’t be coming back if you use a good snap back trap.unless the fcuker is reincarnated.
There’s a bit of fun in trapping them too.
Another good way to kill rats is get a pot of hot chocolate powder and mix plaster of Paris mix or else pollyfiller powder through it and leave the mix dry somewhere for them to eat.
That definitely kills them from experience.
You can get pop mix in the art and hobby shops.

whisky_galore

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

They won’t be coming back if you use a good snap back trap.unless the fcuker is reincarnated.
There’s a bit of fun in trapping them too.
Another good way to kill rats is get a pot of hot chocolate powder and mix plaster of Paris mix or else pollyfiller powder through it and leave the mix dry somewhere for them to eat.
That definitely kills them from experience.
You can get pop mix in the art and hobby shops.

I'm not sure if that actually works?


Plaster/Cement and Rats
Boelter (1909) states that plaster of paris (calcium
sulfate) mixed with sugar has long been recommended as a
rat poison. This bait is placed near water. When the thirsty
rat drinks, the plaster hardens in his intestinal tract and
"literally stiffens him." Fitzwater (1990) fed caged rats (Rattus
norvegicus) plaster of paris mixed 50% with their dry feed.
He also fed a mixture of portland cement in the same ratio
to a second set of rats. After 14 days on these diets, there
was no mortality in either test and the animals appeared
perfectly healthy except for sore rectums due to their large
bowel movements. It is probably safe to assume the digestive
fluids in the alimentary tract prevent these substances from
hardening. Other suggestions along this line, such as
dehydrated potatoes and bath sponge or cork pieces soaked
in butter or bacon fat, can be presumed to be equally
ineffective.

Say my name

whisky_galore wrote: »

I'm not sure if that actually works?


Plaster/Cement and Rats
Boelter (1909) states that plaster of paris (calcium
sulfate) mixed with sugar has long been recommended as a
rat poison. This bait is placed near water. When the thirsty
rat drinks, the plaster hardens in his intestinal tract and
"literally stiffens him." Fitzwater (1990) fed caged rats (Rattus
norvegicus) plaster of paris mixed 50% with their dry feed.
He also fed a mixture of portland cement in the same ratio
to a second set of rats. After 14 days on these diets, there
was no mortality in either test and the animals appeared
perfectly healthy except for sore rectums due to their large
bowel movements. It is probably safe to assume the digestive
fluids in the alimentary tract prevent these substances from
hardening. Other suggestions along this line, such as
dehydrated potatoes and bath sponge or cork pieces soaked
in butter or bacon fat, can be presumed to be equally
ineffective.

There's another one of Epsom salts mixed into feed.
Haven't the foggiest about it though.

cacs

Say my name wrote: »

There's another one of Epsom salts mixed into feed.
Haven't the foggiest about it though.

Has anyone ever tried this.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LHdTJ8XaPzM
Is it any good looks effective

Genghis Cant

cacs wrote: »

Has anyone ever tried this.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LHdTJ8XaPzM
Is it any good looks effective

I see it advertised on Donedeal lately, 200 quid. It looks a great job. Resets itself. Replace the gas cylinder every 6 mths, the bait every month.
I'm half tempted to chance one, the price sorta stalled me!

patsy_mccabe

These type of water traps are cheap, but cruel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-LZO4vJNtM

Still waters

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

These type of water traps are cheap, but cruel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-LZO4vJNtM

I dont understand what's happening, whats the xray for

Millionaire only not

Still waters wrote: »

I dont understand what's happening, whats the xray for

Exactly- And who the jes would go to the trouble and exactly where do u put it that ur sure a rat will cross it !
Some junk on that u tube

Millionaire only not

Cats easiest answer bar the cats jumping up on bales brings it’s own problems !

patsy_mccabe

Still waters wrote: »

I dont understand what's happening, whats the xray for

Rats are attracted to X-rays. ..............No, it's the stiff plastic that acts as a flap for them to fall tru.

whisky_galore

Still waters wrote: »

I dont understand what's happening, whats the xray for

It's plastic sheet cut in a way that the rats fall through into the box below, the grains he scattered around it are the bait. Could be any piece of thin opaque plastic cut similarly, it doesn't have to be an x ray.

The smaller box is just a barrier to stop rats stealing bait without stepping on the plastic and falling through. Might work better in a developing country where rats are a lot bolder than the ones here.

whisky_galore

Genghis Cant wrote: »

I see it advertised on Donedeal lately, 200 quid. It looks a great job. Resets itself. Replace the gas cylinder every 6 mths, the bait every month.
I'm half tempted to chance one, the price sorta stalled me!

It looks good on the video, but mixed reviews elsewhere. Either the rats not bothering with the bait or inspecting the machine and coming away alive. I'd be wondering about the gas refills if they're an off the shelf thing like the little cylinders for lifejackets or only made for this machine?