What am I gonna do?

It’s quite a big bugger and is either dwelling under my shed or in the sage bush.

I’m normally a live and let live kind of guy, but it’s been nibbling my marrows and beetroots, so I think I want to get rid.

Anyone done this before?

A board, some peanut butter and a good shot with an air gun. (spread peanut butter on board so rat can’t run off with it – he has to sit still while he eats it)

Rat bait and “dispenser”

Either are effective, the rat usually ends up dead.

They don’t go away if you try anything “humane” btw.

buy it some rat food and put a sign in front of the veg patch.

By the title I thought it was a thread about UB 40 !

Pay the Piper ?

someone else mentioned an airgun, I thought he was joking

sounds like fun but dunno where i’d get one

perhaps I’ll have a look into traps

There’s a rat in everyone’s garden. When you get a full-on plague and you seem them everywhere you’re probably going to want to do something. Poison is simplest.

Then they’ll come back.

I mentioned the gun and the proviso that you be a good shot. Poison is the best bet for most people. Get a proper dispenser and you’ll see the poison disappear. Keep filling it up until it stops going. Go to somewhere that sells stuff for farms or horses, they’ll have the best kit and it won’t be as expensive as a garden centre.

Overgrown mouse traps are ok until they get damp, then they just curl up and die. Remember, if you use a spring trap and don’t kill ratty straight off, you’ll have to dispose of one angry rodent.

My jack russel terrier tends to be quite affective

Don’t use poison, that just kills that rat that finds the poison – and he dies wherever he gets to…

What you need is someone with a Ferret to visit; let the Ferret off and he’ll not only find and kill the rat(s), but also lay down a scent that will put off future rats for a fair few months.

Although others will say the Ferret only kills the first rat they find.

what does a ferret do with any subsequent rats it meets?

The point is br, they tend to use the same runs, this means if there is more than one (and there probably is) then they will all get a dose. You will never get rid of them all. Things die all the time, rats are no different, if you poison it, it will crawl off somewhere to die just as it would if it were sick. Odds are that it won’t be anywhere where it will distress you.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCbfMkh940Q[/video]

Odds are that it won’t be anywhere where it will distress you.

It wasn’t the distress I was concerned about, more the smell.

Have you never left fish behind a radiator?

I like the peanut butter idea.

If you combine this with a trebuchet you can relocate the rat.

Anyone done this before?

Yes – theres-a-rat-in-my-garden-what-am-i-gonna-do

The question is, do you live near each other and is it the same rat?

get a catapult or blowpipe and shoot the fecker

jack russell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat-baiting

in 1823, ‘Billy’ killed 120 rats in 8 minutes and twenty seconds. Ok he wasnt a Jack, but Jacks love killing things, it’s a bit scary.

the cricketer?

Ask Astro, as there is a one in ten chance he got rid of his from the Kitchen

How ever you decide to ex the rat.Remember to change it’s habitat eg block holes up, fill hollows under the shed or ratties cousin will turn up!

Pressure wash the run area in your back yard. Worked for us.

We had a couple.

I bought a couple of traps (I think mine came from Screwfix). Slow acting poison so they share it with their friends.

We now have no rats.