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Try soap. Seriously the first sign of rats in my old house was gnaw marks in bars of soap.
OK, thanks all. Some better suggestions than others. Obviously.
Bought a couple of Peperami sausages last night, and some bits of those are now out, groundbait/loose-feed style, around the traps, along with a couple of larger pieces in the traps. And we'll see what happens in the next day or night or two. That said, the cheeky wee ****er was sitting on the edge of the lawn (hah, at this time year that's an optimistic description..) munching away earlier, so it's not getting lured in just yet.
The Jack Russell idea is a decent one, except we don't know of any locally, and our two Cockers aren't fast enough out of the door to beat it to the bolthole. They're also useless with the element of surprise, 'cos obviously making an unholy racket on the way out is the best idea they can come up with. I could access the services of a Miniature Schnauzer if needed.
I was alerted to the presence of a rat by bumping sounds in the night. A rat was rolling spuds down the stairs to hoard in the spare room. I discovered that the rat had taken my store of parsnips and secreted them in my motorcycle helmet. I laid down poison and shut the door. Sometime later I accidentally left it open and can only assume that said rat staggered out of the open back door.
Some news.
The Peperami appears to be a good option, insofar as both traps have been baited with it since yesterday evening. And sometime tonight, one of them has been sprung. But, irritatingly, it's missed the rat 🙁 which I assume has run away with the equivalent of brown trousers, and is now a little wiser. What this has done of course is set the whole business back somewhat, as it's going to take a while to gain its confidence again. And I guess I'm going to have to alter the layout of the battlefield, change the location of the traps, put down more groundbait and freebies, vary the lures and all sorts of similar shenanigans to get back to the point where I can arm them again.
Oh well, at least with WFH next week it's a simple enough job.
We occasionally get a rat in the garden going after the bird food. So far we've caught three in the last 6 months using one of these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cheese-Live-Catch-Indoors-Outdoors-Gardens/dp/B000QVSCH6
Trick is to leave it in one place and try not to disturb it. We've been successful with peanut butter or chunks of fatball/suet block. Last one took about a week before the furry bugger wandered in. Once triggered though there's no chance of them getting away.
I then drive them a couple of miles away and across a river before releasing them to go about their ratty business.
I then drive them a couple of miles away and across a river before releasing them to go about their ratty business
But why? You're just moving the problem into someone else's house/garden. Just dispatch it.
Peanut butter over poison cubes in a pair of sealed traps killed our rodent within a month.
Its worth checking the BPCA website for rodenticide resistance. If you try to "poison" you could just be building further problems. Some areas have rodents that are resistant to specific AVK types.
Goodnature A24 trap using their own chocolate-flavoured lure. Very expensive, but effective, kills them well dead instantly then resets ready for the next one.
Ratatouille?
Is there anything more humane than drowning them?
But why? You’re just moving the problem into someone else’s house/garden. Just dispatch it
I release them in woodland next to a river with no houses around. I'm not dumping them into someone elses back garden.
Why should I kill it?
I release them in woodland next to a river with no houses around. I’m not dumping them into someone elses back garden.
Why should I kill it?
Guidance is pretty clear that dumping them in unfamiliar territory is less humane than quickly dispatching it. You're basically killing them in a slower more stressful way.
Is there anything more humane than drowning them?
Well there's worse ways to kill them I suppose, I mean, it's better than a glue trap sure, but it's still a [criminally] inhumane way to kill anything.
Shoot it or a single sharp blow to the back of the head with a heavy blunt object.
Or use proper traps.
(or in this particular case as it's in the garden, leave the thing be. Unless you stop feeding the birds you may as well try bailing out a swimming pool with a teaspoon.)
Cant imagine anything worse than drowning them, beating them to death with a garden spade is a lot quicker.
For once a thread that DOESN’T need pics!
Another rat seductively smearing Nutella over itself.
Re: drowning a bothy rat - no, it was far from ideal, but I couldn't get close to the old cage I'd trapped it in because it lunged at the bars, screeching, every time I tried. Scottish rat, loads of attitude. No chance was I going to be able to open the gate. The cage, though, had an old bit of fishing rope tied to it; coastal bothy, fill in the rest.
fill in the rest
Lobster for tea?
but I couldn’t get close to the old cage I’d trapped it in because it lunged at the bars, screeching, every time I tried
This is a notable problem with live traps, the little sods don't appreciate it and picking up a pissed off rat in a cage is a lot more of a handful and takes a deal more care than many folks imagine.
Not a chance I'd want to put one in my car to take it for a drive in the country emptying it's bladder and bowel, that's the biggest reason you don't want them in your house.
This is a notable problem with live traps, the little sods don’t appreciate it and picking up a pissed off rat in a cage is a lot more of a handful and takes a deal more care than many folks imagine.
Not a chance I’d want to put one in my car to take it for a drive in the country emptying it’s bladder and bowel, that’s the biggest reason you don’t want them in your house.
Yeah, the average rat is not like your pet gerbil. They're big, strong, smelly, screechy things with horrible sharp yellow teeth. That said, if you're going to kill it do it as quickly and humanely as possible. Or avoid that by not putting loads of bird/rat food on the ground.
Is it possible to empty those cages into a bin or bag or does mr rat prefer to stay in the cage?
Once it's dead I don't suppose he's over bothered about being bagged and binned, buried at sea or cooked and eaten for all it matters.
I would strongly suggest against trying to move a live one though having seen them pick fights with ferrets and foxes unlucky enough to find them down a rabbit hole. I've even seen footage of one discouraging a badger from returning to its set and there are few things would be keen on that.
The rat would be live going into the bag and once hit on the head dead on leaving it.
The rat would be live going into the bag and once hit on the head dead on leaving it.
LOL
Are you up to date on your jabs?
The rat would be live going into the bag and once hit on the head dead on leaving it.
Got a go-pro?
"are you bored enough to watch me... *
Move a live rat from a trap into a hessian sack then ineffectually whack at it like the homeowner in Tom and Jerry for 10 minutes before giving up.
Yes. Yes I am.
*sorry WCA.
on the odd occasion we got a rat in the blue grain tubs you want two people and two spades*.
Why two you say? because as you start trying to **** the ****er it'll jump onto your spade and run up the handle, you need someone with another spade to keep you safe and whack it or atleast knock it back in. Theres not a chance in hell you'd get it in a bag before it shot out attached to your fingers. they're not a "a bit fiesty" they're bloody terrifying ferocious dangerous beasts.
*I'm not pro killing animals, it's not their fault for existing but there is very little you can do when they are already in the grain they dive under and you have no chance with something less violent.
After its all over you go and give your dad a bollocking for leaving the lid off then running away when he spots the rat and leaving it to you and your mum :-D.
they’re bloody terrifying ferocious dangerous beasts.
Absolutely.
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2020/september/rats-emotion.html
OP this might be useful. Try offering to tickle your rat, not all will find it irresistible but you may find you're lucky and yours can be tempted this way.