RATS and Air Rifles/ Poison ?

I’ve had an ongoing problem with these critters for a while now .
The problem apparently is self inflicted because we love to feed the birds hence the rats will arrive.
We’ve no intention to stop feeding the birds but want to cull the rats
RAT poison doesn’t seem to work or at least the stuff I’m using doesn’t seem to.
I’ve borrowed a .22 air rifle but even a direct hit which granted is rare doesn’t seem to kill them on a regular basis.
Even when I hit them Square in the body and the force Forces them into the air they seem to take the piss and run off.
Questions
1..Is my air rifle powerful enough (.22 from around 10m distance)
2..Do I need a different pellet to the domed ones I’m using
3..Can you recommend any industrial poison
4 ..If I go down the route of a different air rifle can anybody recommend one or are you selling one
5..Is there any bait that’s irresistible to them that will lure them into the traps I’ve put out

Thanks in advance

5..Is there any bait that’s irresistible to them that will lure them into the traps I’ve put out

Peanut butter?

Even when I hit them Square in the body and the force Forces them into the air they seem to take the piss and run off.

You should not be shooting any animal, even rats, if you can’t make a clean kill. Completely unacceptable.

Feed the birds in a different way? On a table or by hanging a feeder??

Warfarin for the rats, and can’t you buy steel pointy .22 pellets anymore?

You should not be shooting any animal, even rats, if you can’t make a clean kill. Completely unacceptable.

^^ This

Try baiting humane traps with peanut butter and then relocating them miles away. If not, stop feeding the birds and the rats will soon bugger off if there is no food around.

.22, domed pellet and a headshot does for them here.

(BSA GRT, Bisley Magnum)

Friend swears by flat heads, but I’ve found domed fly true and hit hard enough.

Just to try and put Some minds at rest
I’ve invested a lot into the baiting and relocating method
Months of trial and error and many traps have been purchased but with little result

Nutella!

Even when I hit them Square in the body and the force Forces them into the air they seem to take the piss and run off.

headshot or bust.

The thing with poison is that you dont often see the dead ones!

I got some “Pasta” rat poison from screwfix – apparently it is for difficult to kill rats – seemed to work well

Take the bird food in at the end of the day. I was once told food outside during the day feeds the birds, food outside overnight feeds the rats. Bringing in feeders every evening certainly fixed a problem my parents were having.

1..Is my air rifle powerful enough (.22 from around 10m distance)

That doesn’t really tell anyone enough to know. Air rifles “power” is normally rated in ft-lbs (other more SI-compliant units such as Nm are available) which is the energy of the pellet as it leaves the muzzle. The legal limit for air rifles (without additional licences in England, you need a permit for these in Scotland) is 12ftlb. .22 just tells you the size of the pellet you’re firing not its power.

To do any kind of hunting, I’d expect you’d want something pretty close to the top-end of allowed power.

If you have the model of the rifle, I’m sure someone who knows could tell you if it’s up to the job. (It won’t be me.. I used to plink a bit with an air rifle but that’s all).

Can’t help feeling you’re not really addressing the problem here…..

Either stop feeding the birds, or do it in a way that the rats can’t get to. Seems a bit off to me to be leaving food out that encourages rats and then maiming them by badly executed execution.

I’ve just sorted my loft critters out, very suspicious didn’t take bait or touch the traps with peanut butter, I also tried glue boards, totally useless they shit all over them.
I found they were holes up in the soffits so I removed the extractor fan in the bathroom which was at the other end of the house and droped in some poison blocks, then replaced fan. Haven’t heard or seen anything of them for a week, I think it worked because the poison was in a place where they didn’t feel suspicious of it.
Catching and relocating 🤣

The thing with poison is that you dont often see the dead ones!

Nor do you see the other dead animals/birds of prey that feed on the poisoned rats and get poisoned themselves

STOP INJURING RATS YOU BASTARD

Even vermin species deserve to be despatched humanely and that means a headshot every time.

Why do you think that a body shot would kill cleanly or don’t you give a shit?
You’ve borrowed an air rifle and think you are competent enough to shoot accurately and consistently at live animals at varying ranges? You don’t give a shit do you?

Practice until you can hit a 2p piece EVERY TIME at the typical ranges. And head shots only.

Flat headed pellets (RWS Hobby) are very effective at ranges up to 20m. Larger surface area expends energy more efficiently into the target i.e. the rat’s HEAD.

We have the same problem (we keep chickens, so it is a side effect of that). But I have not controlled them for 6 months so now we’re quite over run with rats. I have a cheap air rifle that didn’t kill cleanly, so am (today) buying a new one. The gun shop I spoke to laughed when I said I had a Westlake air rifle and his words were “that won’t kill anything”. £150 gets a legal limit air rifle (plus scope etc). Looking at the various blogs for similar problems a good air rifle and a head shot are one way forward.
I also got an electronic rat zapper – delivers 7000V shock which kills instantly. I have used it overnight for the past week with peanut butter as bait and got the 1st rat last night.

Poison is (in my opinion) not a good option. Probably very effective, but also indiscriminate and you never find the dead rat. Supposedly they go into their nest to die, but it’s a slow painful death, plus it puts poison into the foodchain. I have used it in the past but am very mindful of it.

Proper spring traps work if you can get the rat to trust them – which after a few kills they’ll steer well clear.

Humane traps – I have one and have never caught anything in it. Not sure why but they clearly distrust it. Then you have the problem of where to relocate to…..

Another option is the local terrier club – but I suspect this is an option that may only suit certain locations (maybe not for in-house infestations!).

There is nothing pleasant about having a rat problem or dealing with it. So preventing the problem in the first place is maybe the best option – remove food at night or have rat proof bird feeders (they’ll get in if they can get to it – you have to stop them getting to it by having anti climbing measures or suchlike).

Starship
Neither playing god with animals or being called a BASTARD sits well with me
I’ll gladly take any advice given on how to humanely try to resolve a long on going problem
BUT BRING CALLED A BASTARD NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED FACE TO FACE

PM me for a meet

PM me for a meet

How old are you?

BUT BRING CALLED A BASTARD NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED FACE TO FACE

PM me for a meet

Thats so funny, you want to arrange a fight because a stranger on the stranger on the internet called you a naughty word!

Grow up.

– How far are you prepared to travel for this fight?
– Are we allowed to come a watch and shout FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT?
– Will Queensberry Rules apply?
– Will one of you need to throw down a glove?
– Are weapons allowed, will you be bringing a limp air rifle?
– Do you intend to kill Starship or just shot him in the body to allow him to run away in pain?

WE NEED TO KNOW!

Who just turned STW up to 11?

Starship
Neither playing god with animals or being called a BASTARD sits well with me
I’ll gladly take any advice given on how to humanely try to resolve a long on going problem
BUT BRING CALLED A BASTARD NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED FACE TO FACE

PM me for a meet

BUT BRING CALLED A BASTARD NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED FACE TO FACE

PM me for a meet

This did make me chuckle…😂

Also, shooting animals and clearly not caring if you don’t kill them cleanly marks you you out as an absolute dick….no two ways about it im afraid.

Try baiting humane traps with peanut butter and then relocating them miles away.

You know releasing vermin is a legal no no don’t you?

As for the rats. If they’re outside leave the things be.
Take bird food in after feeding them and remove other things that will attract them but ignore them.

If you must deal with them shooting is the right thing to do but invest some target practice. If you can’t hit consistently a 20p piece at the relevant range do not point your rifle at anything which breathes. (be prepared for looooong days of shooting too, they’re not exactly rare)

If they’re in your house poison amd traps. Wear garden gloves when handling any of it preferably the ones you forgot to bring in in June thar have gone green and slimy and you don’t really want to touch. Traps in a bucket of rain water for a day or two before you bait them. Don’t set them until the bait has being taken every day for at least a week.
Foot poison use a bromide based one, ideally it should look (amd smell etc) like something rats would eat, like grain etc. Do not use poison or traps outside.

BUT BRING CALLED A BASTARD NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED FACE TO FACE

PM me for a meet

brilliant….post of the week!

Put the gun down. You haven’t got the knowledge or the skills to use it.
You’d be better off getting hold of the thin end and hitting the rats with the fat end.
Stop leaving food lying around. The birds and the rats will find it elsewhere.

That went well.

Definitely agree with most of the points raised above. You need to be consistently hitting 2p sized target before trying to hit a rat or other vermin. Extra strong mints are great for practice too! Again practice, practice, practice and watch your backstop. Any stray pellets into your neighbours garden may get you in trouble

You’ll want to make sure your scope is zero’ed for the distance you’re shooting at and for your pellet of choice too. Flat heads like Hobbies are perfectly fine as are your domed pellets.

Bait wise, I used peanut butter mixed with some chocolate spread and veggie oil. Works well.

Have you also considered using a Goodnature trap?
https://goodnaturetraps.co.uk/humane-rat-traps/

Use a humane trap, and then drown them while still in the trap.
Put their body in a sealed plastic bag before putting in the bin.
Wash hands.

Humane trap – so it doesn’t catch a leg/tail and then bite it off.
Drown – so no blood/faeces etc.
Seal bag – no maggots in your bin

snap has gone quiet.

I assume he’s getting in some target practice.

snap has gone quiet.

I assume he’s getting in some target practice.

I reckon his mum has sent him out to feed the birds again

Echoing the thoughts of everyone saying you should not be shooting them as you clearly don’t have the knowledge or competence. FWIW you have also admitted a wildlife crime on a public forum, vermin or not you would still be liable for prosecution if someone was so inclined. What you are doing is cruel and completely unnecessary.

Either stop feeding the birds or clean the area up. As long as you have food the rats will keep coming back.

I can just see Mr Starship’s conversation with the wife now..’sorry dear, the family holiday to centre parks is cancelled. Instead we are having to travel half way across England to meet a random off the internet in a Car park, so he can extract some form of face to face retribution for the dastardly slur I bestowed on him.. Btw It may end up in a fight…you ok with that?’

One of the first things I was taught about the internet..Don’t challenge strangers to a fight from behind the safety of your keyboard..As sure enough one day someone may call your bluff, and then you look a bit of a tit..

Get a cat

surely easier just to sort the bird feed mess out? Probably either the type of food used or the type/position of the feeders. Just google it, loads of tips/tricks so you can do it without attracting rats.

Defo a late front runner for thread of the week tho 😃

I think we’re going to need a video of the meet-up

Get a cat

Headshots only, though.

Get a cat

Headshots only, though.

From 10m out you’d have to be pretty good with a catapult

Use a humane trap, and then drown them while still in the trap.

Erm but, I mean. You know. Erm

Oh never mind.