[Blueeyes]

Well last night my hubby decided to move the duck house to look underneath as there was another large burrow into the ducks night time enclosure, and there he was..... A huge rat! It was massive & not at all scared of my hubby, but hubby was brave and did the horrid task of dispatching it  not nice but necessary I'm afraid, bless him he was so upset at having to do it 

Good news tho we were back up to the usual 3 eggs this morning and back to the usual large size, it's been the odd one every few days for the last few weeks, the ducks are happier too, which is the main thing


Blueeyes x

[in the hills]

For a few days something had been tunnelling under our quail ark. Suspected a rat and spotted him a couple of days ago as we were doing an early hours lambing. Cant believe how quickly he could dig out a tunnel 

He is HUGE. Kept poultry for a long, long time and never had trouble with rats.Dont like to kill anything but he has got to go before he finds a weak spot somewhere in the pen. Put a humane trap out last night but only caught a teeny mouse. My father says rats are very clever and we wont catch him in our trap. Will have to think of another method. 

[Blueeyes]

We're the same, we never kill anything usually, all our animals have a life-long home here, but rats are so cunning, this one even climbed the enclosure walls and stared at my hubby eye to eye!

We've not even managed to catch a mouse in a trap 

It made us feel sick knowing we'd killed something but at least it was quick so it didn't suffer for long, look at me trying to justify it    saying that I'd hate or anything to happen to my ducks!

Good luck with yours!

Blueeyes x

[chrismahon]

Guess you will have to shoot it Blueyes. Decoy it to something and wait. A trap will have to be in place for weeks before an old rat will wander in -they don't like anything different in the environment and avoid it. They can smell 'new' as well so best leave anything outside for a while before you bait it. I waited a month to catch a huge rat in a rabbit trap baited with apples. The run was right in front of it and the rat passed by every night ignoring the bait, until finally he forgot it was new and went in.

[goosepimple]

We have less now we have a dog pooing everywhere (and a cat but she's a chub) - we do put out poison in boxes at the end of every month though.  Mint and cloves put vermin off areas, they can't stand the smell.

[Blueeyes]

Oh might have to give that a go planting the herbs, we had to shoot it but don't think my hubby could do it regularly as it was so upsetting 


Blueeyes x

[happy larry]

Well done to your hubby blueyes,rat populations are always on the increase,as a paid rat catcher i get more calls from domestic premises than commercial.The best options are to trap using mark4 fenn traps placed in tunnels along walls,sheds,chicken runs etc. If any members near Burton on Trent need help or advice just ask.

[Blueeyes]

Thank you happy lorry will get some of those traps in, don't envy you your job tho 

Blueeyes x

[SteveHants]

What you want is some of these.....

[Blueeyes]

Hmmm might just try the traps  we have a terrier but she was scared of it 


Blueeyes x

[Mammyshaz]

We have the same problem with our terrier, very much like your handsom lad on the bottom stevehants.
Unfortunately she just mothers every little thing she sees, 

[in the hills]

Mmmmm ..... white one looks a bit cuddly to me but yeah black one looks mean 

Do they dig them out? Do they kill them quickly? Is it more humane than poison or traps?

Have a cat but think the rat I saw may eat HER.

[goosepimple]

Give you a laugh - when I was a towny living in Edinburgh, we had to employ a rat catcher and he came with his terrier who looked about 100 years old and had lots of very squint teeth.  He would throw it down holes and shout RATS with a lot of rolling on the R and the wee thing would toddle around not doing much.  We eventually caught the rat in the rat trap he set, then, being a soppy towny, I felt sorry for it and started feeding it Mr Kiplings Manor House cake until the guy arrived the next day to take it away.  Still think rats are cute actually but don't have problem in getting rid of them now!

[in the hills]

 

My niece keeps pet rats. They are kind of sweet and very intelligent.

[happy larry]

Thank you happy lorry will get some of those traps in, don't envy you your job tho 

Blueeyes x

I love the job blueeyes,i get the same feeling of job satisfaction as i did when i caught my 1st rat all those years ago.In most cases i catch rats on my 1st visit.Just a little incentive regarding using traps.They work 24/7in all weathers,you dont have to feed/ water them,etc etc