[Kitchen Cottage]

when I moved into my house 6 years ago it was March and my first day back from work (in the dark) I drove up and i thought the headlights had a strange effect, very pretty actually, it was like the ground had waves on it..... yup, you've got it.... as I got closer I realised it was a sea of rats startled by the headlights.  There were about 70 rats at least on my yard.  Well, the property had 9 old stables and a big barn filled with sh1t and old food so it was a haven.

Over the years the stables have gone and I have better husbandry, but I've used rat poison (slaymore) to control them.  I really want to move to something a lot more bird friendly.... any suggestions?  I've tried traps and sticky pads in the past wthout much success

[bloomer]

I'm led to believe Jack Russels are quite friendly and fairly effective!!!

[sabrina]

We have a Jack Russell who comes out with me to the stables every day, he has caught the odd rat. I keep my cats beds in the barn where the stables are and have only seen one rat over the winter and it was dealt with by the cats. the other thing, if there is no food source rats will move on. All out animal food are in rat proff bins and I keep the feed room floor clean.

[tizaala]

I have posted this tip before,


 mix bait grain with builders plaster , this set in the moisture in their guts , and wraps them up nicely without poisoning other animals. 

[MikeM]

agree with the jack russel method. Humane, enviromentally friendly and fascinating to watch, what's not to like.

[plumseverywhere]

I have one of these...she catches them and any too large for her to dispatch she passes to the dog (a terrier X)

[Fleecewife]

I have posted this tip before,


 mix bait grain with builders plaster , this set in the moisture in their guts , and wraps them up nicely without poisoning other animals. 

 
Please don't - that's horrific 

[tizaala]

They are only rats, so is dying of severe constipation any worse than a cat playing with a wounded rat or mouse any kinder ? a dead rat is a dead rat, kill the dirty things by any means possible that does not harm other animals or raptors.

[lachlanandmarcus]

I rehomed feral cats from the Cats Protection League. They stop any rats setting up shop. And the Border Terrier would get any they missed. In our roof space we sometimes get mice and they are dealt with by the spring traps which to my mind are a humane and instant way of dealing with it. Choc raisin as bait is very popular.

[Fleecewife]

They are only rats, so is dying of severe constipation any worse than a cat playing with a wounded rat or mouse any kinder ? a dead rat is a dead rat, kill the dirty things by any means possible that does not harm other animals or raptors.

I recall that some Austrian with a 'tache thought along those lines but had graded up to humans.
 
We use a terrier - quick and clean, doesn't harm other animals and is very efficient.
 
There are so many other ways to kill a rat, many of them humane.  Doling out wanton cruelty to an animal, no matter how much you hate it, is surely beneath people today.  I doubt that many TASers would go for your method Tizaala.

[Anke]

They are only rats, so is dying of severe constipation any worse than a cat playing with a wounded rat or mouse any kinder ? a dead rat is a dead rat, kill the dirty things by any means possible that does not harm other animals or raptors.

I recall that some Austrian with a 'tache thought along those lines but had graded up to humans.
 
We use a terrier - quick and clean, doesn't harm other animals and is very efficient.
 
There are so many other ways to kill a rat, many of them humane.  Doling out wanton cruelty to an animal, no matter how much you hate it, is surely beneath people today.  I doubt that many TASers would go for your method Tizaala.

Actually I would think any way of poisoning an animal is inhumane, BUT if we wouldn't do it to rats we would be over-run with them. Not all of us have cats (at least two n our family are allergic to them) or dogs and not that many of them will take rats.
We have to put poison down - even without access to food they burrow underneath our sheds and the muckheap. So it's a simple question of who's cleverer... hopefully it's the humans. We use whole-wheat poison to usually good effect. If I found it doesn't work anymore (probably just a question of time) I probably would try Tizaala's method... wouldn't really want to catch the plague...

[RUSTYME]

Unless you have black rats , those that are usually around are the wrong sort , brown rats . I don't know why , but brown rats don't carry the plague , or the type of flea that spreads it ? , not sure which .
But whatever , i hate rats and will kill them however i can , although i don't use poison as i don't want to kill other animals that may eat the dead rats .
So for me , any way other than poison , 'any' way !
Saying that , i shoot them mainly , or live trap and then drown .

[spandit]

The plaster method sounds barbaric and I don't see how it would spare any other creatures the same fate (in the same way that poison could)

I'd be inclined to use poison in proper bait boxes plus invite some airgunners in - always people looking for permission

[RUSTYME]

The rats take the poison out of the bait boxes or eat it and then go away and die slowly . Other animals then eat the dead rat , the poison in the rats body then kills that animal and then the same again with that one .
The plaster would set in the rat , if it ate enough , and be harmless to any animal that ate the dead rat .

[tizaala]

Thank you Rusty, my point exactly, Poison  is so indiscriminate in what it kills, plaster is single use and only kills the target animal without harming further down the food chain.