Rats

[Billhook]

We had a problem in a grain store and the little !!!!!!!!s were not satisfied with just gnawing the corn but they set about the tractor wiring as well.

I know that car and tractor tyres have some metal in them to earth static electricity caused by forward motion so I was wondering if a cattle mains electric fencer might work to keep them at least off the tractor

 

I put the live wire onto the tractor and then there was the question of where to fix the earth.  I decided that the metal grid above the grain pit would be as good as anywhere so I clipped the terminal on and plugged the machine into the mains.

It is of course not mains voltage or amps going through the fencing wire but about 10,000 volts and very low amps

 

I turned on the switch and all hell broke loose in the store.  There was squealing everywhere and a rat jumped out of the tractor and headed for the door in a series of leaps but every time it landed on the concrete floor it received a shock so it exited in a series of squeals.  

But there were squeals everywhere and I realised that because the concrete floor was reinforced with metal the electricity had penetrated the main duct and the laterals and the dresser!

I assume the electricity found an easier path from the rat's back feet to its front feet than it found through the concrete!

Very effective solution for me but I am not sure how you would rig that up in a poly tunnel

 

I had two Airedales, the ones in my avatar, one was more the terrier and the other more hound  (they are half terrier and half otter hound)  They worked very well together with rats, the terrier one would catch the rat and flick it in the air to be caught by the bigger hound one and she had a jaw like a steam hammer.  No shaking or anything, just crunch and dead as a door nail!

[Rushes]

You can have all the firearms in the World, but if there is food available you will have rats. If you can't feed the stock without leaving food around then all you can do is control the numbers.

 

Reduce the places they can hide, ensure that there is no other food than the hens they can eat and get a decent ratter, cat or dog and learn to live with the bu££ers.

[difflock]

I can quite happily tolerate rats outside, and do, there is not much choice in the matter.

BUT!

It took me 20 years, before quite accidentally, finding where the rats were gaining access to our blown fibre filled cavitiy, and thence to the roofspace.

Where they partied and played merry hell each autumn.

Not at or below ground level, where I had searched and better searched, but through the butyl rubber where it disappeared up below the lead flashing on a flat roof.

Directly above a returned cavity wall below, which had left a gap one could stick ones fist through.

mth

P.S.

I once shot a rat with the 12 gauge, standing just outside the back door, and,  instantly after my rat-shot, my periferal vision spotted a mouse 1/2 way up the marble dash at the rear of the house.

Pure reflex and the mouse instantly vanished.

How I managed to miss the downpipe and various other plumbing fixtures was a mystery, since I only saw them afterwards.

 

 

Edited December 8, 2018 by difflock

[peds]

13 hours ago, Billhook said:

I turned on the switch and all hell broke loose in the store. 

...

I assume the electricity found an easier path from the rat's back feet to its front feet than it found through the concrete!

Very effective solution for me but I am not sure how you would rig that up in a poly tunnel

That sounds beautiful. I bet you couldn't rig that up again somewhere else if you tried!

 

I've been back in my new home in Ireland for a few days now, the scurrying in the roof is still there. I was hoping that they might have died of loneliness whilst we were back in France for the last few months, but no joy. I really liked the look of these when the rat discussion was last had on here, and I'll be investing in one or two for sure:
https://goodnaturetraps.co.uk/trapproducts/rat-stoat/
 

...but then I've always wanted an air rifle since I was young as well, so even if the Good Nature traps work brilliantly, I'll just have to tell the wife that they aren't 100% effective, and we need a more instant response as well. She'll understand.

Edited December 9, 2018 by peds

[Treerover]

If they are out and about, a good PCP air rifle will take them out effectively. Shoot a little lower than the ears head shot as this should dispatch them effectively. Other than that, if they are facing you then between the eyes and ears and through the body works well. Body shots are generally not good enough unless you have a 12 bore!
I have used poison a year or two ago and it did work but be careful nothing else can eat the poison. I now only get one or two after the bird food in the winter.
If you are over-run, a Jack Russell is as good as it gets, they will take them on the nape of the neck and shake violently and just go at them one after the other - awesome ratters!
 
 

Dems Plummer terriers Spuddy baby

[Treerover]

Look at ‘Mouse Trap Monday’s’ on You Tube for a smorgasbord of various rat remodelling devices. It’ll get you riled up for pay back.

 

I’m currently trapping our rats with fenn Mk 4’s with peanut butter .

Had 4 in the last week but we’re not too overrun I don’t think.

 

 

[Peasgood]

Do the test so you can buy poison or just buy it off eBay and Amazon instead. Same goes for many other high strength ag chems. 

[scbk]

Change the hen feeder to one that is "chicken operated", there will still be some stray food about, but it should help.

[Stubby]

My Bro lives in Western Aus . He has a hen house and run . In it there are chickens and a Duggite ( spelling ) snake .  You just be very careful when collecting the eggs . The snake does not bother the chickens but eats all the mice and rats . Works a treat .

[Billhook]

On 10/12/2018 at 06:44, Stubby said:

My Bro lives in Western Aus . He has a hen house and run . In it there are chickens and a Duggite ( spelling ) snake .  You just be very careful when collecting the eggs . The snake does not bother the chickens but eats all the mice and rats . Works a treat .

 

 

I think that the rats may be more pleasant!

Envenomation[edit]

The venom of P. affinis is potentially one of the most lethal in the world, causing coagulopathic and procoagulant effects.^[1] Dugites generally avoid biting humans, but risks of encounters rise when they are most active during the mating season through October and November.^[2]

The last death attributed to a dugite was in Fremantle (South Beach) on 15 August 2015. A woman was bitten on her heel mid-afternoon while walking alone. She walked home and later collapsed whilst her husband was taking her to her car in order to transport her to the hospital. The ambulance was called, arriving five minutes later, but medics were unable to revive her.^[2]

In January 2011, a seven-year-old Perth boy was bitten and temporarily paralyzed after a dugite entered his bedroom and wrapped itself around his arm while he slept. After receiving immediate medical attention, he made a full recovery