Rats

[Gary Prentice]

On 07/12/2018 at 17:12, Ratman said:

only bit of pussy i’ve seen all day

Fixed that for you!

[Ratman]

Fixed that for you!

[emoji50] Bit selfish of you Gary..... no need! ☹️

[westphalian]

I stopped using poison when I started to see grease marks on the false ceiling where the rats/mice pegged it and rotted away and also when I couldn't see where the funky smell from under the floorboards was coming from

[Baldbloke]

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.

 

Apologies for accidentally removing my “like”on your post by using my phone.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

Update: Because we started to hear them in the house we have given the better chooks away and dispatched the others in order to not have food available for the fuckers.

Burnt all the sheds/coops etc.

The dog got three and I shot two. MK6 Fenns have also had two so far, and I have 4 more smaller MK4s on order. The wife’s screams made it quite tricky to shoot the escapees as I was pissing myself.

Wild Bird feeders now have plant pot drainers screwed to the bottom of each feeder to save food falling to ground.

I won’t be doing the bait test necessary to buy adequately strong poison in adequate quantities for two reasons: I deeply resent the EU determining what I can and can’t buy. Also I’ve had rats die in internal house wall cavities in the past. The smell alone made the house untenable. Lesson learned when you have rats within the walls

 

So, with abundant traps and no food around I’m hoping the population will diminish or go away. One sole bonus is I have yet to catch a mouse this year in spite of setting 18 mouse traps in attic and two in the kitchen

I usually get between 20 and 80 mice over an autumn

[Baldbloke]

I stopped using poison when I started to see grease marks on the false ceiling where the rats/mice pegged it and rotted away and also when I couldn't see where the funky smell from under the floorboards was coming from

Been there and done that. We used to have a dog that could indicate where the f****** had died. I remember two in particular. One under the Aga in the kitchen and another in the bedrooms en suite wall. The wife was all for moving out until we discovered their whereabouts [emoji3]

[Gary Prentice]

On 07/12/2018 at 18:08, Lazurus said:

That's a mean looking cat, I have two one has dementia the other is transgendered and will only attack butterflies and leaves!!!!!!!

 

How do you diagnose dementia in a cat?

 

We have a 'lot' of cats (I'm too embarrassed to admit just how many!) but despite putting out food all the time for the foxes and the stray cats that visit to be fed, we never see any real indication of rats or mice. Our cats bring an occasional mouse home, for the missus, but it's really rare. 

Could the presence of cats just discourage rodents? 

[westphalian]

Yes but not absolutely. We went without cats for a few months about 10 years ago and the rats just started taking the piss

Edited December 12, 2018 by westphalian

[Gary Prentice]

1 hour ago, westphalian said:

the rats just started taking the piss

We had some in the unit where I used to work. The boss did a load of research, bought some brilliant traps that were the dogs doodahs and recommended by everyone. More research ensued for the best bait etc..

 

I think four traps were set one evening. The following morning all four had been tripped. The bait had gone but every trap was empty.  We never did work out how they were doing it, everything operated like it should on the traps but the little buggers just ate the bait and left.

[Rough Hewn]

Completely forgot!
You can buy a plug in thingy, emits ultra high frequency sounds.
Works for mice, rats and cockroaches.
Limited to about 10-15 feet range, but 3-4 units would do a whole house.
Worked for us in London with a mouse problem.
[emoji106]

[Baldbloke]

Completely forgot!
You can buy a plug in thingy, emits ultra high frequency sounds.
Works for mice, rats and cockroaches.
Limited to about 10-15 feet range, but 3-4 units would do a whole house.
Worked for us in London with a mouse problem.
[emoji106]

The wife has ordered what’s recommended for commercial use so hopefully even more unpleasant for Roland.