A rattus rattus problem!?!

[irishdraft]

i have some stables of the same type OP and the same problem, I can assure you Op foam expansion will not stop a rat, I have had heavy duty plastic dustbins chewed thru to get to feed. i am afraid i put poison down in blue water pipes & other containers that dogs can not get into. Put some in the actual space between inside & outside of the stables, it must go on the rat run & you must keep the enviroment very clean. The bodies do not smell at all as they dessicate, I do not want to kill any living animal but rats are not good to have around. Once i have had a poisoning session it gets sorted for the rest of the winter.

 

[RobinHood]

The bodies do not smell at all as they dessicate

Well ours like to die underneath our office and the smell is completely overpowering until we lift the floorboards and remove the bodies. I don't think there's anything quite like the smell of dead rat.

 

[TandD]

Thank you for all your replies. It does seem the best way to go is to kill them..... I have today found further nibbling of the wood around the holes they go in and out of. There is also further digging in the bed. Obviously my population is growing bigger in more than 1 way!

Unfortunately the holes into the wall cavity are to small to get a trap (or hand) in..... But big enough for a rat to get out of. So this would mean I would have to place a trap in the stable under my horses water drinker as this is where they come out. My horse also can not move out of the stable while this is carried out as no free stables so do not want to do anything that may injure him!

Once rats have gone would it be worth filling the holes with concrete to discourage them to return? Or do the eat concrete too?

 

[Floxie]

They can chew through it if the rewards are tempting enough But it'd probably help discourage them in the first place so probs worth doing anyway.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

as said, you need to get rid by killing them somehow. they really hate wire wool though, fwiw.