Blocking up rat holes

[spotty_pony2]

So my new stable camera has been both a blessing and a curse as I’ve seen Mr Rat in there twice tonight and am now wide awake.

My boy doesn’t seem bothered but the sight of him running underneath him and then scurrying away now has me wide awake. I’ve heard all the horror stories about them chewing coronet bands etc and I’m terrified! I’m sure the rats been going there for a long time but it’s worse now I can see.

Anyway. We have a pest control man who has started baiting boxes for us around the house currently but we are doing on area of the property at a time as it’s quite big and we have dogs so I am also terrified the dog will get in and eat it. When the horses are out I’ll happily put bait stations in the stables but that doesn’t help me right now. I can see where he is coming in and out and he’s right now at midnight ordered some wire wool and some expanding foam. I know they will chew through this but it will help for a while.

If I was to chuck a few poison blocks down the hole and then seal it would this be safe? I’ve heard if put them down and don’t seal the en the rats tend to throw them back out!

I’m sure seeing the odd rat is common in stables but it’s still freaked me out.

 

[Denali]

If you seal the hole with poison you need a way to get the carcass out.

You could block the hole with steel wool.

 

[spotty_pony2]

If you seal the hole with poison you need a way to get the carcass out.

You could block the hole with steel wool.

yes I’ve just ordered some steel wool. I’m guessing then the rats will just dehydrate if they aren’t able to get out and they are sealed in there? I’ve heard they can’t go long at all without water.

 

[Denali]

yes I’ve just ordered some steel wool. I’m guessing then the rats will just dehydrate if they aren’t able to get out and they are sealed in there? I’ve heard they can’t go long at all without water.

Rats are really smart so more than likely they will not use that hole.

 

[spotty_pony2]

Rats are really smart so more than likely they will not use that hole.

so they probably won’t be in it in the day then? I know that’s my thoughts I can block up the holes but they can still get in under the door anyway.

 

[Denali]

For sure. Unless your barn is air tight you will have critters.

 

[PurBee]

A rat had chewed through wooden board to get into a shed area. I put a cloth soaked in bleach into the hole in the wood, that put them off for a while until the bleach dried-out and they removed the cloth!
Then i put a massive heavy stone with a flat side covering the hole they had made - this was after putting a brick sized stone there initially which they moved ….so a heavy 5kg boulder replaced the brick and they didnt move that!

In our barns they’ve got some tunnel holes. Large heavy stones over them means that blocks them entering/exiting those holes. But they likely will dig other holes if there’s an earthen floor.

They’re habitual if they find a food source. If your horse is having grains/linseed they may be going in there to nibble on those in the poops. Or, theyre going in there during the freezy nights to keep warm…and actually prefer another location for milder weather. We’ve had rats change location due to weather extremes.

The boy cat does get a few, especially youngsters.

 

[Sandstone1]

I am having a problem with rats. I really do not want to put poison down both because its a horrible way for them to die, also other animals may get it and /or eat the rats after death so its really not good. As well as that they will go off to die and cause horrible smells where you cant get to get them out. I am trying to find a humane way to get rid but so far have not found anything effective. Any ideas?

 

[Marigold4]

I used expandable foam last winter. They didn't get through it but would start another hole instead. It doesn't look pretty buti It got me through the winter and then we did some work to fortify the outside to the stables and now they have gone.

 

[Peglo]

Rats have dug holes through concrete floors at work. I assume it was starting to break up but it was impressive. The boys used smashed glass and new concrete to fill the hole back in so that might be an option for your stable wall. The likeliness is the rat will have a way outside through the wall so if you fill it he won’t be stuck in the wall.

There was a man that came into work and bought lamb mix and barely. He kept leaving it in his car overnight and the rats moved in and started eating the mix. You could see the chewings and the damage they did to the seat stuffing.
He ended up putting poison out in his car and the rats ate it, died and rotted. I have never smelt something so bad in my life. The car was a bit stinky anyway but I thought I was going to see my dinner again when I put stuff in his car. I have no idea how he could sit in it, the smell of the rotten carcasses was horrendous. It lasted about 2 weeks. Anyway that car has since been scrapped, the only thing for it I’d say.

 

[meleeka]

The best thing you can do is remove their food source. Make sure any mess is cleared up immediately and all feed in metal bins. I get the odd rat passing through, but as there's nothing for them to eat, they don't tend to hang around.

I definitely wouldn't put poison in the hole. That was an expensive lesson for me to learn, when a rat dragged some into an empty stable and my dog ate it. The dog was fine after a visit to the vet, but not something I will risk happening again.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Rats tend to use the drains as a highway, mainly because predators can't see them. We used to have a rat problem, and discovered that the crazy lady who came to the yard at 5.30am, to feed her horse and sit in the brew room until gone dinner time, was putting handfuls of food out 'for the birds,' After she left it took around six months for the rats to move on. All feed stored in bins, bales on pallets and rake under the pallets every time the bale is changed, don't feed the birds (!) and maybe ask around for someone with a good terrier. Also, if you have stacks of wood or stuff that will come in handy one day, that is another likely nesting site.

 

[Miss_Millie]

This may be an unpopular opinion, but unless they're actually causing harm, just leave them be? They are wildlife, they exist, they have to live somewhere.

I know I have rats on my yard, I don't really care. My horses don't care and they aren't hurting them or damaging my property. If I see a rat, I have the same reaction as a blackbird. It's just a wild animal co-existing alongside us, so what?

I keep my yard clean, feed in sealed containers, tack stored away in cupboards. The only time I've ever had damage was when I left a bag of chaff on the floor and a cute little mouse made a nest in there. My fault for not putting it into the feed bin quick enough.

I would never ever use poison - it is cruel and will make its way into other parts of the food chain. An easy and quick way to kill a bird of prey, a cat or a dog. Why it is legal to sell I don't understand.

 

[Widgeon]

Rats have dug holes through concrete floors at work. I assume it was starting to break up but it was impressive. The boys used smashed glass and new concrete to fill the hole back in so that might be an option for your stable wall. The likeliness is the rat will have a way outside through the wall so if you fill it he won’t be stuck in the wall.

Yes....this. Filling the hole won't work, they will just dig / chew a new one. We have rats living under the straw bales in our chicken shed (very frustrating because we religiously lift all food at night time and use sealed rat proof bins) and have just concreted up a load of holes they dug. I went in yesterday to find a large new hole plus quite a lot of chewed up doorframe on the floor.

Personally I think there are two viable approaches for rats. Either ignore them (if they're not doing increasing damage or causing problems) or go for all out war. Our local pest control man recommended closed bait boxes with a type of (much more expensive) bait that won't cause secondary poisoning - I think he said it causes a massive calcium buildup in the rats, and that kills them but won't harm anything that subsequently eats them. I'm considering it but to do it properly (and there's no point NOT doing it properly) is quite expensive, several hundred pounds.

 

[HopOnTrot]

Currently in the middle of this at my stables. Bait boxes apparently don't work for rats as they are phobic so won't go in them. Instead he has tethered the bait with wire in the tack room and the barn and the dogs are to stay out (my hay barn is 6ft by 12ft with a dog proof door), they ate the bait in the barn in 2 days! He is back again this week to rebait, activity is less but they're still there as the dog killed two this weekend. He did put some bait down a hole and cover it up but it hasn't reopened.

If you want to block holes, put wire wool in expanding foam so they can't push it out.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Currently in the middle of this at my stables. Bait boxes apparently don't work for rats as they are phobic so won't go in them. Instead he has tethered the bait with wire in the tack room and the barn and the dogs are to stay out (my hay barn is 6ft by 12ft with a dog proof door), they ate the bait in the barn in 2 days! He is back again this week to rebait, activity is less but they're still there as the dog killed two this weekend. He did put some bait down a hole and cover it up but it hasn't reopened.

If you want to block holes, put wire wool in expanding foam so they can't push it out.

Just be a bit careful with the dogs if they are finishing the poisoned rats off that they don't eat them at all!

I feel like rats are an impossible battle. This place is baited up to the hilt. Its all done properly and safely. (It wasn't on the yard that my daughters dog ate some recently!) We still see them around though. I supposed with full grain stores to supply ad lib food they just keep coming.

 

[Peglo]

@Miss_Millie i would agree if it weren’t for the risk of weil’s disease. And I lost a young chicken to rats which upset me. I do hate poison though. It just seems so cruel to put anything through torture like that.

 

[Identityincrisis]

I haven’t read all of the suggestions but i had a couple of ratty holes in the back wall of my stable. I used chicken wire scrunched into a ball the size of the hole, i shoved it in and used mortar to fill it, 6 months on and no signs of ratty!

 

[Squeak]

I've heard that rats are particularly bad/ numerous this year and have seen more this year than I had previously. We use the poison that can't harm other animals if they get a rat that has had some. We go for poison in bait boxes all around the yard, the bait in them does get used so the rats must go in them and use them ok. We hadn't replaced the bait quickly enough (had expected 'normal years' amounts to be used) and I also saw a rat(s) running around on the camera. After topping up the bait I haven't seen it since.

I'm at a slight loss with what to do about feeding micronised linseed as I could see that his poo had been gone through but he does so well on it that I'm loathe to take him off it. I've not had problems other years and after hearing that others had problems with rats chewing through the bottle of linseed oil I'm not sure about swapping to that which probably would have been my next step.

I do appreciate about it being a horrible way to die but as rats carry disease and are vicious, do damage to property and as mentioned, can even damage the horses! I see it as a necessary evil. If no one killed them then we could be completely over run as a country. Did anyone see the videos of a town in I think Australia

 

[Highmileagecob]

Does anyone know if rats are prey for any animal or bird? We have foxes, and this year there is a pair of barn owls and a pair of buzzards knocking around.

 

[Miss_Millie]

Does anyone know if rats are prey for any animal or bird? We have foxes, and this year there is a pair of barn owls and a pair of buzzards knocking around.

It's sadly very common for barn owls to be killed by eating dead rats which were poisoned

 

[Miss_Millie]

@Miss_Millie i would agree if it weren’t for the risk of weil’s disease. And I lost a young chicken to rats which upset me. I do hate poison though. It just seems so cruel to put anything through torture like that.

I'm very sorry to hear that If I had to 'deal' with rats in the future then I'd probably get someone in with terriers - I agree it's a cruel and slow death by poison and rats are intelligent, sentient animals. I hadn't heard of Weil's disease, can it be contracted by any animal?

 

[Sandstone1]

It's sadly very common for barn owls to be killed by eating dead rats which were poisoned

Its one reason why I dont want to put poison down

 

[Miss_Millie]

Its one reason why I dont want to put poison down

We had a lovely barn owl living in one of our barns, it suddenly disappeared for a while and I became concerned. Neighbour found a dead one in one of his barns shortly after which I think may well have been 'ours'. It may have been a coincidence, but I know that he uses rat poison around the farm

 

[Peglo]

I'm very sorry to hear that If I had to 'deal' with rats in the future then I'd probably get someone in with terriers - I agree it's a cruel and slow death by poison and rats are intelligent, sentient animals. I hadn't heard of Weil's disease, can it be contracted by any animal?

I think it can affect animals. Google says it’s quite rare but I always remembered my granny telling me of someone she knew who was paralysed by Weil’s disease and I’ve always had that in the back of my mind when I see rats around.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I'm very sorry to hear that If I had to 'deal' with rats in the future then I'd probably get someone in with terriers - I agree it's a cruel and slow death by poison and rats are intelligent, sentient animals. I hadn't heard of Weil's disease, can it be contracted by any animal?

Any mammal (inc humans) can contract it.

My preferred method is horrible rat snap traps, the only things that seem to do the job. otherwise a decent shot or terriers.
I'm v careful to ensure no stray cats can get in places when these are set

 

[rabatsa]

It is hard work keeping rat numbers down to a minimum. It is best if your neighbours are also keen on keeping numbers low. We know when there is likely to be a new influx of rats due to weather/harvest/other circumstances and aim to be proactive at those times so that new colonies do not get established.

Those saying that rats do not do any harm only have to ask the fire brigade about the numbers of fires caused by rat chewed wires. On farms with bad rat numbers many a machine has been disabled by their chewing habits.

 

[rabatsa]

I personally know three people who contracted Weils disease. The farmer and the beagle kennel huntsman survived but the plumber did not. I think that it was not considered early enough in the case of the plumber but the other two people both brought it up early in their dealings with the medical profession.

My husband carries a card in his wallet that has his personal information on and also that he works in areas frequented by rats.

 

[meleeka]

Does anyone know if rats are prey for any animal or bird? We have foxes, and this year there is a pair of barn owls and a pair of buzzards knocking around.

Foxes, owls and buzzards will all eat rats. Buzzards usually only eat dead bodies, but we had one come down and try and take a live pigeon, so I'm not sure if that's strictly true!

 

[paddy555]

I'm very sorry to hear that If I had to 'deal' with rats in the future then I'd probably get someone in with terriers - I agree it's a cruel and slow death by poison and rats are intelligent, sentient animals. I hadn't heard of Weil's disease, can it be contracted by any animal?

several years ago my OH was ill. Fever type illness with no real explanation. It was the only time he ever got the GPs attention. He had been doing something that was close to rats, clearing a barn I think. Once rats were mentioned (Weills) the GP went into overdrive. It wasn't Weills in the end but they treated a rat connection very seriously.