Omg!! desperately need the Pied Piper as the rats are eating my horse!

snopuma

snopuma

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 November 2008
Messages
552
Visit site
I don't know whether its just the season, but the but we are over run with rats, its a posh yard, nice lodden boxes never had a problem in 9 years but this year OMG!!!!

So, my horse is in the end stable, I noticed small patches of blood in his shavings and then this week it was happening every day, I couldn't find a thing on him, nothing, then yesterday morning a lot of blood and I went over him with a fine toothcomb, and I found that the skin on the lowest part of his heel bulbs was chewed a LOT! So, clean him up, sprayed Hypocare and turned him out as usual, my friends on the yard help hammer in some wedges in the two small holes in the stable that they could be using to get in, and last night I popped some over reach boots on too, just to put them off, so this morning again I found blood in the shavings and checked him over nothing at all under the fronts with boots, but now they have chewed his hinds, great pile of blood, its the grossest thing i have ever seen, nasty teeth knawing away at him, no-one at the yard has ever seen or heard anything like it, I just don't know what to do, we have alot of dogs at the yard, so putting a lot of bait down is not an option, I think now I need to do something drastic and get some humane traps, after all they have done to him, I don't think I would have a problem drowning as many as I can trap, just throw the trap in the tub and run away?

SO has anyone ever heard of this? and what would you do?
 
Gosh thats awful.

If its rats, id recommend getting a couple of cats.

I had 1 rat ( well i only saw 1 yuk), and it was horrid, peed over my rugs. Within 24hrs of my moggies arriving - gone.
 
Urgh that's awful..never known of that before.could u paste something horse friendly that tastes n smells disgusting onto the feet?
 
I did a clearance of rats from an island with ground nesting birds on it - we used humane traps and drowned them in buckets of seawater (which to me somewhat defeated the idea of the humane traps, tho we needed to avoid getting the birds, which was why we used them). Be warned they scrabble like anything and I think it's pretty horrid!

I've heard of this before (rats chewing horses) so it's not uncommon.
 
Thats horrible! Your poor horse! :eek:

Buy a couple of bait boxes and put the poison in there, dogs wont be able to get into them because they are locked. We used to have a problem with mice and have 4 dogs running around the yard. Luckily got a friend who does pest control and he gave us a couple of steel bait boxes, never had a problem since.
 
That sounds so horrible. As a first measure I'd get some used cat litter and sprinkle it about. The cat smell should help until you get some traps sorted. Also take care that your hay is not contaminated as I think rat urine can have some nasty germs in it. My brother had a lot of health problems with his cattle some time back. Finally traced it to rats getting into their feed and hay supply. My cat left me a dead rat on the lawn last week..ugh! I always worry about him afterwards in case he's got bitten and catches something horrible.
 
its more common than you think :(

i would also vote for the bate boxes. i had problem in hay shed last year but now have the boxes and no problem so far :) dogs, cats etc cant get into the poison.

hope you get it sorted its horrid x
 
Get a pest controller in. Rats don't care if it's posh :rolleyes:

I don't think you understand the implications of drowning rats in a "humane" trap. They won't just sit there waiting for you to chuck them in a tub.
 
Talk to your yard manager to get your horse moved to another stable today.
Poor soul must be frantic during night, if lots of rats what about phoning council to get in touch with the environmental health group to come to yard to get rid of problem.
 
yuk!! and poor horsey!!! Can you not put him in a different stable for a few days and lay a few traps for the rats?? And get some farm cats in? My OH works at a dairy farm and they have a terrible problem with them, their idea was to put some cattle feed in a loader bucket and then shoot the trapped rats in the morning, worked a treat, as the rats could get in, but not out. So it might be worth thinking outside of the box as it were. But please be very careful rats carry all sorts of nasty diseases, so make sure you wear gloves and theres no open wounds on your hands.
 
I would not be leaving my horse there until the rat problem is solved. It is warm enough for horses to be out at night, so regardless of what the rules are, I would insist he be left out (with a companion) until the rats have gone. I have four dogs and use bait stations for rat poison. I have never had a problem with dogs getting at it because they cannot reach.
 
Can you post pics of his feet please?

I find it very hard to believe its rats that have done this as no animal I know would stand still whilst something gnawed through live tissue so badly it bled....
 
TigerTail said:
Can you post pics of his feet please?

I find it very hard to believe its rats that have done this as no animal I know would stand still whilst something gnawed through live tissue so badly it bled....
Click to expand...

Depends on how many there are. It may be a case of 20 or more rats all having a go. Eventually he will tire. It's unthinkable though.
 
chr!st if it was that sort of scenario Im amazed there isnt a horse sized hole in the wall/door :eek: I wouldnt be shutting him in there either if thats what you do think is going on.
 
When I was young we live in farm in the dales and the rats there were as big as dogs, they went into the dogs kennels and eat anything they could find, which is why it's so important to keep food locked up and everything clean. You will also find their droppings in his stable.

Our jack Russell was the best rat catcher ever.
 
Wagtail said:
I would not be leaving my horse there until the rat problem is solved. It is warm enough for horses to be out at night, so regardless of what the rules are, I would insist he be left out (with a companion) until the rats have gone. I have four dogs and use bait stations for rat poison. I have never had a problem with dogs getting at it because they cannot reach.
Click to expand...


This. YO needs to get a pest controller with a ferret and terriers, for the immediate problem and then either cats or terriers to keep them down..


TigerTail said:
Can you post pics of his feet please?

I find it very hard to believe its rats that have done this as no animal I know would stand still whilst something gnawed through live tissue so badly it bled....
Click to expand...


Our 1st horse (a gelding) lived in one of 2 stables in a very quiet yard, every year we found 2 or 3 flat rats which he had obviously stamped upon.
 
I've heard of this before and its quite common for rats to knaw on chickens in sheds too. A friend on mine often gets chickens whose heads have been partly eaten away by rats but there is no telling her about controlling them

I use bait boxes - about six dotted about my 3 stables and store

Drowning rats caught in humane traps is illegal but you can despatch them with an air gun

I'd go with bait boxes though, any farm or equestrian property should have pest control in place as standard and bait boxes are probably the easiest way to go

Move the horse and have a word with your YO
 
This has happened to my horse, though not to the point of bleeding. They knaw on her ergots and sometimes chesnuts (guessing when she's lying down). I could see the teethmarks, not sure if its rats or mice - no-one would believe me tho! Sorry your horse is suffering OP.
 
I absolutely would not be leaving my horse in a box where he was getting bitten by rats more than that one night. I am afraid I am not for killing things, but having seen just how many rats there were at my old yard and how ruddy bold they were, the horses welfare just has to come first. In that case the yard owner just let all her dogs out and invited a few terriers over too. Plus of course bait boxes etc. Your horse must not be put in that situation again though and I agree with others, I would leave him out overnight until it is solved. the yard owner must sort it out.
 
I've nothing to add to ideas here about getting rid of them, there are plenty of good suggestions.

I would add though that even though they cause health problems and may need culling, rats are only animals too. They're not evil, they're just trying to survive like all other animals.

Please despatch them as humanely as possible. Surely, we're animal lovers here and trapping an animal in a cage then dropping the cage in water is just unthinkable to us? :(
 
I think that sounds really weird - are you sure it's not your horse chewing his heels because something else is bothering him? some skin condition or whatever? It's just that rats are usually fairly timid.
 
SpottedCat said:
To clarify - I drowned the rats on an island off the coast of Madagascar, not in the UK - there really wasn't an alternative.
Click to expand...

My comment wasn't meaning to get at you, btw! I can see that in your situation in trying to save the birds you may have had little alternative. I can't help but think that on a yard in the UK (assuming that's the case!) there must surely be a kinder way?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top