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

PMSL Fellewell I had to read that a couple of times to get what you meant!

I, the rats, and the red tailed tropic birds we were trying to save were all on an island off the coast of Madagascar - I didn't trap and transport them ;)

FWIW I'd say it's debatable that drowning is 'worse' than poison, which generally either makes them haemorrhage internally (warfarin is a typical rat poison) or shuts down their nervous system (so they suffocate anyway, as they do drowning). It's just we don't see that...

Rifle/cat/terrier would strike me as most humane.
 
Well........ we had a rodent problem, until we took possession of two very effective assassins from a local farmer friend.

Now no rodent dares to poke its head outside - and if they do, are ruthlessly and efficiently dealt with.

The cats go in the stables too (try stoppin' 'em!!); and the horses have got used to Pussies jumping over the door at any time of the day or night.

But I'd be careful of suggesting your YO gets cats in if you're not totally confident they'd be well cared for and properly fed - as in order to be fully effective at catching vermin, cats need to be well fed and will then catch stuff because to them its play, rather than HAVING to catch things because they're hungry in order to eat basically. I've been to some yard where they use cats to catch the vermin, and unfortunately not everyone feeds their cats properly YET still expects them to catch all the rubbish, and the poor cats are badly fed and thin and look awful.

Second others' opinions about not putting your horse inside till problem sorted. Your poor horse, I'm surprised you've managed to get him in after this has been happening for a few nights.

For vermin to be hanging around; there has to be a food source, somewhere. Does your yard have plastic/metal feed bins? If any feed is spilit, is it cleaned up ASAP? When feed-bowls are washed out is what's inside just chucked out? If so where? Are there chickens on the place? Are they fed corn from the ground? Does anyone leave food/fodder in an open sack anywhere? If you can tackle this issue and primariliy deal with the rats' food source, then you're more than half-way there.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
in order to be fully effective at catching vermin, cats need to be well fed and will then catch stuff because to them its play, rather than HAVING to catch things because they're hungry in order to eat basically. I've been to some yard where they use cats to catch the vermin, and unfortunately not everyone feeds their cats properly YET still expects them to catch all the rubbish, and the poor cats are badly fed and thin and look awful.
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I absolutely agree with this. I remember cats on farms which were half-starved and too feeble to be any good at catching anything. :(

However, the two guys on Mollie's yard are ace catchers and definitely content and well fed. Here's one, hitching a ride on a bale I was trying to move. :cool:

cat.jpg
 
Lovely cat! :D

Tiny *hijack* I had mice & possibly rats lurking about last year, they have cleared out now but worried they will come back :(

I have 4 well fed cats who do a good deal of mousing & JRTx who happily dispatches rats, also one of those rodent repelling plug-ins but dispute this the little lighters persist......

I have a load of poison boxes that were here when we moved in, so I could re-fill & use these BUT am worried about cats/dogs eating poisoned rodents?
I am guessing it hurt them??
 
HBM1 said:
not everyone would want to shoot one, I certainly wouldn't.
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Depending on the trap, you may have to put it out of its misery with a blow to the head. If you poison it may die a lingering death in a wall cavity and stink up the place(if the poison works)

Weils disease, Leptospirosis, rat-bite fever, listeria, toxoplasmosis, toxacaria etc.

You could catch and relocate but why give someone else the problem?

There are just too many of them:(
 
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SpottedCat said:
PMSL Fellewell I had to read that a couple of times to get what you meant!

I, the rats, and the red tailed tropic birds we were trying to save were all on an island off the coast of Madagascar - I didn't trap and transport them ;)

FWIW I'd say it's debatable that drowning is 'worse' than poison, which generally either makes them haemorrhage internally (warfarin is a typical rat poison) or shuts down their nervous system (so they suffocate anyway, as they do drowning). It's just we don't see that...

Rifle/cat/terrier would strike me as most humane.
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I should have used a smiley:)
 
Arrghhhh this is the stuff of nightmares.

Get a professional in to sort this problem or have some fun with an air rifle. Air rifle is an instant death so cant get any more humane then that really... long as you are a good shot.
 
Make sure you pick up the feed buckets every evening and feed is in metal bins.But the rats will eat the horse poo as well.

Immediate solution is to put bait boxes about with ie Neosorexa granules but buy the lose stuff. Its what farmers use.

Bait the boxes every day ie a couple table spoons in each section. You could put a bit of chocolate in to encourage them(they wont need it). They will go to water usually ie a pond. The bait boxes are great as other wildlife cant get into it. If the yard has cat or dog you will need to keep an eye out for rat bodies. My dog has never eaten a dead rat and he eats most other wildlife but not a dead rat. In my garage I just put a little plant dish or a few spoons on the floor if I have a mice problem.

That is awful for your horse, you have to move him to another stable. You could use gun if horses are ok with them and some other big traps(ie there are big mice traps for rats).

Poison is the way to go. What I have found is they will go after about 3-4 days and then after a couple of weeks you will have a surge of them again. Then no more.
Rats usually have a run and it tends to be along walls thats why you see the boxes up against walls at supermarkets etc. Good luck
 
I too had rats on my yard when I moved in. Thanks to Bundy and Manson I now have none!


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Its funny, rats are my fave animal, I have pet ones and they are awesome! I happily shoot wild ones though and encourage the cats to get them! Weird ;) and wild ones are no different to my pets in the way they act.

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Fellewell said:
Depending on the trap, you may have to put it out of its misery with a blow to the head. If you poison it may die a lingering death in a wall cavity and stink up the place(if the poison works)

Weils disease, Leptospirosis, rat-bite fever, listeria, toxoplasmosis, toxacaria etc.

You could catch and relocate but why give someone else the problem?

There are just too many of them:(
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I couldn't do any of those I'm afraid, and I can't be the only one. I would get cats, or have terriers over to visit - or pay a rentokill person...I can't even stand to see roadkill.
 
I have found that despite having two excellent ratters, I have to still put poison out. I hate having to do it, but it is the only thing that really works. I feed the birds and recently a famaily of rats (parents and 13 babies) started feeding on the dropped bird seed. They are highly intelligent and when I put trays under the feeders they climbed the tree and shimmied down the string to get to the feeders! In the end I had to poison them.
 
Wagtail said:
I have found that despite having two excellent ratters, I have to still put poison out. I hate having to do it, but it is the only thing that really works. I feed the birds and recently a famaily of rats (parents and 13 babies) started feeding on the dropped bird seed. They are highly intelligent and when I put trays under the feeders they climbed the tree and shimmied down the string to get to the feeders! In the end I had to poison them.
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I got the Neosorexa due to broth in law who is a farmer and had an army of useless cats. One year he put the sachets of poison around the hay and couldnt understand why he still had rats. On further investigation the rats had used the sachets to line their nests! So hence the lose stuff. You can buy it from good country stores, even amazon sell it. I have a big tub of the stuff. I dont like using it but they are so blooming bold I dont want them in my house...yet alone eat the horse!
 
Euurgh that is awful! I couldn't drown them, I think shooting is the best option but again I couldn't do it! We all know a bloke who'd claim to be up for it (my bf is one) although I bet he'd find it hard when faced with it the softie.

Definitely definitely leave the horse turned out, if no one volunteers a companion does your YO have a horse? This is kind of their responsibility rather than yours and they need to take action asap! I wouldn't even want to put him in a different stable, they'll find him :-/
 
OP this happened to a friends horse, his feet had been chewed by rats. Apparently the hoof dressing she'd been putting on his hooves contained animal fat. She stopped using it and put over reach boots on his feet whilst stabled over night. This was a number of years ago and I have no idea what product she was putting on his feet.
I hope you get your rat problem sorted out :)
 
Shadeyoak said:
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=229324
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Not quite sure what a 12 year old post from another forum tells us, Shadeyoak? ;):)

I am unsure whether I really go along with the rats-eating-horses-heels thing. It seems so bizarre that they'd do it (given, as someone said, they're quite timid) or that horses would let them. I don't doubt that people here believe rats are the culprit, and it's possibly true. Or there could be another explanation.

I probably wouldn't be convinced unless I saw rats doing it!

I'm not concerned if there's just an occasional rat (they even pass through the ceiling of my living room sometimes :eek:) but a major infestation is definitely a big problem. Whether or not they chew horses, the hygiene and health issues are serious.
 
This is a total aside but my friends chickens peck my boys feet when we are standing about waiting for her. They peck at his heels and they seem to find it very tasty. Its only his feet they seem to like and they will chase us round the school if we are in it. They ignore her horses.

Arnie used to tolerate it but now we end up with chickens flying through the air - luckily he is unshod :D
 
I don't know which I am more shocked & upset about: the poor horse being eaten away or the rats being drowned in humane traps?

All of it is horrendous....& both situations can be avoided.

Definitely move your horse, horrid, I wouldnt be able to sleep knowing this is happening to mine.....mind you I couldnt sleep knowing there were drownings occuring.

A friend's mother died of Leptosperosis so please ensure everything is discinfected / boiled / disposed of, this disease kills.

(apologies for bad spelling, its sunday & I am having a day off haha)
 
If you are that over run with rat's you will have to poison them Nesorexa gold is what you want we put it in to small plastic bags that seal at the top they love it like this.

If you are aware you are over run you have a serious problem with them apart from anything else they can pass weils disease to horses and humans, drastic action is needed.

This is not something you can ignore it will only get worse, they are also a fire hazard as chew through cables etc, and will chew rugs tack anything left out. We put poison down and if put out of the way even though the rat's carry it because it is in the bags they seem to carry it away eat the whole lot, we do not find birds or anything else effected by it, we have found the odd vole which is sad but it is not something you can ignore.

If they are rife have they moved from being disturbed somewhere near otherwise they must be getting plenty food from somewhere near.
 
Your YO needs to get a pest control officer out pronto if he/she is unable to deal with the problem themselves.
FWIW if rats are eating at living healthy animals (which they will do) then there is a huge population and not enough food. Disease will be rife.
If you are not willing to move to another yard, think about leaving him out at night so he can at least be a moving target versus a stationary one. If he can move freely, they won't touch him.
Shoot the ones you can see out and about, get a cat(s), bait and be mindful that things like feedstuffs will need to be in rodent proof bins, or will become contaminated when they urinate on it.
 
Trinity Fox said:
We put poison down and if put out of the way even though the rat's carry it because it is in the bags they seem to carry it away eat the whole lot, we do not find birds or anything else effected by it, we have found the odd vole which is sad but it is not something you can ignore.
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How would you know if it was affecting birds? Unless they drop dead on the spot, they'd fly away to die elsewhere or feed it to their chicks. :(
 
This can kill your horse wiels disease is a killer of people and horses dogs whatever .
Speak to your vet as soon as possible my mother in laws best friends son died of this it nearly killed Giiny Lengs horse priceless .
Your YO must act a professional pest controller is needed at once in my experiance you just can't kill enough shotting them and the horses hate it.
To be honest posh or not the YO should be pacing the yard all night until the infestation in under control.
 
If you want you can put bait sachets in lengths of gutter downpipe. That way the only thing that can get it is a mouse or rat

So you can poke them through the haystore slotted into the pallets and reach more remote areas where you wouldn't want to reach and put a bait box.

Agree with many others, shooting or a jack russel short term, then get in a couple of kitties :D
 
Just to say not all cats are good, our stable cat is useless! And he's well fed, sometimes I think too well fed ;)

We put down bait, and have annual clear out of the hay shed ith the help of the dogs, I found a rats nest this year in the muck heap, had to direct the new dog and make her kill them, not pleasant for anyone, I'm hoping next time she will be clever and do it herself!
 
well you are never more than 15 m from a rat! but sounds like the yard has a serious problem. I would suggest you get a good pest comtrol firm in to deal with this asap. also remember if cats/dogs get hold of poisoned rats they risk their lifes with heomoraging if they ingest said rat. ALSO remember if rats have access to sugar beet (either dried or soaked) then they will become immune to poison as Vit K is ther antidote to rat poison, of which SB is very high in vit k. I think you need to get a proffesional in to deal with the problem initially, then get some cats and some terriers to maintain the job. Look at the feed room and feed storage as a start and do a deep clean asap.
 
Aw your poor horse! Can you get some terrier dogs? Sounds grim but they are bred to do just that... That or poison or pest control?
 
Thanks for all your replies, its been an education!

So, with all holes blocked and rubber matting wedged across bottom of his door and all four feet with over reach boots on, no Blood in the stable, my lovely yard owner is back from her weekend away and is going to fill the holes with cement and has put some bait out in good hidey place away sfrom the dogs but as near to his stable as we can get, I shall keep spraying his feet with Hypocare to kill all the germs, but he looks a lot happier!

My YO said she couldn't understand why they were only eating his feet, I said its becase he's delicious! She of all people knows I am dotty about him, but he is the kind that would just accept whatever happens to him, its a shame I can't train him to stamp on them!

So with bait and boarding up I think we'll be okay, feral cats is a nice idea, if it was my yard I would but its a bit unfair to suggest this and their so many dogs at the yard already.

My friend at the yard thought maybe my horse thought it was like those fish pedicures! I just thinks its vampire rats!
 
We became inundated with rats last winter - mainly due to them trying to get the chicken feed.
They never attacked the horses but did kill some young well grown ducks and some hens.

We have terriers and although they killed a lot of the rats they couldn't do a good clearing job.
I resorted to getting the rat man in. He has left traps down with poison, which I hate, but from the rats clearing 20 traps in five days it is now down to less than four traps a month.

I would rather pay to have someone come down on a regular basis and keep the numbers down than to have an inundation of the darn things.
 
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