Shysmum
Well-Known Member
So far I've tried humane traps, break back traps, sonic electric repellent, and this week a special spray of peppermint mix. I don't want to use poison. I'm stuffed really ? ?
Rats and Mice ?
- Thread starter Shysmum
- Start date
TwoForTwo
Well-Known Member
You need a terrier ?
Shysmum
Well-Known Member
Yup, or a bruiser of a barn cat ! They totally ignore me now, and I simply do not do rats ?
TwoForTwo
Well-Known Member
Your in France right? Otherwise I’d lend you my beast of a terrier x shih tzu he’s tally at the yard just last year was 6 rats, 2 rabbits, 14 mice and 12 sparrows
Shysmum
Well-Known Member
Wow! Yup I'm in France, but would pay good money for that !!!
TwoForTwo
Well-Known Member
He is a dude, he looks like a giant shih tzu and is called Elvis because he has a lop sided smile and grins at people treats 
Shysmum
Well-Known Member
YAY !!!He is a dude, he looks like a giant shih tzu and is called Elvis because he has a lop sided smile and grins at people treats
soloequestrian
Well-Known Member
I have just adopted two young feral cats for this reason. They've not been out of their secure pen yet but I'm very much hoping that they'll scare the rats away and leave the hens alone.
Amun
Well-Known Member
You need a hunting cat! ?
luckyoldme
Well-Known Member
I go to a lot of recycling plants with varying amounts of rats.
The most successful pest control does seem to be cats.
One of the places I go to has a georgous big fluffy black and white dude. He comes over when I turn up and is all over me.
They reckon he is a demon ratter and some mornings the place looks like a scene from a horror movie.
I hate the bloody things too.
The most successful pest control does seem to be cats.
One of the places I go to has a georgous big fluffy black and white dude. He comes over when I turn up and is all over me.
They reckon he is a demon ratter and some mornings the place looks like a scene from a horror movie.
I hate the bloody things too.
jumbyjack
Well-Known Member
Eww, I don't like rats! One moved into the tackroom and had made a home in the bottom drawer of a chest. He had a towel and loads of stashed food and I'd been sitting next to it!!! He was spotted cuddling up to the kettle, was walking on the worktops etc. We had to deep clean everywhere and sorry he did get poisioned and was found dead under my chair! Gave him a decent burial in the muck heap.
rabatsa
Confuddled
We used to have a posse of farm cats and all I can say is that the rats were still there, just not as visible. They made runs where the cats could not go and while the cats did catch a fair few there were far more rats than they could deal with.
We went the poison route and managed to get on top of them. Not a single farm cat suffered from poisoning so I do not think that they ate what they killed.
We went the poison route and managed to get on top of them. Not a single farm cat suffered from poisoning so I do not think that they ate what they killed.
luckyoldme
Well-Known Member
I went to a plant in Hartlepool.
I backed the truck up and got out to open the doors . As I walked back round to get in a bloke ran out of the garage with a rat on the end of a pitch fork.
I'm not sure if he was their pest control but it definitely had a very surreal feel to it!
I backed the truck up and got out to open the doors . As I walked back round to get in a bloke ran out of the garage with a rat on the end of a pitch fork.
I'm not sure if he was their pest control but it definitely had a very surreal feel to it!
Shysmum
Well-Known Member
I really think feral barn cats are the way to go. Its getting out of hand. I try to feed the boys outside the stables to be able to keep feed ut of them, but they are still there.
southerncomfort
Well-Known Member
I'm afraid even with a hunting cat and a JRT we couldn't get on top of our rat problem and had to resort to instant kill traps and poison.
Just in case anyone is unaware, our rabbit man says it's illegal to trap a rat and then release it anywhere because they are vermin. You'd need someone to dispatch it for you.
Just in case anyone is unaware, our rabbit man says it's illegal to trap a rat and then release it anywhere because they are vermin. You'd need someone to dispatch it for you.
Pmf27
Well-Known Member
Thank you for resisting the poison route, people don't seem to realise that a poisoned mouse/rat will end up poisoning the owl or other predator that eats it. Such an agonising death for an animal too.
southerncomfort
Well-Known Member
No one does it because they want to but when all else has failed sometimes it's the only route left.
Frankly, I wouldn't have got them out of my attic without it.
Baccara
Well-Known Member
I read somewhere, cant remember where the information came from though. It said, grated sweet potatoe was toxit to rats. I havnt tried it myself, as my rats seem to have dissapeared for the winter. If and when they come back I will give it a go. Its also not toxic to other animals. Please correct me if Im wrong.
asmp
Well-Known Member
I once saw a dead bloated rat who had got into my unsoaked sugarbeet.
Looking on the internet there is also the suggestion of using dried mashed potato flakes (from a packet) to kill them this way.
Looking on the internet there is also the suggestion of using dried mashed potato flakes (from a packet) to kill them this way.
sjdress
Well-Known Member
I’ve come across a few mice in my stable, never had any in 10 years of bring there, horse has been living out though so stable not been in use. Wondering how to get rid of them. We have a yard cat but is now quite old and slow! Mice make me very jumpy!!
Maryann
Well-Known Member
My dad used to say that if you can see one rat there are forty more out of sight. One of those things it is hard to prove or dismiss. Not sure if it applies to mice too.
hollyandivy123
Well-Known Member
Snap traps worked better from me Once I superglued I peanut MnM to one,
windand rain
Well-Known Member
Dry wallpaper paste mixed with flour. rats cannot be sick so it swells and causes them to blow their stomachs not a pleasant way but it works. I personally think safe poisoning is kinder. So the rats are poisoned where no other animal can get to the poison
Lady2021
Well-Known Member
Get a cat ?
cremedemonthe
Well-Known Member
I'm suffering as well, lost 2 chickens to rats so far since the flockdown on caged birds. I have tried, snap traps, air rifle, terriers, water hose down holes to flush them out and make their lives miserable, gorse stuffed down holes and sweet potatoes.
To date this is what happened
snap traps-they seem to be able to set them off without getting caught or totally ignore them , I use peanut butter or chocolate spread. The boxes I have with the traps seem to have too smaller a holes for the FAT rats to get in so I use the snap traps out on their own-failed to catch anything other than mice so far
air rifle- my chinese cheap air rifle is not really powerful, in fact I am sure the rats sit there laughing and could easily catch the pellet and throw it back at me
Terriers- my own JRT and my girlfriend's old JRT and her Mum's jrt haven't managed to flush any out or kill any so far-the JRT terriers involved were either too fat, too old or just hadn't got a clue and didn't like getting their paws wet/muddy
Hose down holes- few came out but caught me unawares and sodded off in to the hedge, probably came back later when I wasn't present, last I heard they'd put a claim in with their insurance for flood damage
Gorse stuffed down holes- now this did help, but the little sods dug round it eventually and booted it out, spent ages cutting it from the surrounding fields and got through a few good gloves doing so but GORSE does help slow them down, just wear very thick gloves
Sweet Potatoes- left chopped up sweet potatoes out every night for a few weeks, in the end just left a large one every night and every morning it was gone. Found a note pinned to the fence which read, "fed up with sweet potaotes now can we try cheese instead"
I still have rats
My next move if I can be a*sed is to get my old chainsaw, remove the chain and put a hose on the exhsust, mix up the 2 stroke mix a bit richer (makes more smoke) and shove the hose down a hole then have the terrier gang waiting for them.
My Lurcher (saluki x whippet) has caught rats in the past but she's usually stuck on the sofa in a coma and can't be bothered to move so I can't rely on her
Gattling gun might be an option too
I've heard that Ammonia poured down their holes will kill them instantly, my girlfriend gets annoyed though when I pee down the holes
Oz
To date this is what happened
snap traps-they seem to be able to set them off without getting caught or totally ignore them , I use peanut butter or chocolate spread. The boxes I have with the traps seem to have too smaller a holes for the FAT rats to get in so I use the snap traps out on their own-failed to catch anything other than mice so far
air rifle- my chinese cheap air rifle is not really powerful, in fact I am sure the rats sit there laughing and could easily catch the pellet and throw it back at me
Terriers- my own JRT and my girlfriend's old JRT and her Mum's jrt haven't managed to flush any out or kill any so far-the JRT terriers involved were either too fat, too old or just hadn't got a clue and didn't like getting their paws wet/muddy
Hose down holes- few came out but caught me unawares and sodded off in to the hedge, probably came back later when I wasn't present, last I heard they'd put a claim in with their insurance for flood damage
Gorse stuffed down holes- now this did help, but the little sods dug round it eventually and booted it out, spent ages cutting it from the surrounding fields and got through a few good gloves doing so but GORSE does help slow them down, just wear very thick gloves
Sweet Potatoes- left chopped up sweet potatoes out every night for a few weeks, in the end just left a large one every night and every morning it was gone. Found a note pinned to the fence which read, "fed up with sweet potaotes now can we try cheese instead"
I still have rats
My next move if I can be a*sed is to get my old chainsaw, remove the chain and put a hose on the exhsust, mix up the 2 stroke mix a bit richer (makes more smoke) and shove the hose down a hole then have the terrier gang waiting for them.
My Lurcher (saluki x whippet) has caught rats in the past but she's usually stuck on the sofa in a coma and can't be bothered to move so I can't rely on her
Gattling gun might be an option too
I've heard that Ammonia poured down their holes will kill them instantly, my girlfriend gets annoyed though when I pee down the holes
Oz
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Domirati
Well-Known Member
Our cat who generally catches anything that moves does not do rats, not surprised as they are nearly as big as him. We have had to buy chicken proof wire to put under the chicken house and runs to stop them going in there. They are chewing holes all over my stables, manage to avoid the traps and ignoring poison. We also have them in the house. I am having to keep my bedding in the trailer as they were emptying the bags. Labrador has had about 6, a few drowned in water buckets and horses have trampled a couple. We have been in our house 27 years and never had problems before. I have put cribox around the holes and that does not stop them chewing. Maybe I will try toothpaste instead. Good luck Cremedementhe, I feel your pain.
Shysmum
Well-Known Member
So this morning I do a massive muck out, all water buckets and everything way out of sight. Spray the whole area with "rat repellent " YAY !!!!. Five hors later I go to put the stables together....and off runs a rat ?
FireCracker238
Well-Known Member
I think we need a pic of Elvis and his lop-sided smile ??
dreamcometrue
Well-Known Member
Ferrets down the holes and terriers waiting. That’s what they do at our yard.
TwoForTwo
Well-Known Member
As soon as I learn how to add a pic I will ?