RATS!

I have a 3 jack russells. All 3 will snuff rats out in the barn, but just watch them run away when they find them!!
Yet, when my pet rabbit, chicken or duck escapes into the garden it doesn't stand a chance!
Useless dogs :(
We used to have 2 farm-bred JRT bitches whose relatives were all fantastic hunters.. Our 2 were utterly useless!

We found a man with ferrets was better.

One night sister opened haystore door, accompanied by tiny tortie cat, who was always very fierce. She obviously stunned a rat with the door and the cat swooped down and dispatched said rat. Cat couldn't understand why sis couldn't do it again the next night!
 
Had rats thanx to this we don't at the moment
IMG_3231.jpg

I DID try them. Dropped them down known rat runs! Bloody rats threw them out and my LabxFoxhound was caught scoffing them!!!! She was on pills for a week!
 
Ah rats... nothing makes me scream like a girl except rats :D One farm I worked at their gypsy vanner mare used to lie on rats, her "stable" was a pen in the barn and mucking out would always find pancake rats. Another place I was at had a couple of fantastic little JRs, just had to say ratsssss and they would go hunting :)
 
Two things rats hate, one is jeyes fluid, scrub out feed room with it, then mix up a strong solution and spray it around (make sure cats and dogs are kept out!!)
second is ferrets, if you can bear it yourself :D place some ferret poo around to deter them!
Beware rat urine !!! Wear rubber gloves when handling anything you might think they have wee'd on!!
 
I am another fan of feral cats. I have 2 girls and from the day they got out their enclosure we have had not one rat or mouse. I have even left feed and treats out that rats would eat but there are zero rodents. These girls are professionals. They eat *****loads and just kill for fun. I hardly see them. I couldn't recommend them more. I also like the fact we are giving a couple of cats a good home.
A good few years ago I had a spaniel x pointer who was the best ratter ever. She could flush 'em out, kill them like lightning then would point at the blooded corpse. What a dog!
JR's are fabby ratters as well. When I was a kid our ancient one was lethal. Killed a rat twice the size of herself 2 days before she died aged 18.
 
I had three large rats in my house last night :eek:

Ok granted they were dead, defrosted and all three were eaten by my 8ft coastal carpet python :D

from this post i have only just realised why others may have rats/mice in their freezers.......

i thought you all had some freaky love for rat/mice meat :/ or you stored them in there once you had killed them for some odd reason (trophies? :) ) or you all taxidermied rats.... although who would want a taxidermied wild rat?????

i appologise greatly!!!!! you are all perfectly normally appart from owning MASSIVE snakes!!!

ive had rats in food bowls..eating the horses food
rats in water buckets/sugar beet (obvs dead, floatin/bobing about!)
and they have lived in every stable my horses have lived in......
 
Our JRT is terrified of them, a blurdy mouse ran under her feet on the way to the field one night and she has never gone through that gate since! The mastiff is a brilliant ratter, fast, grab, crunch, drop and on to the next but they get under or into the building walls and floors and he can't get to them. We spent around £70 on blocks last year and it took around 3 weeks but we were completely over run because of the wet. I haven't seen one since but suspect they are starting to come in again and under the hen shed so will be putting the bait boxes out. I feel awful because I think they are beautiful and very intelligent, ours all looked very shiny and healthy, I just wish they would stay out in the fields rather than encroaching on our territory.
 
We also have a lot of them :( what poison is the most effective/ would you reccomend? Can keep it away from other animals so not worried about that just want rid of the rats!!!
 
I use the one you can see in the photo which has been posted which is Tomcat blocks. But why not visit your local feed store & discuss with a professional or your local farmer. but be careful, don't let your dogs get it - hide it well.
 
I use the one you can see in the photo which has been posted which is Tomcat blocks. But why not visit your local feed store & discuss with a professional or your local farmer. but be careful, don't let your dogs get it - hide it well.

Have been to a number of stores and they all said that their poison off the shelf isnt that strong and would take about 6 weeks before it started to have any effects except for the Jaguar one which should be faster working but apparently they dont eat it so I am at a bit of a loss!!

Have looked up the Tomcat blocks and they look good so will give them a go thank you :)
 
We have four JRTs and when we go out for evening walks horse check they have their rafting route usually with a couple of collies in tow and nothing to see a four way tug over a rat.
 
In the 1970's my uncle had a Rover car which he used to park in an empty bay in the hay barn. He took my aunty shopping one day into town in the car and on the way back she opened the glove box.

Two, and according to my aunty, of the biggest rats ever, jumped out the glove box onto her lap and then started running around the inside of the car.

She was screaming and waving her arms about, knocking my uncles glasses off, he couldn't see further than a mole, and in all the excitement drove off the road into a field.

Luckily no one was hurt and the rats ran off into the field. They had apparently burrowed their way through the foam sound proofing in the car and made a nest in the glove box.
 
I must say I don't think I could stomach dead rats everywhere any more than I could live ones.

At least a snake would not leave bodies, maybe HHO snake owners could set up a reptilian rat disposal team...

By day we have at least 4 cats that I assume are owned by various neighbours that come and play 'lions in the Serengeti' and by night we have a family of foxes who probably don't trouble themselves killing things as they can drag in bits of polystyrene from the chip shop and often used nappies (very confused about that one), oh and digging holes, but they probably do scare away rats!
 
Top