Rats!

[spotty_pony]

Even the word makes me shudder!

I’ve recently cleaned out my empty stable into am turning it into the hay/straw storage room. It currently just has my mucking out tools in it. Anyway, I went in their this morning and there was a lot of scuffling and then I saw a MASSIVE rat struggling as it was stuck in a hole in the wall! I didn’t know he was stuck at the this point so ran out, then went back for a look but he was struggling and growling at me. I couldn’t bring myself the hit with a shovel which is what my friend suggested. So I left the stable door open and went riding in the hope he would get free and disappear.

Came back an hour later and he was still there. Definitely stuck. I chucked at haynet towards him in the hope if I scared him a bit he would free himself but he grabbed it and started to chew it! I managed to hook the haynet with my poo picker rake but he hung on… the power in those jaws… wow. The rest of the story is I managed to pull him out, ran off and thought he had ran out, went back and he was hiding under my crate… ran out the door right past me and I screamed in horror and waved the sweeping brush at him.

I am absolutely terrified it’s going to happen again. I’ve never had an encounter with a rat like that in all
my years with horses. So my question is will he avoid that area now that has happened or will be be likely to come back? And obviously there may be more.
Are there any traps/bait I can get that is not poisonous to dogs? I would rather go down the bait route as can’t see me being very good at removing a dead rat out of a trap either!!

What do you all use? Thanks

 

[Ratface]

Oh dear. How unpleasant for you.
Do you have any agricultural feed stores near you? If so, perhaps have a chat to the manager about their available anti-rat strategies.
Alternatively, contact a pest control company if you want to ensure that your rat's friends and relatives are more permanently discouraged from your yard.
Good luck!

 

[cauda equina]

Do you know anyone with terriers?

 

[Velcrobum]

Do not know what is going on this year but we have a rat population explosion. Not helped by the childrens home next door having chickens and leaving food out for them.

 

[spotty_pony]

Do you know anyone with terriers?

No I don’t. We have larger dogs (Doberman’s) but a bit concerned about the disease side of things if they are to eat them.

Yes I think I’ll do that. I don’t want to be that position again. I thought I was scared my mice (have managed to get better with them though) but a rat is something else. This one was more rabbit sized!!

 

[spotty_pony]

Do not know what is going on this year but we have a rat population explosion. Not helped by the childrens home next door having chickens and leaving food out for them.

interesting to hear. I’ve never had a rat problem like this, ever. But quite concerned as it looked quite aggressive when cornered. I know it was probably more scared of me than I was of it but googling has told me they can jump at your face if feeling threatened. ?

 

[Carrottom]

OH was chatting in the local agricultural shop yesterday and chap told him their best selling product atm is rat poison ?

 

[Merlod]

Cats. I have two ferals that live on my smallholding. They are well fed and the rats and mice are their "sport" and they like to leave the parts they don't eat proudly in the stables, definitely not for the squeamish! They are much better than terriers as they are on the property 24/7 and apparently having the presence of a cat will stop rats choosing to move in.

 

[teapot]

First thing you need to do is block the hole!

 

[spotty_pony]

First thing you need to do is block the hole!

what with?

Merlod - I would love to have some cats but our dogs would eat them!

 

[teapot]

what with?

Merlod - I would love to have some cats but our dogs would eat them!

Steel wool and chicken wire over is a good one! Basically nothing they can chew.

 

[Andie02]

There are many types of rodent bait boxes available to buy.

 

[spotty_pony]

There are many types of rodent bait boxes available to buy.

Are they dog friendly though?

 

[spotty_pony]

Steel wool and chicken wire over is a good one! Basically nothing they can chew.

I was thinking steel wool! I’ll get some! Thanks ?

 

[Quigleyandme]

If you lay rat poison be prepared to find their corpses floating in your horse’s water bucket in the morning. Your rat sounds terrifying OP. ?

 

[spotty_pony]

If you lay rat poison be prepared to find their corpses floating in your horse’s water bucket in the morning. Your rat sounds terrifying OP. ?

I won’t be surprised if I have a nightmare tonight about it!! I honestly thought he was going to run up my leg when he finally ran out of the stable. ? I screamed and my horse looked horrified!

Although I expect he has seen lots of them over the years. I’ve just been looking at these traps which look good… would be easy to remove the dead rat afterwards too. Has anybody used them before?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nooski-Rat...ocphy=1006745&hvtargid=pla-397571474351&psc=1

I hate killing things but the disease risk is a big factor for me, and also I can’t feel terrified walking around my own yard. We have a wood store shed which is where he went when he ran out so I wouldn’t mind betting that’s where he lives.

 

[Andie02]

mare they dog friendly though?

Yes they are designed so that pets cannot get in them. What I would do is use the peanut butter and bi carb method placed in a bait box (which was on another thread a while ago) and then cover the bait box with something like wood, breeze blocks or old roofing sheets, and or fence off to prevent your dogs disturbing the area. We had a few rats about in our garden and this is what we were going to do, but whilst we were deciding how to deal with them and getting stuff to do it, fortunately they have gone, I am guessing that they have either moved on or a neighbour has dealt with them. The only food we have about is what we have in bird feeders, the pigeons pick up what the other birds drop on the ground. I would not want to risk my dogs or the birds and the pesky squirrels picking up rat poison.

 

[spotty_pony]

Yes they are designed so that pets cannot get in them. What I would do is use the peanut butter and bi carb method placed in a bait box (which was on another thread a while ago) and then cover the bait box with something like wood, breeze blocks or old roofing sheets, and or fence off to prevent your dogs disturbing the area. We had a few rats about in our garden and this is what we were going to do, but whilst we were deciding how to deal with them and getting stuff to do it, fortunately they have gone, I am guessing that they have either moved on or a neighbour has dealt with them. The only food we have about is what we have in bird feeders, the pigeons pick up what the other birds drop on the ground. I would not want to risk my dogs or the birds and the pesky squirrels picking up rat poison.

yes but When the rat comes out and dies if a dog finds it somewhere and eats it I am worried it will also ingest the poison?

 

[rextherobber]

yes but When the rat comes out and dies if a dog finds it somewhere and eats it I am worried it will also ingest the poison?

Yes, if you use rat bait, it will harm anything that eats it, dogs, Owls, etc. The bicarb thing sounds a horrible death, and the trap on the link looks like a less than instant death. Best way is to remove the things they like ( warm , dry , covered place to live /food source) And cats!

 

[spotty_pony]

Yes, if you use rat bait, it will harm anything that eats it, dogs, Owls, etc. The bicarb thing sounds a horrible death, and the trap on the link looks like a less than instant death. Best way is to remove the things they like ( warm , dry , covered place to live /food source) And cats!

Easier said than done - how can I remove my hay and straw stable? They can’t get the hard feed, that’s all in bins.

 

[Andie02]

yes but When the rat comes out and dies if a dog finds it somewhere and eats it I am worried it will also ingest the poison?

The peanut butter method with bi carb is a lot safer option to use if you have dogs than rat poison and usually rats will go back to their nests to die. I think it was GSD woman who started the thread a few weeks ago about rats and getting rid of them. My past experience is that dogs usually do not eat rats.

 

[Quigleyandme]

I don’t like the idea of rat poison. I have had an electronic thingy in the tack/feed room for the past year and that seems to be working.

 

[Andie02]

Easier said than done - how can I remove my hay and straw stable? They can’t get the hard feed, that’s all in bins.

You can't and you don't want them crapping and peeing on your hay and straw either.

The bi carb thing might be horrible but we are more concerned about the safety of our dogs, birds etc than them. And then there is the disease and damage that they cause.

 

[scats]

I’m one of those weirdos who loves rats. I had a resident one a couple of years ago who used to come and join me for a coffee (well, he would run along the wall behind my every evening while I was having a drink)
We have a farm cat now and she keeps on top of the mouse and rat population.

 

[Andie02]

I saw one that was almost the size of a rabbit as well and if you see one its likely that there will be several more about as well. We haven't seen them in daylight, only when they have set the security lights on in the garden at night, which hasn't been happening now for a while, and the dogs haven't been hunting in the garden like they were doing previously.

 

[Maryann]

I put the hay and straw on pallets and the bait boxes underneath. The ones I have are fiddly but robust and there is no way a cat or a dog is going to accidently get at the poison. I hate using it but I hate being overrun with rats more and I had a neighbour who was very ill with Weils disease.

 

[Peglo]

Yes they are designed so that pets cannot get in them. What I would do is use the peanut butter and bi carb method placed in a bait box (which was on another thread a while ago) and then cover the bait box with something like wood, breeze blocks or old roofing sheets, and or fence off to prevent your dogs disturbing the area. We had a few rats about in our garden and this is what we were going to do, but whilst we were deciding how to deal with them .

they must’ve heard our plans and scarpered!
is how I anticipated the rest of that sentence ??‍ Is it really Monday tomorrow ?

that did sound like an angry rat OP. It’s such a shame they carry diseases as I hate the killing of them too. Luckily we have 3 cats and the neighbours have 5 so never see any rats about.

 

[spotty_pony]

I saw one that was almost the size of a rabbit as well and if you see one its likely that there will be several more about as well. We haven't seen them in daylight, only when they have set the security lights on in the garden at night, which hasn't been happening now for a while, and the dogs haven't been hunting in the garden like they were doing previously.

I don’t reckon I would have seen one either in daylight if he hadn’t have been stuck in the hole!

 

[spotty_pony]

they must’ve heard our plans and scarpered!
is how I anticipated the rest of that sentence ??‍ Is it really Monday tomorrow ?

that did sound like an angry rat OP. It’s such a shame they carry diseases as I hate the killing of them too. Luckily we have 3 cats and the neighbours have 5 so never see any rats about.

He was squeaking so he may have been acting out of fear or pain and I guess the sight of me walking into the stable would be scary if you were stuck and unable to run. I couldn’t bring myself to kill him even though I was terrified. It’s the strength he hung onto that haynet with that is the worst bit. I was more worried about my new haynet being chewed at that point to think about what would happen if he got loose and ran towards me. ?

 

[Peglo]

He was squeaking so he may have been acting out of fear or pain and I guess the sight of me walking into the stable would be scary if you were stuck and unable to run. I couldn’t bring myself to kill him even though I was terrified. It’s the strength he hung onto that haynet with that is the worst bit. I was more worried about my new haynet being chewed at that point to think about what would happen if he got loose and ran towards me. ?

yes it must’ve been scary for him being stuck. And your right, if they feel cornered they apparently go for your neck.
I kinda would’ve liked to feel his strength. Never thought of them being overly strong. But a brand new haynet!!! I would’ve been worried for it too ?
Hopefully his fright (and yours ) will make him think twice about going back in the stable.