Rats and how to get shot of them pronto

RHYSDAD

We have some chooks which have attracted the attention of the local rats. I have two young boys who i now won't let out in the garden to play, as i know rats are filthy dirty creatures and i want shot of them ASAP. I have a back breaker trap which i baited with cheese last night but no luck. Someone suggested peanut butter. i do have some industrial strength poison and a bait station but i'm loathe to use it for fear of contaminating my children and other local pets/wildlife. Does anyone have any surefire tips to get rid of these dirty things please?

Any tips greatly appreciated.
PS i don't have cat (or want one) or terrier. These tips aren't much use to me!!!:rotfl:

Smeg77

Try Bacon, as Mice and Rats are partial to a bit of Meat.

I think it was a bit of a myth that the prefer Cheese to other things.

The problem with poison is all depending on where they are hiding, if you give them poison and they going under floor boards, then they become so much harder to get to when they die, and the last thing you want is a decomposing Rat under your floor boards.

Lotus-eater

I think there are plenty of threads about the same thing if you can find them.
FWIW I always say you need to use poison. They normally go to their tunnels to die.
Let the kids out, there were probably rats there before anyway, just you never saw them. Get them to wash their hands when they come in and try to stop them putting their hands in their mouths. Mine know not to put their fingers in their mouths if they have been outside, but that's because of the chickens and general stuff as well as any rodents being around.
Generally they will keep to the outskirts of the garden btw. Especially if there are cats around.

warehouse

When we had a rat issue I found they absolutely loved chocolate, crunchie bars in particular. Also place the poison in places that rats can get to but nothing else can.

Please don't worry unduly about the kids using the garden, the rats won't go anywhere near them in a million years.

valk_scot

The council? Rentokill? Know anyone with ferrets? Terriers?

If none of the above then it has to be poison.

But...with chickens and their food around, there will be more rats. Only way not to have a rat problem is to have a barren wasteland of a back garden ie concrete. If I were you I'd do my best to contain the problem, teach the kids good garden hygiene (which they should know anyway) and then try to relax about it. If you're going to try to live with nature then you have to accept some of the less pleasent bits!

TEDDYRUKSPIN

Suggest you look into why you have a rat infestation!

If next door or yourself have items or objects such as sofas etc or even high grown weeds, these will attract rats. Holes underneath the pavement stones will also attract rats.

I suggest you buy some fresh rat poison! Not some cheap rubbish from the pound store. A decent rat trap if you want (not the type you see on 'tom and jerry'). Decent rat traps have a tunnel and trap inside.

Rats don't like cheese! LOL. Cartoon genre has tricked us all.

Use meat or potato's mixed in with rat poison. You must replace this daily as rat poison takes days to settle in. The rat will constantly comeback and eventually die out.

If that does not work.....phone the council or rentokil.

RHYSDAD

TEDDYRUKSPIN wrote: »

Suggest you look into why you have a rat infestation!


I suggest you buy some fresh rat poison! Not some cheap rubbish from the pound store. A decent rat trap if you want (not the type you see on 'tom and jerry'). Decent rat traps have a tunnel and trap inside.

Rats don't like cheese! LOL. Cartoon genre has tricked us all.

Use meat or potato's mixed in with rat poison. You must replace this daily as rat poison takes days to settle in. The rat will constantly comeback and eventually die out.

If that does not work.....phone the council or rentokil.

We have rats because of our chickens i'm afraid. Also i have some proper poison (not B&Q carp) but i'm loathe to use it unless it really is the last resort. But thanks for the tips!

Spirit_2

We have had rats at various times mostly due to being attracted by animal feedstuff. We have called in pest control a couple of times but now treat this problem ourselves in the same way. Poison placed in pieces of drain pipe (or the plastic poison tunnels) positioned near on the rats 'run'.

Also positioned or fenced out of the way of harm to people/dog/ rabbits/chickens and the narrow pipe keeps the poison out of the way of birds. We have kept replenishing the poison until one day it remains there as a sign that it is no longer needed.

buxtonrabbitgreen

We had this problem. We gave the chickens to somone in the next road who kept chickens. Called in the council and paid to get rid of the rats. I would never have chickens again for that reason. Also the rats got any eggs that were laid.

Lotus-eater

You did it the wrong way round, you should have got rid of the rats and kept the chickens :doh:

How did the rats get the eggs? That's very unusual.

RHYSDAD

Well i set the trap last night, loaded with peanut butter and came out this morning to find the trap sprung.......but no dead rat!! That's it, i'm digging the filthy thing out on Saturday and i'll be clubbing it, and any offspring, into rat hell. You've been warned ratty....