Rat - best killer/poison advice please

ampersand

I read the merged 'getting rid of rats/mice' threads, but would still like to ask for advice here, having seen a rat repeatedly come and take birds' food from grass this morning, then run between sheds to the potting up area. I back onto farmland and my compost heap is down in the far right corner.

I do not have pets now as I am away too often and too long.

I want to buy poison and/or a surefire trap today...now!


Thankyou for any proper advice and up-to-date recommendations.

whitelabel

an instant trap baited with peanut butter located in a "run" of the rat near the shed somewhere will be effective, sprinkle some of the bird seed on it too

somnething like this



that is big cheese brand one but b&q etc have other similar ones

there is never just 1 though...just remember that

ampersand

Yes, you're absolutely right , wl, and thankyou for your full reply.

In fact, I'm just back from buying a Doff trap, same principle, big tub of rat yum and 2 heavy duty traps.

Want to get everything set up before tonight's forecast storms.

Choc. spread etc being sacrificed to the cause.

I made sure I watched the behaviour/track etc. and suspect the coming and going was to provide for a famberley....not for much longer.
Also spoke with neighbour just now, who says the 7-year rotation crop is sugar beet, thus last grown just before my time here. He says they become more evident in sugar beet years.

It sadly means I must go out now and strim down my wildflower area, with all the coquelicots in beautiful bloom. Never mind - rat must go.

emiff6

ampersand wrote: »

..It sadly means I must go out now and strim down my wildflower area, with all the coquelicots in beautiful bloom. Never mind - rat must go.

Watch out for frogs if you have long grass - a strimmer can take the legs off a frog before you see it.

a1cat

Break their backs and kill them. :icotbaske:icotbaske:icotbaske:icotbaske:icotbaske

ampersand

Multifront approach is best, so have set up accordingly. Watched it come out, sniff, then tuck in to one plate, before nosing the air and rushing to 2 more, scoffing well all 3 times. I'm pleased so far.

In Chinese astrology I, too, am Rat...so will happily claim the intelligent survivor aspect and appreciate wise Ratty in Wind in the Willows[although he is water vole in reality].

Shop man and I discussed the so-called throwaway one-use trap and we satisfied ourselves it can be opened and rebaited. On pension, there is no way I can justify/afford it otherwise. It has to earn its keep. Bulk poison and h/d traps are fine thus.
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Avatar pic is my late toad, sadly frozen in water some winters back, but the other day saw another black spotted golden toadlet, the first for several years. They are nowhere near rat area/track.

a1cat

Nice toad

ampersand

I feel special having them here.

whitelabel

how did you get on ?

ampersand

Thankyou for follow-up wl, have been so busy all week I've not checked daily, but bait appears undisturbed over last few days.

Seriously, should I be expecting bad odour to start from somewhere around sheds? Don't know whether some of the accounts I recall of this are urban myth. Hope so, as I'll shortly be gone 'til mid-September.
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Think I'll clean all away and set fresh as a test while I'm off for a few Bastille days tomorrow, then check before BIG away time the following week.
Just startng on Sat's Guardian this am, enjoyed this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/jul/09/michael-holden-all-ears

whitelabel

yes there may be corpses lying around, but they are cannibalistic so if theyve died nearer their nest, the others would eat them and they would hopefully then die too