Rats what 2 do?

Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed a few rats in the garden around our chickens/rabbit area, I've put traps down, bait boxes, cages etc and nothing seems 2 be catching them.
One I'm Concerned incase they pass something on 2 our animals.
Two if they would attack our baby chick.
Three our children play out there (which I've now stopped)
And four what if they got into the house
They never seem 2 be out during the day just on a night and seem 2 scatter once out dog is in the garden.

Any ideas on what 2 do 2 get rid of them?

What are you using as bait? Peanut butter seems to work like a magnet, though I haven't had to use traps for years. Rats will kill chicks if they can, and go after uneaten, easily accesible food. They can carry all kinds of diseases which are not fun. Make sure you store your food in containers they can't get in or chew through.

Hanging feeders can help with food waste which attracts the buggers. You may need professional help if they become a total nuisance - though I would highly recommend against using poison, be it you or any pros - it can kill natural predators that would help you keep them in check. Seeing an owl or rat snake perish to poison is hard - also crummy for the environment and all

Our solution is dogs - I have a rat terrier who is an excellent ratter (the name is in the breed but she's particularly exceptional). However, having a dog means feeding, caring for and vetting it too - we always have dogs anyway so for us it's a fringe benefit. Mice and rats steer clear of our house.

It all depends on what you can invest and how far you want to go. If you want a "cheap" dog (or cat), adoption is great. For a fee you can adopt anything from a puppy to an adult or senior dog who's already been vetted (had shots, been spayed/neutered, etc). You can find anything from purebred AKC registered dogs to pure mutts, but look into what breed suits your lifestyle.

If traps are what you want to stick with, try different baits and rotate where you put them - rats are very smart and will learn quickly if you don't keep them guessing.

My feeling is that you can't eliminate the problem, it's a maintenance problem. I lock up all the food at night. I don't leave any on the ground. And I have 3 bait stations. It kind of forces them to eat the bait.

I'd recommend a good Jack Russel Terrier

I've put traps down,baiting boxes and nothing seems 2 be catching the little so sos. Not even my dog is enough 2 scare them 2 stay away. Believe me if I wasn't allergic/liked cats I'd have one just 2 get rid of them. Going 2 try lavender see if that helps.
Thanks for all the comments

What kind of bait are you using in your bait traps? I have tomcat, and found that the lighter green bait did not work but the darker green bait worked right away. Traps don't catch enough. The bait, give it a few weeks, check the bait stations to see if they are eating it. If not, there must be available food somewhere. A rat has to eat, and will multiply based on how big the source of food is.

We used the green poison seeds also tried big cheese products which are a paste like poison, got told 2 put tuna in the traps done that(the tuna has gone but no rats in trap) so I'm going 2 try peanut butter next.

benji1989 said:

We used the green poison seeds also tried big cheese products which are a paste like poison, got told 2 put tuna in the traps done that(the tuna has gone but no rats in trap) so I'm going 2 try peanut butter next.

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We usually don't have a rat problem here in MN but every time we have peanut butter has worked pretty good.