Help, help, rats everywhere....

[FarmerRob]

The only time I have had a rat get the bait off the trap (neck breaking snap traps,) and not set it off I was using creamy peanutbutter. I switched to chunky since the chunks will wedge into the bait holder and they have to work the trap harder to get it all. That solved the problem.

The Jack Russell Terriers and Rat Terriers love to do their job and are very good at it. You can put them in a hay barn and they will work themselves silly. However, they may go after other small animals as well if not used to coexisting with cats, chickens (especially young ones,) and such. I think any dog will work out best with other livestock if it is raised with them and given firm and intelligent training. As will all Terriers they have the attitude of, "I know my job--Now leave me alone and let me do it." Some basic obedience training is worth the effort before you turn them loose.

I liked the idea above about the 3" pvc trap since the rats and mice can get to the poison and the chickens can't.

I am also partial to a .22 LR rifle. That will cure the ones who walk out and stare at you.

Try "Just One Bite" or a similar poison. I have read that rats will eat a small amount of something new to them and wait to see if it makes them sick before they continue. Just One Bite would seem to address this behavior with lethal results.

 

[jjthink]

Ugh - a difficult and complex topic. I will never poison anything - just too cruel in my view. Same with glue traps - no way, no how. Both can also lead to terrible unforseen consequences. Again, just my view and I realize it's not everybodys. I totally t-o-t-a-l-l-y understand not wanting rats in residence. Having grappeled with this problem in 2 different locations over time, I have had the most success as follows - hope there's something here that helps someone:

Doing what it takes to rat proof your coop - if they can't get in, problem solved. This is the ONLY long term solution. Hardware cloth is your best friend and while a lot of work initially, it makes life so much easier in the long run. I also use balls of wire stuffed in places where they might be able to get in - the wire is not exposed so it's not an eyesore.

Always always remove food at night if your structure is not definitively rat proof (in my current set up I have a totally rat proof coop and can leave food in there once I lock the birds in for the night but I have to be vigilant in the building within which the coop resides [coop is a small building within a larger building] because I was getting rats in this less secure structure [old stone building]). Especially in winter when I had straw and pine shavings everywhere for warmth. Just having cleaned all that out of the larger building (but not in the small rat proof coop) rats will likely be gone and we're working on better fortressing the larger building before next winter when the rats may again look for shelter. Now I am also elevating food in the daytime so it's not in a bowl right there on the floor at rat height.

Hav-a-hart traps work sometimes when there's been a breach or you are still in the process of rat proofing - I use almond or peanut butter on a piece of bread. I recently caught one and realized from the poo outside the trap that a rat friend had kept the captured rat company all night. Once a rat baby was caught in the hav-a-hart and likely its parents fed straw into the cage through the night so that by morning when I discovered the little one it was sleeping soundly in a straw nest inside the trap - this trap had no straw in it when I set it the night before.These are very social beings and I know few will understand when I say I do feel badly for them. Don't want them there but I do believe they are much like other beings in having bonded relationships as well as fear when they are captured and such. And why for me, keeping them out in the first place is the best solution. For awhile, despite our efforts, they were finding a way to get in but we are getting smarter and literally making a fortress - the coop is already one and the main building is on its way. I think we're winning!!

Good luck - I know any which way sliced, it's not easy.
JJ

 

[chickerdoodle]

jjthink, I totally understand where you are coming from. As an animal behaviorist I had a pair of rats I studied (totally humane--I was teaching them to play games!) and found them to be the most charming, affectionate, trusting and playful of creatures! It surprised me what wonderful critters they were as prior to that I was not fond of them for purely stereotypical reasons. My rats were beautiful Himalayan females and they bonded so strongly to me they figured out how to use a buzzer to call me back into the room--I never taught them that--they figured it out themselves!!

With that said, I absolutely do not want wild rats living near my house--or our coop. That is why I too am having hubby build a rat proof, predator proof Fort Knox chicken coop. Even the run (which is roofed) will be 1/2 " hardware cloth and built tight--no where for the buggers to get in. I am hoping the terrier will not find any to kill.

 

[chicknmania]

WEll, I think we reached a solution. I bought four Victor rat repellers, and put them in the barn.
Next day, no rats. I found a new hole they dug to the outside, looked like they made a mass exodus. That was five days ago and we have not seen one rat since. And we WERE seeing them all the time.
Soooooo....hopefully a happy ending for everyone concerned!