Disposing of rat caught in live trap!!

[CountryHillTopHomeschool]

Prior experience - when we attempted to get rid of a rat from a trap - my husband thought that hitting a rat on the head would end it's life. Apparently hammering, rock smashing, etc is NOT a one-and-done deal. If drowning is inhumane, then blow after blow after blow that does not cause death is certainly inhumane. My husband said he would never do that to an animal again. We were later told to fill a large garbage can with water and then drop the live trap in. That's obviously more humane than filling a bucket slowly with the trap in it. I guess it depends on how much damage it did whether you want to torture it slowly or not. Also, using a snap trap does not always kill a rat instantly, but it's generally effective. My problem was that rats got savvy to the trap and simply walked around it. They would not walk across it and trigger the snap. I had a coon hound/lab mix who would jump up and grab the rat in the trap every time a rat got caught, and shake it hard back and forth. She would get slapped hard on both sides of her head by the snap trap, and with surprise, drop the trap, shake her ears back and forth, stare at the rat, and then pick it up and do it again. I think she was breaking it's neck in the process. I sure miss her. I'm pretty sure she would not have left chickens alone, but I never had a chance to find out. I'm glad I read this thread - we live smack in the center of a corn field and rats have been living here in the house for over 150 years. They have more avenues into our residence than we do, for sure. Patching the holes around the foundation of our old stone foundation has been done to try to stop them getting in, but it is pretty much hopeless. All they need to do is dig a litle deeper than my patch, and they go in anyways.

 

[Knots Watson]

For a humane way to deal with the rat, a trick I learned from dealing with raccoons in a live trap; get a can of car starting fluid From the hardware store - it’s something like 90% ether. Put the trap in a garbage bag, squirt a couple seconds of starting fluid in the bag, then close up the bag and leave it for about 10 minutes. They just go to sleep and pass away.

With the raccoons and the larger trap, I had a square garbage cab that I put the trap into. When I caught the varmint, I would just tip up the can, squirt in the ether, and put the lid on.

Obviously, be careful where you’re doing this, and no smoking. Gotta be smarter than the rodent, after all!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Prior experience - when we attempted to get rid of a rat from a trap - my husband thought that hitting a rat on the head would end it's life. Apparently hammering, rock smashing, etc is NOT a one-and-done deal. If drowning is inhumane, then blow after blow after blow that does not cause death is certainly inhumane. My husband said he would never do that to an animal again. We were later told to fill a large garbage can with water and then drop the live trap in.

A couple hard, solid hits will do it - like you really have to nail them good. We keep an axe handle around for that purpose. Hubby hates having to do it but it's the fastest option without a gun. Drowning can take minutes, I find nothing humane about it at all.

The "cleanest" option I think would be to employ an electric trap, if you can find a way to get the rat in there from a live trap. Very effective against mice (who'll simply walk in) but they're designed for rats too. No mess and it's over very quickly. The trap will let you know when it's done.

 

[Tastydwagon]

I know im a bit late but when i was catching mice and rats to use as stuffed specimens in college I would stick the live trap with the rodent inside all into a freezer. It isnt very quick but the rat should pass out before it freezes to death so it isnt the most painful and doesnt require you to open the trap. Just a thought if you need to dispose of more.

 

[Tastydwagon]

For a humane way to deal with the rat, a trick I learned from dealing with raccoons in a live trap; get a can of car starting fluid From the hardware store - it’s something like 90% ether. Put the trap in a garbage bag, squirt a couple seconds of starting fluid in the bag, then close up the bag and leave it for about 10 minutes. They just go to sleep and pass away.

With the raccoons and the larger trap, I had a square garbage cab that I put the trap into. When I caught the varmint, I would just tip up the can, squirt in the ether, and put the lid on.

Obviously, be careful where you’re doing this, and no smoking. Gotta be smarter than the rodent, after all!

This was the preferred method to kill specimens but usually i didnt have any on hand and didnt want them starving themselves or baking in my hot car on the drive from wherever i was to home

 

[TinaMarieofFL]

First off, I moved to the "city" and to my shock there was a rat in my garage where I house my chickens.
I caught him in a live trap but I need a way to dispose of him, and I'm not sure how to kill him quickly.
Do I dump him in water or will he just jump out?
I need suggestions for methods....I can't just dunk my trap in water because it's kinda big.

I dispatch mine with .357 and shot shells

 

[oldhen2345]

Has anyone used golden malrin? My brother works on a ranch and he says that is what they use for varmints. He says it will kill a possum, coyote or whatever within 6 ft of the feeding station. He says any animal feeding on the carcass dies too. I know this is a strong poison, but if you had a bad rat problem would you use it?

 

[Paul Richardson]

Not so fast. There needs to be a sequential accounting of a timeline here.

When did you move to the "city"?

Was this rat in the garage when you got there, or did it arrive after you did and after your brought in the chickens and chicken feed and perhaps other pet food as well?

There is no such thing as "a rat". Its always "rats".....as in plural. Be thinking colony and be finding out how big it is and where they are living. Seeing one rat is like the tip of an iceberg. Lots more below the surface you can't see.

But whatever the case, the usual solutions apply. Limit access to all feed....that's all feed....chicken feed, cat food, dog food and anything else they can live on? And if you feel the need, at the same time, put out poison bait blocks (in bait stations......always in locked bait stations) so that the bait blocks become the alternative food source they turn to when the other feed dries up.

PS: If that had been me, I would have plugged it with an air rifle.....but that only works if you have one. The cheap, high powered single shot springers.....like you could find at Walmart..... in a .22 caliber.......works for dispatching almost all critters you will catch in a cage trap. But so does a single shot .22 rifle with cb caps or shorts. Kills em quiet. If a person is going to set a trap....Act I......, better have something ready for Act II......the dispatch.

Be careful with baits for if they kill rats and mice they will kill the chooks if they find the rodents and eat them which they will happily do if they find them they love em

 

[Paul Richardson]

Has anyone used golden malrin? My brother works on a ranch and he says that is what they use for varmints. He says it will kill a possum, coyote or whatever within 6 ft of the feeding station. He says any animal feeding on the carcass dies too. I know this is a strong poison, but if you had a bad rat problem would you use it?

No not ever you will kill the chooks if they eat any part of the carcass

 

[thepick4uchicks]

I'm sorry, do not every release a captured vermin so that it become somebody else's problem.

I have enough fox, raccoon, rats, mice, voles, bob cats and cougars around us to last a lifetime.

I would be really POed if somebody dumped their nuisance pest outside our farm gate, and in the same breathe, I doubt if you would be overjoyed if somebody did the same to you.

Amen! If you had enough of a problem with something to set out a trap to catch or kill something then you need to plan to be prepared to exterminate that problem or prize when it is trapped. It should be dealt with appropriately by being put out of its problem causing misery for you then and there on the spot or immediately there after. If you have to put it in a box or bag or other cage to take it to another area to kill it dispatch it or put it out of its misery and your hair then so be it if guns being discharged are unacceptable or if discharging a firearm in close proximity from your coop or house is too loud or too dangerous then so be it. Take the trap and it’s contents off somewhere else and then take care of business there. BUT...DO NOT make your problem someone else’s. Doing that is UNACCEPTABLE! You must exterminate and extinguish the animal and the problem. If it’s poisoned and of no use as a food product for a needy family or as a pelt for a trapper then toss it in the proper trash disposal. If it can be used as a food product in winter time safely for animals then if legal then if allowed so be it if it doesn’t cause problems for landownership. Otherwise you have to dispose of poisoned animals according to your local laws and ordinances in the trash not in the reach of children and pets- as well as wildlife. These guidelines are usually clearly stated on the poison packaging. Not always on the traps themselves but on any poison or poison bait substances.
I have two dogs. They are nothing special. They are to me. They are to my daughter. They are to my family. One is mine and one is hers. Both are ours and both are well loved by all of our extended family. If something happened not them I would be so upset. We have a large fenced in backyard. They always stay in the fence. Our chicken coop and run is also within the boundaries of this fence and the gates are locked at night with a padlock and bike chain tightly. It is not to keep real people out that want in really bad but to deter thievery of large heavy items like heavy equipment and anyone doing severe damage to our property. If they want in they know they can climb over but it would take a lot to steal something worth lots of money. Our coop has a key pad Lock and our run has another five pad lock on it and we also have ADT, Blink cameras, motions lights, and The Ring motion lights and cameras on the coop also. I’m gonna identify them if they try to steal or harm my birds! Ha! Back to the dogs- I rambled. Nothing irritates me more than people who ignore the leash law. They let their dogs roam around just wherever. Pee and poop wherever but not in the owner’s yard. You can be sure of that. They all but have them trained to go to the bathroom in all neighbors houses only not at home. We have one neighbor that thinks free range chickens means don’t feed the chickens and just let them roam all over the neighborhood until bedtime. I don’t even know that he puts his chickens up at night or if he knows where they are. They may roost in the trees. There are only 5 max. They heard my chicks one day I guess or smelled them when??? It had to have been heard right. They came over to visit but my little Miniature Schnauzer wasn’t having any of those strange big birds coming close at all into our yard. No way. They never tried to get into the fence by flying over the chain link. To visit but she saw to it that nothing was doing on that. Those big chickens were not allowed to stay and visit even for a little while. They had to go. Eventually they went home. Crazy day. I figure they will be back soon. Our girls are getting larger and louder. However, no problems belonging first to the neighbors ever need to migrate over from them to the next neighbors and the next. It usually doesn’t work out very good at all. Yuck.