Disposing of rat caught in live trap!!

[JesseR89]

I grew up in Baltimore where rats were everywhere. We used to hunt them with paintball guns and each kid would have a different color paint so we all knew who shot which one for weeks later.

I would’ve paid just to be a fly on the wall for this dramatic catch and uncertainty with how to handle post catch. My dad always used bricks, but that’s hard to do with a trap. I’d suggest getting an air rifle. I have squirrels in my attic in the winter now that I live in woods instead of rowhomes and the air rifle is perfect for post trapping.

To the hippies suggesting catch and release of pests, you clearly have not been around a city rat. They are nasty creatures and more importantly, they carry disease and reproduce rapidly.

 

[jspeese]

I think drowning is your best option. A bullet or bee bee could ricochet, and few people are quick or dexterous enough to open a trap and bean the rat with a hammer or rock. I respect your reluctance to kill things, but I personally don't have any more problem disposing of vermin like rats and mice than I do about pulling weeds. They are dirty, smelly, destructive, unhealthy, and they consume a lot of feed intended for your birds. Plus rats see eggs and chicks as a food source.

 

[fostermom55]

If you open the trap with a live rat it will escape. put the whole trap in a bucket and fill it with water. It will quickly drown.

 

[microchick]

I grew up in Baltimore where rats were everywhere. We used to hunt them with paintball guns and each kid would have a different color paint so we all knew who shot which one for weeks later.

I would’ve paid just to be a fly on the wall for this dramatic catch and uncertainty with how to handle post catch. My dad always used bricks, but that’s hard to do with a trap. I’d suggest getting an air rifle. I have squirrels in my attic in the winter now that I live in woods instead of rowhomes and the air rifle is perfect for post trapping.

To the hippies suggesting catch and release of pests, you clearly have not been around a city rat. They are nasty creatures and more importantly, they carry disease and reproduce rapidly.

Your post reminds me of a story one of my cousins told me. They had a raccoon get in their attic and all attempts to find it and dispatch it failed.

It finally got brazen and started chewing through their ceiling/attic floor. One morning he woke up to find himself looking up at a hole right over his bed in the ceiling and Ricky Raccoon peering down at him through the hole. That was the last straw. That night he went to bed with a flashlight and a handgun, laid awake and waited. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the beady little eyes were peering down at him but he was ready. Yep, he shot the raccoon through the skull but the resulting blast had his ears ringing for a week and he admitted that he hadn't taken into account the fact that the bullet would pass through the raccoon AND his roof.

Good thing he was a roofer by profession!

Then there was the mouse who went too far for us. We we were remodeling our bathroom before we moved to Missouri and had torn out the tub and sink in order to put up new drywall and tub surround. We kept hearing chewing sounds and since we lived rural knew those sounds could only be one thing. A mouse was at work. We tracked the sound to the bathroom and sure enough, a mouse had chewed through a weak spot in the old dry wall and was peering down at us through the hole.

DH hastily got a .22 revolver we kept on hand, loaded it with a varmint shot load. Mr Mouse was still peering down at him when DH let him have it. Mouse disappeared but we got a ladder and looked in the hole. The result was horrible to say the least. There was no way we were going to get that dead mouse out of the hole it was chewing because it was smeared over a large area. I asked DH what we were going to do and he thought for a minute and told me to hand him up the dry wall compound trowel with compound. I did and he proceeded to spackle the hole shut sealing the hole and solving the problem of what to do about the dead mouse. As far as I know he's still there....and over there, and up there and well, you get the picture.

 

[seraphine]

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.

 

[seraphine]

What's the point of catching the rat in a live trap. IMAGINE BEING TRAPPED IN A CAR SINKING IN WATER VS A QUICK INSTANT SNAP DEATH OF A GIGANTIC TRAP. I'D RATHER DIE INSTANTLY. I do that almost everyday until I take a rat catch/release vacation for a while then it's back to catch/release. Don't know where you live but I found in my area a water drain that goes down to a river by a golf course. I open my trap at the opening and it scampers into mid-air and drops down into the drainage hole. When I had a handful of pinkies I brought them to an open field, near water, so hawks could feed on them. When a mother rat gave birth to a litter, I put the babies out in the brush near the golf course, then let the mother go find them.

 

[seraphine]

Your post reminds me of a story one of my cousins told me. They had a raccoon get in their attic and all attempts to find it and dispatch it failed.

It finally got brazen and started chewing through their ceiling/attic floor. One morning he woke up to find himself looking up at a hole right over his bed in the ceiling and Ricky Raccoon peering down at him through the hole. That was the last straw. That night he went to bed with a flashlight and a handgun, laid awake and waited. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the beady little eyes were peering down at him but he was ready. Yep, he shot the raccoon through the skull but the resulting blast had his ears ringing for a week and he admitted that he hadn't taken into account the fact that the bullet would pass through the raccoon AND his roof.

Good thing he was a roofer by profession!

Then there was the mouse who went too far for us. We we were remodeling our bathroom before we moved to Missouri and had torn out the tub and sink in order to put up new drywall and tub surround. We kept hearing chewing sounds and since we lived rural knew those sounds could only be one thing. A mouse was at work. We tracked the sound to the bathroom and sure enough, a mouse had chewed through a weak spot in the old dry wall and was peering down at us through the hole.

DH hastily got a .22 revolver we kept on hand, loaded it with a varmint shot load. Mr Mouse was still peering down at him when DH let him have it. Mouse disappeared but we got a ladder and looked in the hole. The result was horrible to say the least. There was no way we were going to get that dead mouse out of the hole it was chewing because it was smeared over a large area. I asked DH what we were going to do and he thought for a minute and told me to hand him up the dry wall compound trowel with compound. I did and he proceeded to spackle the hole shut sealing the hole and solving the problem of what to do about the dead mouse. As far as I know he's still there....and over there, and up there and well, you get the picture.

 

[seraphine]

I Keep my guns for my protection, not blasting any cheaters to bits.

 

[JesseR89]

Your post reminds me of a story one of my cousins told me. They had a raccoon get in their attic and all attempts to find it and dispatch it failed.

It finally got brazen and started chewing through their ceiling/attic floor. One morning he woke up to find himself looking up at a hole right over his bed in the ceiling and Ricky Raccoon peering down at him through the hole. That was the last straw. That night he went to bed with a flashlight and a handgun, laid awake and waited. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the beady little eyes were peering down at him but he was ready. Yep, he shot the raccoon through the skull but the resulting blast had his ears ringing for a week and he admitted that he hadn't taken into account the fact that the bullet would pass through the raccoon AND his roof.

Good thing he was a roofer by profession!

Then there was the mouse who went too far for us. We we were remodeling our bathroom before we moved to Missouri and had torn out the tub and sink in order to put up new drywall and tub surround. We kept hearing chewing sounds and since we lived rural knew those sounds could only be one thing. A mouse was at work. We tracked the sound to the bathroom and sure enough, a mouse had chewed through a weak spot in the old dry wall and was peering down at us through the hole.

DH hastily got a .22 revolver we kept on hand, loaded it with a varmint shot load. Mr Mouse was still peering down at him when DH let him have it. Mouse disappeared but we got a ladder and looked in the hole. The result was horrible to say the least. There was no way we were going to get that dead mouse out of the hole it was chewing because it was smeared over a large area. I asked DH what we were going to do and he thought for a minute and told me to hand him up the dry wall compound trowel with compound. I did and he proceeded to spackle the hole shut sealing the hole and solving the problem of what to do about the dead mouse. As far as I know he's still there....and over there, and up there and well, you get the picture.

Now that is hilarious. I am going to wake up abruptly thinking about coons looking at me lol
When I trapped my first squirrel last winter in the attic, I was lost on how to handle it as well. Not to mention, squirrels are not all fluffy and friendly when they are trapped. I muscled my way halfway up into the attic while the squirrel went bananas inside the trap. I was able to grab ahold of the trap and attempt to slide it through the attic hole in my garage. On its way down, the squirrel somehow busted open my trap, bounced off my shoulder and landed on my arm, scratching the hell out of me in the process. Now the squirrel was loose in my garage. I decided to bring out the two large dogs I have who I have since learned are terrible hunters. Needless to say, after an hour of full on Christmas Vacation style terrorism, I was able to dispatch the squirrel with a shovel. It got personal after it drew blood lol

 

[microchick]

@seraphine Do you mean cheaters or critters? If critters, you must not live somewhere where varmints outnumber humans and live stock considerably. Or where some 'varmints' like mountain lions would rather kill you than look at you. Personal protection involves 4 legged as well as 2 legged threats. 10 years ago we had a cougar that had to be shot about a mile from our farm. Beautiful animal that threatened Amish in the area. He chose the wrong place to live and became a nuisance when he encountered humans and threatened their safety.

I am a retired nurse. Life is what it is all about to me but threats to animals (livestock or pets) ranks up there close to threats to humans and property and will be dealt with if need arises.

This is an old argument here on backyard chickens and we will have to agree to disagree an the handling of varmints.

@JesseR89 Thank you for sharing the story. I laughed so hard I snorked my icetea!

Those scratches look painful! Hope they didn't get infected on you.