Found a nasty rat stalking my ducks... to spare its life or not to spare?

[RiverOtter]

Rat poison is definitely more torture. I had two dogs that got into some when our barn girl was stupid and put it out. It takes days for them to die and their lungs eventually fill with blood. They drown gasping for air. They had to tap our dogs lungs several times to stop the, from dying and do multiple transfusions. They saved them but the vets were truly heroic. I wouldn't suggest it as a painless or quick method to kill an animal. Dumping it in water takes 1 minute and it's over. Shooting would be fastest.

I am very sorry to hear about your dogs. I think most anti-coagulant poisons are banned now.

I agree that poison should be an absolute last resort. I don't and will never believe that drowning is better than much, it's legally considered a form of torture.

If it gets to the last resort, which it has done for me once over the years (colony digging tunnels under the barn) I asked the local state wildlife ranger what would be safe to use, and what he recommended was really fast, they nearly all died underground in less than 2 days (not each, I mean the colony was gone). I can try to dig up the name if the OP needs a nuclear option.

 

[allenw]

Kill it and reset your trap for more because there are more.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Just put some heavy duty leather gloves on and snap its neck. Then toss it to the chickens.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I am very sorry to hear about your dogs. I think most anti-coagulant poisons are banned now.

I agree that poison should be an absolute last resort. I don't and will never believe that drowning is better than much, it's legally considered a form of torture.

If it gets to the last resort, which it has done for me once over the years (colony digging tunnels under the barn) I asked the local state wildlife ranger what would be safe to use, and what he recommended was really fast, they nearly all died underground in less than 2 days (not each, I mean the colony was gone). I can try to dig up the name if the OP needs a nuclear option.

My dog got ahold of rat poison left in our front yard (no idea by what or whom) and I called TomCat to see what they recommended as well as the animal poison control and vet and all acted like anticoagulant is still very much in use. Maybe it depends where you are. I wish it was banned-its horrific stuff. My dog was OK because thank God she dropped it when I told her to so after some vomit inducing and activated charcoal she was fine but those were some terrifying phone calls.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

We also have a raccoon problem in my neighborhood and only one exterminator who will deal with them. They trap them and take them out in the country and shoot them. He said if he caught one on his property he would use a baseball bat and advised I use a shovel because of the longer reach and my lack of experience clubbing potentially rabid animals. Its all awful but that is a choice all livestock owners have to deal with eventually. You have to do what you think is best, op.

 

[RiverOtter]

My dog got ahold of rat poison left in our front yard (no idea by what or whom) and I called TomCat to see what they recommended as well as the animal poison control and vet and all acted like anticoagulant is still very much in use. Maybe it depends where you are. I wish it was banned-its horrific stuff. My dog was OK because thank God she dropped it when I told her to so after some vomit inducing and activated charcoal she was fine but those were some terrifying phone calls.

It could very well be banned in NY but not everywhere. I'm kinda terrified of it, first, it's unusually cruel, as you said, and next, I have dogs and cats all over and I don't want them killed by eating a dead rat.

Years ago, I found a litter of baby possums and - being a sucker - bottle raised them. After weeks of 2 hour feedings, sewing artificial pouches and keeping them warm next to my skin, they were starting to roam the house like little kittens, and the biggest one, Lucy, got behind the stove, found some rat poison that had been there before I lived there, ate it and died. I was heartbroken. If I wasn't paranoid about poison before that, I sure was after, and I've moved the fridge and stove to check every time I've moved since.
Sensitive stomachs stop reading
When I had to use it here, it's was absolutely a last resort. I filled trap after trap and there were always more. Last straw was when they killed my broody hen, they got under her wings at night and basically hollowed her out. I found her like that in the morning with her eggs all broken and empty under her pitiful body. I bought the poison that day. In all my years of farming, that was one of the most horrific sights I've ever seen.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Im actually a vegan (minus my duck eggs) so you can imagine this is quite a dilemma for me... on one hand I know these guys are destructive, breed like bacteria, have driven countless species of birds to extinction, destroy property, the list is endless really... on the other hand its a sentient being that has as much a right to live as any other... but if I spare it.... it will just go on to multiply and perpetuate even more the problems I listed above... but condemning it to death because of the species it was born into feels wrong too... God I hate rats
It hurts my brain trying to figure out what to so with them.... and as @Kiki says... releasing them will just make them someone else's problem

Take them far out away from houses or livestock, perhaps a woodland- and release it. The rat will go on its way, and hopefully find a new home away from people. Rats are drawn to areas with houses/livestock because of the food supply. But they are fully capable of living out in the wild away from other people. Rats arent bad animals, they just do bad things- that's nature for you. But this one certainly doesnt deserve a painful death (poison, drowning etc would be).


I am also vegan, if you kill it, it'll likely weigh heavily on your conscience. Just do the decent thing and relocate it.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Put it in a box and let it run out of oxygen

That's just cruel.
I agree, kill it, but there is absolutely NO REASON at all to prolong suffering like that. Kill it, but be a good person and don't try to make its death as painful as possible. A gunshot, a clubbing, a shovel - any of these are faster and more painless than slow suffocation, whether it's via your "box" suggestion or drowning.
Sure, kill it - but there is no reason to be cruel like that.

 

[BelovedBirds]

That's just cruel.
I agree, kill it, but there is absolutely NO REASON at all to prolong suffering like that. Kill it, but be a good person and don't try to make its death as painful as possible. A gunshot, a clubbing, a shovel - any of these are faster and more painless than slow suffocation, whether it's via your "box" suggestion or drowning.
Sure, kill it - but there is no reason to be cruel like that.

my thoughts exactly

Well, not exactly, personally I would prefer to see her relocated, but your opinion I can respect- regardless of OP's choice, no need to torture the poor thing!

 

[Silkie Princess]

Put it in a box and let it run out of oxygen

That's not humane