Hooray! Did not need to kill rat, it got better and I set it free!

[khatar]

Quote:
We check the coop every night for rats, so far, none in the coop.

 

[Doormantnt]

REALLY???

Why put out traps, only to "rescue" the cute little rat? Why not just finish it off?

To each their own I guess.

I put out 6 rat sized snap traps, and three live traps (coon size) nightly. And this morning low and behold 2 rats, that I didn't perform CPR on in the snap traps, and only highly irrate possum in the live trap, that I DID NOT relocate. He didn't swim for a darn.

Good luck with your chickens, and do what you feel is right, I was just tryin to understand the purpose of puttin out the traps with no intention of finishing the job if something fails.

TNT

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I have been invaded many times, but this is the worst, with 2 species of rat plus mice as well!

Invaded is when they're so bad they're killing and eating your chicks.....I don't think you'd think 2 seconds about finishing off instead of saving a rat if you'd have had that happen.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
We check the coop every night for rats, so far, none in the coop.

It's only a matter of time....and once they get a colony going they multiply very, very quickly.

 

[khatar]

OK, I get what you're saying, I would think twice if that happened, I'm not viscious though.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I don't like to kill things either....when the first couple showed up I didn't bother with them and in fact I still think they're kinda cute, but before you know it you can be overtaken by them and believe me the first time you go into a coop or a brooder and find the remains of chicks that they've killed you'll be glad to finish the job the trap only started. Not to mention how much feed they consume and the diseases and pests they can carry.

I keep bait boxes with poison out at all times now. I'll never let them get a foothold like they did before.

 

[drumstick diva]

I understand how the op feels. After the first mouse was caught, I felt absolutely horrible that it died. I don't know what I expected but I never thought about ending a life. I only knew you are supposed to set mouse traps, if you have mice. I was very upset for a few days - very conflicted but, when it's little mouse friends showed up, my feelings changed. I just wanted them to stay away - they didn't, so I hardened myself and set traps again. It's them or it's you.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Every fall we used to have a mouse invasion in our house. When my kids were younger they used to insist that I use the little live traps, sort of a long clear plastic box with a one way door. During peak months I'd bait it in the drawer under my range/oven and within 15 minutes there'd be a mouse in there. We'd walk it about 1/4 mile from the house and let it go and sometimes by the time we got back, another mouse was already back in the second trap. There were mornings where I'd find not one, not two but THREE mice crammed cheek-to-jowl in one of those traps. It was really silly and really gross. After a particularly bad autumn I just hired an exterminator. Unfortunately, then I had the stink of dead mice in my house for weeks.

Finally a few years ago my fine husband went down into the crawl space under the house and sealed up every crack and crevice that he could find with that expanding foam stuff. No problems since.

So a word of advice... While I can sympathize with your desire not to kill something, if they start showing up in numbers, you may have no choice. Good luck

 

[chkn]

"Finally a few years ago my fine husband went down into the crawl space under the house and sealed up every crack and crevice that he could find with that expanding foam stuff. No problems since."

Thank you for that. I might have to try that if it gets noisy again.

 

[Ole rooster]

I have a hard time believing what I just read.

But she's happy.