Please help me decide which of these methods to use for RATS

[myback40]

... I did consider drowning but people said it was inhumane (I had same issue as you-wanted to pick the most humane death)-I had pet rats and I hate to kill any creature, but there is nothing else that can be done with rats-it's bad to release them elsewhere, bad to not do anything etc. etc just can't win! Anyway, drowning is apparently not an acceptably humane method here in the UK so I think it might even be against the law, but I don't understand how poison can be allowed-surely that is far more inhumane? Wouldn't a drowning death be over in 2-3 minutes? Not pleasant but then what death is? Anyway, if i get the rifle working I will use that and let you know how it worked out-it seems like the best option.

Drowning seems to be a much kinder end according to the research I've been doing. For example, this link: https://www.ratcontroltricks.com/rat-traps/ says, "Most rats will drown within two minutes, although Norway rats are strong swimmers and it could take far longer for them to exhaust themselves and succumb." If they fall into a bucket, then, I have no idea how long they suffer. Holding a trap under water is more finite but then I must do the deed with my own hands, or make my husband do it (and the chickens are my domain/problem).

The pellet gun still worries me. I'd be at close range, firing either down into a garbage can or through wires. What are the chances I can hit the right spot? Would the pellet ricochet and come back at me? Might I end up with a bloody & cruel situation?

 

[jools2014]

Drowning seems to be a much kinder end according to the research I've been doing. For example, this link: https://www.ratcontroltricks.com/rat-traps/ says, "Most rats will drown within two minutes, although Norway rats are strong swimmers and it could take far longer for them to exhaust themselves and succumb." If they fall into a bucket, then, I have no idea how long they suffer. Holding a trap under water is more finite but then I must do the deed with my own hands, or make my husband do it (and the chickens are my domain/problem).

The pellet gun still worries me. I'd be at close range, firing either down into a garbage can or through wires. What are the chances I can hit the right spot? Would the pellet ricochet and come back at me? Might I end up with a bloody & cruel situation?

I had exactly the same questions regarding the pellet gun-that I'd be trying to shoot it through the cage-would it bounce off and hit me instead, would I do it wrong and the death be long and drawn out and bloody-yes exactly my worries. Honestly drowning seemed the best option to me but everyone said pellet gun would be kinder so I am going to try that first if I can ever get it to work. I did get the rats to go away for a time when I bought a (supposedly) rat proof metal feed container that only the birds are supposed to operate-well it must've malfunctioned because not only is there now food on the floor (it's meant to be pretty much spill proof aswell) but the rats have actually figured out how to get into the feeder through the flap!

Very interesting article-at least you would be sure the rat was dead with drowning. I have used snap traps-well my brother set it, but I would hate to see it dead like that, or even possibly not quite dead and having to put it out of it's misery anyway if it didn't die from the trap. One of my brothers snap traps caught and killed a robin instead one time-I felt terrible.

Honestly it's just a really stressful situation-feels like I've let the place get dirty and rat infested, not a nice feeling at all-then to have to deal with the situation in such a way, well it's taken quite a bit of the joy out of chicken keeping!

 

[TalkALittle]

I've heard that rats can jump 4 feet vertically.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I had the same worries as both of you as far as hitting the steel of the cage. Except I was worried about damaging my cage and not myself...lol! I put the end of the barrel through the squares so there's no chance of any pullet bouncing back. I don't think a pellet would hurt but I'm always concerned when I use the .22 rifle for larger animals like foxes and raccoons. But same thing...I put the end of the barrel just through a square into the cage.

IF you were to choose to use a pellet gun and you didn't get the shot quite perfect, you just load another pellet and shoot one more shot.

But I'll add that while I'm not sure about the drowning method, that doesn't mean neither of you can't use it if you're comfortable with it. I think you should use whatever method you feel comfortable with. If you've researched it and it doesn't seem to be harsh then that may be a good way. Another method I thought of while writing this is placing the trap in a box and venting your vehicle's exhaust into the box. I'm not sure how quick it would be but that could be researched.

A neighbour of ours poured some oil down some of the holes his rats had created. He says they didn't like the oil and they vacated those particular holes. I plan to use expand the holes the rats have created in my coop. But we haven't used these methods so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Get yourself several rat bait stations and place them along walls and buildings. In my experience rat infestations are always bigger than you think, you say you only see 6 pairs of eyes but how many are hiding that you can't see?

Rat Bait Station

 

[myback40]

Well, at dusk I finally decided that I must act. Here is my bucket trap, with about 10" of water. The soda bottle is drilled with a slightly larger hole than the diameter of the coat hanger. I chose this huge work bucket thinking it would be better because some rats can reach the middle of a 5 gallon bucket without getting on the bottle (which spins of course). So I've heard anyway. Furthermore, this bucket already has holes for the coat hanger where the handles are attached. Peanut butter is smeared on the bottle and some on the "plank".

I set it all up, sighed, and went inside for a stiff drink.

This morning, nothing. But the peanut butter on the plank is still there so I can conclude they have not explored it yet. Typical, actually, since rats are suspicious and cautious. Not like curious mice, who will think, "Oh! Peanut butter!" and step right in.

Other than the cost of the peanut butter, this trap was completely free. I have spent so much money, time, and anxiety on these rats already. I will keep you all posted!

 

[myback40]

Get yourself several rat bait stations and place them along walls and buildings. In my experience rat infestations are always bigger than you think, you say you only see 6 pairs of eyes but how many are hiding that you can't see?

Rat Bait Station

I appreciate the suggestion very much. But as I have said before in this thread, I'm not interested in 1) causing a painful death that will take many days to occur, 2) poisoning the owls, raptors, and neighborhood pets who might eat the dead rat. (Secondary poisoning.) One border collie in our neighborhood has already died this way.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Get yourself several rat bait stations and place them along walls and buildings. In my experience rat infestations are always bigger than you think, you say you only see 6 pairs of eyes but how many are hiding that you can't see?

Rat Bait Station

I think you're definitely correct on the numbers there. I've seen bait stations in the cities lately and I think that's great and the stations will probably work great there. But on a working farm such as ours is...any time grain is moved out of the bins or feed is processed for our cattle, there is grain strewn about. And it's nothing we can pick up with a shovel. It's impossible to keep the place immaculately clean. Rats have no need to visit a bait station when there is grain available and bales in the loft unfortunately. They aren't even interested in grain products I've used for different baits.

I do see our chickens and rabbits frequenting the grain on the ground so I'm hoping they help keep things cleaner.

Well, at dusk I finally decided that I must act. Here is my bucket trap, with about 10" of water. The soda bottle is drilled with a slightly larger hole than the diameter of the coat hanger. I chose this huge work bucket thinking it would be better because some rats can reach the middle of a 5 gallon bucket without getting on the bottle (which spins of course). So I've heard anyway. Furthermore, this bucket already has holes for the coat hanger where the handles are attached. Peanut butter is smeared on the bottle and some on the "plank".

I set it all up, sighed, and went inside for a stiff drink.

This morning, nothing. But the peanut butter on the plank is still there so I can conclude they have not explored it yet. Typical, actually, since rats are suspicious and cautious. Not like curious mice, who will think, "Oh! Peanut butter!" and step right in.

Other than the cost of the peanut butter, this trap was completely free. I have spent so much money, time, and anxiety on these rats already. I will keep you all posted!

We made a bucket like that for mice. We had it in our basement, but didn't catch anything. We were going to move it to an outside shop.

Good luck with your trap!! May I question where you have the board set up? Would it possibly work better being set up towards the bottom of the pail so the rats have the wire to balance on to get to the bottle? In the video I watched for ours, that's how it was set up. But I'm not sure, might be fine the way you have yours.

That'd be fantastic if you keep us posted! If I find anything that works better for us I will post back here.
Best of luck!!

 

[RonP]

Mix 1 part plaster of paris with 1 part peanut butter.

Add a dash of vegetable oil if needed for consistency. Do not use water.

Roll mixture into marble sized balls.

Place in an area accessible to rats, but not much else.

As the balls disappear, so will your rats...

Use a maintenance program to avoid any future infestation.

No secondary kill worries, unless you have a large pile of dead rats in one place.

 

[myback40]

Mix 1 part plaster of paris with 1 part peanut butter.

Add a dash of vegetable oil if needed for consistency. Do not use water.

Roll mixture into marble sized balls.

Place in an area accessible to rats, but not much else.

As the balls disappear, so will your rats...

Use a maintenance program to avoid any future infestation.

No secondary kill worries, unless you have a large pile of dead rats in one place.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I really do appreciate it.

I'm afraid the plaster of paris method has been eliminated. Believe me, I'd love to have a method that is so simple, so sustainable, and so hands-off. But all my research indicates that this method creates a very painful, lengthy death. The plaster hardens inside the rat's digestive track causing slow and painful starvation. Anyone who has info to the contrary - I'm all ears!