Rat Traps or Cat?

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Rats are bad news. I know...we finally got a handle on the situation after dealing with them for a year! Yes, a year. In 17 years of living here, we have never had the level of rodent problem as we did starting January 2017. First the heavy rains came, then the rats.

We had only one rat species here till recently. That was the native Kangaroo Rat. Then, new property owners moved near by. With all kinds of animals. Suddenly, this year the Norway rat showed up! We have a cat, she is a mean cat too. But, even she could not deal with the Norway rats. On top of that, she was infected by hookworm, after eating one of those rats. She has a litter box in the garage where she lives. But, cats don't always poop where they should. Long story short, some of the chickens became infected with the hookworm parasite! Yes, despite what you may have heard or read, chickens can and do get infected with hookworm, as unintended hosts. That is one of the worst parasites for any animal!

I declared war on those rats! They also spread disease by urinating on spilled feed, and defecating in the run.

What worked:
  • Adopted a Rat Terrier. She kills em all, adults and babies. If she can get to them.
  • Bought an Umarex .177" (4.5mm), Air Rifle, I shoot every one I see. Night is best. Ground Squirrels too, if there are too many during Summer.
  • Sealed the run completely, with roof and hardware cloth.
  • Keep all food items sealed in thick plastic or metal containers in garage.
  • Put everything on wheels in the garage, so you can easily clean every 3-4 months.
What didn't work:
  • Cats...I love em, mice, they can handle, a ground squirrel here and there. Rats NO.
  • Poisons...too risky with chickens getting into everything.
  • Poisons are also, toxic to unintended wildlife that may eat poisoned rats.
  • Also, won't risk my chickens eating a dying rat.
  • Cornmeal and plaster home made poison. Rats poop white, but don't die.
  • Electronic Rat Zapper Trap. Worked twice...one Kangaroo and one Norway rat kill.
  • Traditional Wood Rat Traps....one kill, then they avoid them.
  • Sticky Trays...they will rip off their fur and escape. Maybe, if they are nailed to wood, they'll be more effective.
Thank you to my new dog "Raddy"! She's the best rat killer and seeks them out too!
To sum things up, close the rat diner, keep things organized and tidy, and get a Rat Terrier.
So that's my experience with rats.
 
Hen Pen Jem said:
Rats are bad news. I know...we finally got a handle on the situation after dealing with them for a year! Yes, a year. In 17 years of living here, we have never had the level of rodent problem as we did starting January 2017. First the heavy rains came, then the rats.

We had only one rat species here till recently. That was the native Kangaroo Rat. Then, new property owners moved near by. With all kinds of animals. Suddenly, this year the Norway rat showed up! We have a cat, she is a mean cat too. But, even she could not deal with the Norway rats. On top of that, she was infected by hookworm, after eating one of those rats. She has a litter box in the garage where she lives. But, cats don't always poop where they should. Long story short, some of the chickens became infected with the hookworm parasite! Yes, despite what you may have heard or read, chickens can and do get infected with hookworm, as unintended hosts. That is one of the worst parasites for any animal!

I declared war on those rats! They also spread disease by urinating on spilled feed, and defecating in the run.

What worked:
  • Adopted a Rat Terrier. She kills em all, adults and babies. If she can get to them.
  • Bought an Umarex .177" (4.5mm), Air Rifle, I shoot every one I see. Night is best. Ground Squirrels too, if there are too many during Summer.
  • Sealed the run completely, with roof and hardware cloth.
  • Keep all food items sealed in thick plastic or metal containers in garage.
  • Put everything on wheels in the garage, so you can easily clean every 3-4 months.
What didn't work:
  • Cats...I love em, mice, they can handle, a ground squirrel here and there. Rats NO.
  • Poisons...too risky with chickens getting into everything.
  • Poisons are also, toxic to unintended wildlife that may eat poisoned rats.
  • Also, won't risk my chickens eating a dying rat.
  • Cornmeal and plaster home made poison. Rats poop white, but don't die.
  • Electronic Rat Zapper Trap. Worked twice...one Kangaroo and one Norway rat kill.
  • Traditional Wood Rat Traps....one kill, then they avoid them.
  • Sticky Trays...they will rip off their fur and escape. Maybe, if they are nailed to wood, they'll be more effective.
Thank you to my new dog "Raddy"! She's the best rat killer and seeks them out too!
To sum things up, close the rat diner, keep things organized and tidy, and get a Rat Terrier.
So that's my experience with rats.
Click to expand...

^ this. Rats need a water source so this year brought on the pest for many people who never had the issue. Traps will only work a couple times. Rats are very smart and won't go near them after they have seen the result. If you've seen 1, you have atleast 10 I've heard.

As far as cats- house cats typically aren't very useful. Barn cats (not domesticated) on the other hand can keep the pest in check. local humane societies sometimes have them which is nice because they will be vetted when you get them.
 
Agree with Hen Pen and Hensndoes. Most "typical" cats can't deal with rats and the rats quickly learn to avoid traps. I was seeing rats in my backyard in the middle of the afternoon! Chicken feed is now kept inside, all water/feed is removed every night, and the compost pile is discontinued. They never made it into the secure coop/run but I watched a rat try one night for at least 15 minutes before giving up. I tried traps (caught one), there are cats all over my neighborhood doing nothing but killing chipmunks, and poison wasn't an option, so as a last resort I bought a 0.177 air rifle with pointed tip pellets and although I hated doing it, I shot and killed 3 rats. Haven't seen any since...but I'm not out there in the middle of the night. I've seen the possum cruising through so I hope he's helping keep rats away. :rolleyes:
 
I have had success with traps but you have to take several steps. figure out how they are getting in and block all holes with something they can't chew through. purchase 10 or so plastic snap traps for rats and place them all over with food. get rid of all potential sources of food not being used for bait. sounds like you have sealed up the chicken food. be relentless, keep at it, till every one of them in your house/garage are gone. rats in a coop is one thing, rats in a house can cause fires, lots of damage, smell and spread disease. it wasn't till I found a youtube video by a professional that I saw how many traps they use at once, and that has done the trick for me.
 

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