Rats, ugh!

[needlessjunk]

So for the last month we have seen rats running up and down out back fence. I'm in suburbs. Well yesterday my neighbor came over to talk to me about them since they are now in his garage. They now are running across my patio and leaving their dropping on the grill. What is safe to use outside? In one hand I know they will be around and I'm not too bothered by that because my coops is safe but now it seems to be getting out of hand and I know they carry stuff and I don't want them in my attic and whatnot. I don't really want to do poison since I know they are food for other animals. So I guess that leaves me with trapping? I'm not going to live trap them either since I know they will come back. There is no food left out over night and my dogs clean up any little piece of food the ducks don't eat.

 

[Amiga]

Rats are really good at living around humans.

I use a combination of smoke bombs (a little tricky around structures, but they have had some effect in the yard) and homemade traps.

One of the best homemade traps is simply a bucket of water. You can bait it by drilling two holes at the same level near the top of the bucket and sticking a dowel through the holes. Smear peanut butter on the dowel. Rodents are attracted to the peanut butter. Once they put their whole weight on the dowel it turns and drops them into the water.

Some think this is cruel. Well, it is killing an animal. Less painful, from anything that I have read, than getting shot but not killed, and dying of infection. Or getting stuck on a trap and starving. This is ugly business.

My fantasy is some day having a well-trained ratter (dog).

 

[needlessjunk]

Rats are really good at living around humans.  

I use a combination of smoke bombs (a little tricky around structures, but they have had some effect in the yard) and homemade traps.

One of the best homemade traps is simply a bucket of water.  You can bait it by drilling two holes at the same level near the top of the bucket and sticking a dowel through the holes.  Smear peanut butter on the dowel.  Rodents are attracted to the peanut butter.  Once they put their whole weight on the dowel it turns and drops them into the water.

Some think this is cruel.  Well, it is killing an animal.  Less painful, from anything that I have read, than getting shot but not killed, and dying of infection.  Or getting stuck on a trap and starving.  This is ugly business.

My fantasy is some day having a well-trained ratter (dog).

I've had pet rats and I don't like killing them, but let's face it they are not domestic and do carry diseases. My dogs chase them but they just go next door. The water in a bucket is a good one.