Rats!!!!!!!

[Birdgirl99]

i did not say they deserve to die but they do need to and it's a rat not a dog or a cat all things bring sickness to people but rats are a pest they eat chickens they do i mean it they eat thier eggs and cause bad things to happen they set houses on fire by chewing the cords just like thier cousin the squirrel and if you see any they need to die not saying that they deserve it but they cause A LOT more trouble than they are worth

and for Tsehey i'm glad the birds are happy but i hope you get the rats gone so they can come back to your garden

 

[Birdgirl99]

this is true i guess i was wrong of somewhat i'll try removing the hiding spots first

 

[Haunted55]

I check traps daily when the mice are running and keep an eye on them at other times because I dont want a glue soaked rat making a mess, or worse a bloated dead one oozing all over.
Put them in a way where you will notice a change in position. Never fails and I havent had a rat go unoticed on a trap for more than 2 days.
Not sure what you mean by giving them an edge on something.
I've seen a large number of rats on a glue trap, never seen one chew a limb, ever. Even seen one that just had its tail stuck on. It wouldnt even chew that off to escape. Never seen torn skin, or anything but pulled out fur. Even the really weak skin on the tail didnt break. Not sure where any of that grizzly info comes from.
Every one that met with the "rat log" in my place hadnt spread any more urine than it would normally just scampering around. More poop though, and everything was right on the trap where it belonged. They didnt look crazy, hadnt done anything grizzly, the only one that ever came close to escaping was the one who decided to chew the trap. Ended up with a moutfull of glue, but did a good job getting halfway free by the morning.
Honestly I dont care if people finish off the animal or not.
If they have a beef with the rodent and want to torture it, thats between them and the rat.
Their karma, not mine.
Its better to kill them before they go in the bin as it can get free, or mess up the bin. Most importantly no sanatation worker wants the off chance of a rat bite coming at them when the bag bumps a leg or arm.
You can try to defend rats all you want, but they dont belong.
If you made the adjustments to the location and they come back again, kill them and dont give it a second thought.
I respect life, but when it doesnt respect back it gets removed.

X 2!

 

[Birdgirl99]

Thank you!!!

 

[Desert-Chicken]

Well I am going crazy from rats, in our neighbourhood they're very active at night, mainly because people leave garbage everywhere I reckon. All my neighbours have had problems with rats trying to get into their houses, a few days ago I heard a noise in the kitchen at 5am then peeped my head around the kitchen door and saw a rat running out of my kitchen window! I went beserk! The rats had made a hole in the fencing on the window to come in. After that I couldn't sleep obviously. Now I keep my kitchen window tightly closed at night, but I'm still a bit paranoid about them, and for 2 nights couldn't sleep because I was worried there was still a rat in our house and every sound I heard I thought it might be a rat. But thankfully no signs of any rats in there for a few days. But we've had a problem with rats in our chicken coop for a while, we tried rat traps but they didn't work, now for the last 5 nights I've been putting out tomato with rat poison (zinc phosphide) and every morning I find they've gobbled it all up, but they're still coming back and no signs of dead rats, but I guess I'll just keep on trying, I'm also putting the poisoned tomatoes outside my kitchen window and they're also all gone... And I always close the chicken food at sunset and open it in the morning, it's a bit of a nuisance, maybe I should try the cayenne-pepper technique it would be less work...
We got 8 tiny chicks yesterday, so I'm moving them from their regular brooder to a tiny box to bring them inside our house every night so the rats can't reach them. The problem is I also have a broody hen in another brooder who's due to have her eggs hatch in about 10 days, I thought the rats weren't going to find her but this morning I found her food dish opened and all the feed gobbled up and tell-tale rat-droppings in the area. Ohhh, I'm so fed up with those creatures, so I'm going to have to remove her feed every night too. But what I'm really worried about is when she has her chicks, do you reckon the rats will try and kill them? Or will it be hard for them to attack the chicks if they're under their mother, do they only attack lone chicks? Because I don't know what I can do with her, the only solution to get her away from the rats is to put her and her chicks in a cardboard box in our house every night, but it's going to be difficult, especially as she's quite aggressive I'm not sure she's going to let us move her and her chicks every night. I'll try poisoned tomatoes around her too but I'm not sure it'll keep all the rats away.
Anyone heard of rats attacking chicks under their mother hen?
Please let me know what u reckon!
Thanx folks!

 

[Chambertin]

There's more rats around than you can kill, and the one that doesnt die will have plenty more babies.
Poision wont work, and honestly traps wont either.
The good thing about traps is the fact that you can get them on their way ino the place you dont want them to be.
THey scream and make a fuss so that deters other rats from going there.

Hopefully after a few weeks the rats learn that your place is a bad place to be. Unfortunatly this only lasts until the next season of rats comes of age and then they will try again.
Rats are a terrible thing and it sounds like the neighborhood isnt keeping it pest un-freindly...
Traps and poision together sounds like your only real option.

I'd keep the poision out and away from moma and babies. You necer know what a curious chicken will peck.

Yes rats will go after chicks even in the presence of ample food. Nasty things that will pass up an easy meal to get the babies. So whatever you hear about the "mouse doesnt know" or "its just doing what is natural" thats BS.
If there's a hamburger lying on the table and you walk to your neighbors house to steal his pizza, thats not natural.
Well, that's what the rat did to our chicks, and they do it all the time.

Kill them good before they kill your chicks.

 

[Birdgirl99]

Yep turns out a squirrel [or a tree rat] was taking the eggs i saw it and i shot it a lot with a BB gun then when it got it's leg unstuck [i saw it because it leg got tied up In the chicken wire] it hit a BIG rat trap i had set on top of the coop and it limped away i ran out of bullets after shooting it 14 times since then i have been getting eggs and i have not seen 1 squirrel apparently told a tall tale to his buddies

 

[Chambertin]

The info comes from here, here and here. As well as with various anecdotes on the internet. I have also seen glue traps with limbs left behind from those used at work, because they leave it overnight and no one is there until the morning. That's several hours.

Just because you haven't seen it happen doesn't mean it doesn't happen.


I'm not defending rats, I am criticising the use of glue traps. They're abhorrent.

Checked all three sources, not once was there a note of a specific case or first hand account of chewing through limbs. Only that some people say that glue traps are bad and that its possible for animals to do such behavior. Plus I dont believe you. Usually people on a soap box will say anything or overstate facts to prove their cause.
Also anecdotes are most often not facts

Possible and Proven may both start with P, but they are very very different.

While I contend it is possible for a rat to chew off their limbs and may may have tried, the trap itself makes the possibility of doing so almost zero. When the rat struggles, or puts its head close enough to bite the limb its about 90% likely to get stuck further making it impossible to do any damage to themself. If the animal did chew off a limb to escape the trap then it would die in a place that would stink up the place unbelievably, making glue traps extremely undesireable and seldom used.
Again, the possibility of chewing off a limb or doing anything other than breaking a leg bone is just remotely tiny.

Humane is a very subjective term and many humans are terrible.
I'm sure I could find a number of "inhumane" products on your person not to mention lining your shelves. However people are allowed to make choices and dissagree about things.
So, if you dont like glue traps, then dont use them.

I use them and I support using them because they are extremely cheap and effective plus after you catch a couple rats this way the remaining ones move to a new area.
There's only so much you can do that is "humane" then its time to be a Human and eliminate the pest.
If the pest suffers, then thats an unfortunate part of them not getting the message that they are not welcome here.
Once you clean up the place and seal away the food its not me inviting them in, its them refusing to move on.

Remorse is another subjective term.
I say that if you worry too much about the little rats feelings then you'll never be strong enough to do what it takes to be rid of them permently. People shouldnt feel bad about killing a rat that wont move out after you've done what is expected to make the area rat unfreindly. In my opinion the most inhumane thing to do is to live trap and release a rat, or save a rat who was on the glue trap. In reality that rat will just become someone elses problem, or go right back to where it was trapped. Giving your problem to soneone else is not making the problem go away, you're just ignoring it.

I hope you get the message this time.

Glue traps have a place and even if you dont like it people will use them because they work well.
The alternitives are expensive, impractical, and dont fit many people's requirements.
Glue traps are effective, efficent, and reliable. Rats are pests and need to be dealt with as such.

Feel free to hold your opinion, but dont tell me I'm wrong and a terrible human.
Having an opinion does not make you a better person.
In fact how a person express that opinion can result in some inhumane things.

Think what you may, I think I'm done with our conversation.

 

[AngryScotsman]

Checked all three sources, not once was there a note of a specific case or first hand account of chewing through limbs. Only that some people say that glue traps are bad and that its possible for animals to do such behavior. Plus I dont believe you. Usually people on a soap box will say anything or overstate facts to prove their cause.
Also anecdotes are most often not facts
Possible and Proven may both start with P, but they are very very different.

You asked for proof about that grizzly info, and that includes the animal maiming itself. I gave it to you, including a study done on these glue traps which explain that animals break their bones on these things. The wildlife rehab centre states: "Many times, rodents will try to chew their limbs off in desperation to escape." I'm pretty sure they have good experience dealing in glue traps, not surprisingly enough you are ignoring this information. Why would they lie? Rehab centres actually encourage proper pest control because introduced animals are a menace to native species (which they specialise in). I guess all these people must be lying too? How about the fact that even a pest control company also makes mention of this on their fact sheet?

It's already been proven. How many people do you think are going to take grisly pictures and brag about it? It's disgusting. No one's overstating anything, because these are the same people who used glue traps to get rid of the problem in the first place. Yeah, you don't believe me - it's called denial, you want to just sweep that brutality under the carpet. I'm guessing you won't even believe it a vet if they told you.


Quote: It is well documented. People have actually seen it happen, including myself. I have seen a mouse leg on these glue traps on occasion, I guess I must have been dreaming then? Just because you've never seen it happen doesn't mean it does not happen. Sometimes the mouse will only have half of its body stuck on the trap, the head free. Or the head stuck close enough to a front leg. The mouse doesn't need to get its head stuck, it just needs to bite on the limb, which it can do without being stuck.

Glue traps are already extremely undesirable... your logic makes no sense, because poison lets mice die in walls which will create a stink, and they are certainly not seldom used in pest control. And attempting to chew on a limb won't necessarily mean it'll escape. It might die of shock/blood loss before that happens.


Quote: No it isn't. It is a common theme with people who use glue traps. I have also seen it happen. The animal will not have its head stuck fully a lot of the time. Even taking a glance at glue trap pictures, many of them still have their heads free.


Quote: Glue traps are inherently cruel, and just torture the animal on them. There is nothing remotely redeemable about them. Just because there are other inhumane products on the market doesn't make glue traps any less inhumane.


Quote: A few bucks over doing the right thing. Of course. I'm not surprised. Snapping traps are also cheap and effective. What you're "supporting" is unnecessary animal cruelty.


Quote: What, like using another trap that doesn't involve hours of incredible fear and pain? The "there's only so much you can do line" comes from people who are lazy and indifferent about the animal suffering.


Quote: They're not going to "get" any message, something like a mouse has absolutely zero comprehension of what's happening to it. It's a mouse, not a human being, it can't think rationally. It doesn't know you're sending it any "message", it is simply using its instincts to survive.

Quote: Worrying about potential suffering one inflicts and getting rid of them permanently are not mutually exclusive.

Feeling bad about killing something is a admirable trait. It's a part of what makes us human... certainly better than enjoying the killing.


Quote: How do you know if it will even go to someone else's home? If you release the animal in a wildlife reserve, away from houses, with plenty of natural predators, then it is a non issue.


Quote: Yes, you're right, they do have a place. For unfeeling drones who are too cheap to kill the animal properly. They are disgusting and so are the people who use them.

Quote: Snap traps are just as cheap, if not cheaper because they can be reused. An electric trap, while more expensive initially, might be cheaper in the long run as it can be used long term. There are multiple types of live catching traps that do not maim the animal that are relatively cheap and can be reused. All of these can be used in place of a glue trap, their practicality is only limited by how trap savvy the animal is. "Don't fit many people's requirements" is another way for saying "too lazy and cheap to care".


Quote: Glue traps are inhumane, morally wrong and not as efficient as you may think. Even some pest control professionals question them:

Dumb type of trap. Pointless, ineffective, and cruel. Why use a large sticky, glue board, when a snap trap is so much more effective? Rats step foot on the glue, then pull their way off, leaving bits of fur or a leg behind. Then they'll never go near a glueboard again. If they do get stuck, they suffer as they suffocate or starve to death. Just dumb, in my opinion.

Glue traps are popular but are the least effective, as rats can free themselves from the trap if they are not disposed of immediately.

Information straight from a pest control operator that claims limb-gnawing on these glue traps. I suppose you'll ignore that too? It is completely repulsive that convenience is considered ahead of the animal's suffering, especially when the convenience is minimal. So a glue trap is easier to use and requires less labor than a snap trap - so what? Is a few minutes of extra time setting up a trap worth the suffering the animal goes through?

Quote:

You are wrong, because I have given evidence that completely contradicts some of your statements, the most notable one being the gnawing of a limb.


Quote: You're right. Not torturing a small mammal by super gluing it onto a sheet of plastic, and not putting convenience ahead of another animal's suffering makes... perhaps not the better person (arguable), but definitely a morally superior one.

 

[Judy]

Closed for continued arguing, and cleanup.

From a sticky in the Predators and Pests forum (where this thread actually belonged

*Although some ways are not considered ideal to some, it serves the purpose of removing the offending predator. If you have an idea or a helpful comment, please do reply. If it is a sarcastic comment about the disposal or capture of a predator, please keep your thoughts to yourself. We are not here to judge one another on methods or ways and means.

*Although some ways are not considered ideal to some, it serves the purpose of removing the offending predator. If you have an idea or a helpful comment, please do reply. If it is a sarcastic comment about the disposal or capture of a predator, please keep your thoughts to yourself. We are not here to judge one another on methods or ways and means.

*This forum is designed as an aid to those who are having predator problems. It is not a debate forum on ethics.

We will not tolerate arguments like these about methods used, whether the thread is in Predators and Pests or in a different forum.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/5808/predators-and-pests-forum-please-read-here-first