Shots fired!

[cmom]

It's going to take more than traps to take care of your problem. Seeing that many at one time suggest you're overrun. Once established rodent population really takes off.

I agree. One of my coops was infected by rats. We stupidly built an inside wall around the bottom of the coop and rats chewed holes in it and made nests in-between the inner and outer walls. I cut all of the wood out and replaced the outer walls but no more inner walls. I put the rat bait stations with the rat poison out in the coop for a few days before I put any birds in it and bait stations in the barn where I had seen some rats. Haven't seen any more rats but do have the baits still in the barn. I have other coops to work on but waiting for cooler weather but no rats. The baits in the barn haven't been touched in awhile. I do check them regularly.

 

[microchick]

Let me give y'all a word of warning about the Tomcat bait traps.

I had one set out in our shop near where I keep the feed to keep the mice under control. For years it wasn't bothered by any of our dogs. Then one day DH saw our Jack Russell/ Border collie mix female out in the pasture chewing on something. You guessed it, she had found the bait trap, smelled 'mouse' and tried to chew her way into it.

Luckily the bait trap didn't open, which is what it is supposed to do. BUT, the bait inside crumbles as the vermin feed on it and there is a residue of feces and bait in the trap that will shake out if the trap is disturbed.

We wound up having to treat her for possible ingestion of the poison residue. Not pleasant for her or for us as we had to induce vomiting and treat her with vitamin K for 5 days just to protect her.

The traps are great. But remember to place them where other animals don't have access and anchor them down somehow.

Your rat looks like a larger version of our field mouse which can get pretty large. They have this vivid cream colored underside and long tail.

 

[cmom]

I agree, but I'm careful where I placed the bait boxes so nothing can get to them except the rats.

 

[lazy gardener]

I agree. That rodent in photo does not look like a rat. But, it's a very well fed, and very large mouse. My biggest fear is that my dog will get hold of a poisoned carcass if I go that route. I had to pry a thoroughly dessicated mouse out of her mouth the other day. I knew she had it b/c I could SMELL it! It was stink to high heavens, yet, she would have eaten it, and been sick for at least 3 days if I'd not have gotten it away from her. And the warfarin type of rat baits are no longer available in my area. They are all neurotoxin based now, which there is no antidote for.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

After finding 3 rats in the coop last night i declared war on all rodents. ... I believe it is some type of wood rat (packrat).

Where are you located, knowing that might help with IDing the rat.

The Eastern Woodrats (packrats) that I have experience with are typically solitary... unless of course they are a young litter. And that is what your picture looks like to me, is a young wood rat.

However, your picture looks a bit different than the young ones I've caught, but you might be in a different region and so it's a different species... or it could be just the photo.

In my experience they're easy to trap... I use grapes in live traps and peanut butter on snap traps... and because of their solitary life style, you can usually get rid of them with just traps no need for poison.

The exception to the solitary life style that I've seen, would be an old man I knew who left out horse feed, so that wood rats could eat as much as they wanted, when ever they wanted... he had a pretty good number in his old barn. But I was able to trap a large pile of them in just a matter of days.

I try to avoid poisons unless the critters are "asking for it"... by not responding to traps, or overwhelming the traps with their numbers, in those cases poisons are the way to go. With that said, I've never dealt with any other rats than woodrats... so poisons might be the first move with other species.

But again a location could likely help with an ID so you have a better idea of what you're dealing with.

 

[quicknick]

I am on the central coast of California. By the way, rat body count is up to 5. Does not count any that ate the poison and left. One got into the poison and died in the middle of my back yard though. I also have not seen any more rats in the coop or seen anymore evidence of rats in the coop so I think the traps and bait are doing their job.

 

[cmom]

I agree. That rodent in photo does not look like a rat. But, it's a very well fed, and very large mouse. My biggest fear is that my dog will get hold of a poisoned carcass if I go that route. I had to pry a thoroughly dessicated mouse out of her mouth the other day. I knew she had it b/c I could SMELL it! It was stink to high heavens, yet, she would have eaten it, and been sick for at least 3 days if I'd not have gotten it away from her. And the warfarin type of rat baits are no longer available in my area. They are all neurotoxin based now, which there is no antidote for.

I wondered about other critters eating the dead rats, if the poison would affect them and the answer was no not secondhand. I will do some research and see if I can find the article. I have seen some dead rats in the past and it was late so I was going to get them the next morning but they were gone, so I figured a predator, maybe an owl, coyote or fox got them, but haven't seen or heard of anyone in the area finding any dead predators.

 

[lazy gardener]

I do know that the instructions that come with the bait: dispose of the bodies in the trash instead of burying them. Wear gloves when you handle them. (Duh, common sense, even if poison not used!)

 

[Nats Chickens]

Please don't declare war on guinea pigs and rabbits!