Smart rats

[Fanatic4felines]

Yep I have cats. I feed them too. Here is an image of one watching the rats. They are inside the run with the chicken. Cat is outside….

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Last fall, I suddenly had rats that are living in and under my shed. The chicken run is behind the shed and the nursery coop is in a corner of my shed. The rats have eaten or removed all the insulation in the wall of the coop. My neighbor who never mowed his yard (about 4 acres) and left stuff all over the place, sold his house last fall. The neighbor moved in and mowed and cleaned up the yard. Within 2 days I was seeing rats everywhere! And they were very bold. Literally running across my yard from the shed to my garbage cans! In broad daylight! (have to admit it was hilarious watching them run) Too bad I was without gloves or a bucket or anything to catch them! Any time I had those items, no rats.

I have tried all kinds of methods to get rid of the rats. I have 3 humane traps and I caught a lot in there. Sad to say they are no longer living, but it was an infestation! Actually had 3 in one a couple of times. Sticky traps I tried, but I found the traps farther away than where I put them, covered in fur. Naked rat running around now! LOL. In the shed where the chickens can not go, I put poison baits that are enclosed in a container for rat bait. I am concerned with this since the rat can eat it and go away and die and another animal will eat the rat and die. Plenty of wild life around here and I do have a stray cat that comes back. I think she ate a couple, but not enough. I have an electric trap as well. It worked great for the longest time. Since I'm down to the smart ones, they figured out how to throw debris in there and then get the food. Rat is not harmed. Snap traps they have snapped it themselves and then ate the food. These last few are smart! They will literally watch me from their hole until I leave. I know they can not see well, but man when those eyes are stuck on you it's freaky! Husband takes care of shooting them as well. But the hole is too close to the chickens (in the run). When the girls are out free ranging, in a totally different area, hubby sits and waits. He can only get one and then its hours before they come back.

Now they do come back several times a day and throughout the night. I have seen on video them stretching out quick to grab some chicken feed and hiding just as quick. I moved the food to a different area during the day and the food is gone at night. Except what is left on the ground. I did try a tray under the feeder and removed that, but that is when they started chewing the walls to get inside the coop. I left the crumbs again and least hubby can shoot them there! Those holes are now blocked.

I have successfully removed 30 rats and have 6 left! That is when I found the baking soda idea. The baking soda and peanut butter which I made balls and threw a couple down the hole. Put some in the humane trap. Never even went inside the trap. I did remove all chicken food and put the humane trap on top of the crumbs. That I could not scoop up! The balls were found in the middle of the run the next morning. Untouched, no bite marks on them at all. I wore gloves while making them. Since that was an epic fail, I got a plastic dish and mixed the feed and baking soda in it. 50/50. It took most of the night before one tried it. 3 weeks later still making the mix and the last 6 rats are eating it every night. But none have died. There is a water container as well. Why on earth is the baking soda not working?

Any other ideas I can try? I even tried to find small bear trap - sounds weird I know. But I was looking for the netting that lays on the ground and when the bear gets in the middle it flies up in the air with the bear trapped inside! I figured since these rats were coming right up to the feeders and eating out of them, I'd put the net underneath. Sitting far away and wait. Once they ran on, pull it up and rat is hanging in the air! LOL Of course I'd have to get them down before they chewed through it. But I can not even find one to see if I could make it miniature size! Shooting them there would work, but again the chickens are there.

Oh border collies will catch mice too. And of course I have a stray cat who literally watches the rats in the run from outside. She of course can not get inside the run and the rat does not go outside.

I've attached a photo from a video where you can see 4 rats and the bowl has baking soda and feed in it. You can see that they want it. One rat is actually under the water (chicken are not drinking from there anymore) I put a waterer on the far side and they drink there. That is the slide going from the coop into the run where they have their hole at. Well those are everywhere under the shed.

Maybe if you give them some seeds and a steam engine, they’ll go back to NIMH? You got them smart Disney rats or something.

 

[Fanatic4felines]

Wonder where I’d find a steam engine? I will gladly send them to Nimh!

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Wonder where I’d find a steam engine? I will gladly send them to Nimh!

Nobody:
Nicodemus, getting ready to sneak into your grain cellar:

 

[Fanatic4felines]

Haha stay away!!!

Here are the 3 amigos that live in this coop and run. Plum (barred rock) Violet and Bean (seramas). Plum is the blind one.

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

Last fall, I suddenly had rats that are living in and under my shed. The chicken run is behind the shed and the nursery coop is in a corner of my shed. The rats have eaten or removed all the insulation in the wall of the coop. My neighbor who never mowed his yard (about 4 acres) and left stuff all over the place, sold his house last fall. The neighbor moved in and mowed and cleaned up the yard. Within 2 days I was seeing rats everywhere! And they were very bold. Literally running across my yard from the shed to my garbage cans! In broad daylight! (have to admit it was hilarious watching them run) Too bad I was without gloves or a bucket or anything to catch them! Any time I had those items, no rats.

I have tried all kinds of methods to get rid of the rats. I have 3 humane traps and I caught a lot in there. Sad to say they are no longer living, but it was an infestation! Actually had 3 in one a couple of times. Sticky traps I tried, but I found the traps farther away than where I put them, covered in fur. Naked rat running around now! LOL. In the shed where the chickens can not go, I put poison baits that are enclosed in a container for rat bait. I am concerned with this since the rat can eat it and go away and die and another animal will eat the rat and die. Plenty of wild life around here and I do have a stray cat that comes back. I think she ate a couple, but not enough. I have an electric trap as well. It worked great for the longest time. Since I'm down to the smart ones, they figured out how to throw debris in there and then get the food. Rat is not harmed. Snap traps they have snapped it themselves and then ate the food. These last few are smart! They will literally watch me from their hole until I leave. I know they can not see well, but man when those eyes are stuck on you it's freaky! Husband takes care of shooting them as well. But the hole is too close to the chickens (in the run). When the girls are out free ranging, in a totally different area, hubby sits and waits. He can only get one and then its hours before they come back.

Now they do come back several times a day and throughout the night. I have seen on video them stretching out quick to grab some chicken feed and hiding just as quick. I moved the food to a different area during the day and the food is gone at night. Except what is left on the ground. I did try a tray under the feeder and removed that, but that is when they started chewing the walls to get inside the coop. I left the crumbs again and least hubby can shoot them there! Those holes are now blocked.

I have successfully removed 30 rats and have 6 left! That is when I found the baking soda idea. The baking soda and peanut butter which I made balls and threw a couple down the hole. Put some in the humane trap. Never even went inside the trap. I did remove all chicken food and put the humane trap on top of the crumbs. That I could not scoop up! The balls were found in the middle of the run the next morning. Untouched, no bite marks on them at all. I wore gloves while making them. Since that was an epic fail, I got a plastic dish and mixed the feed and baking soda in it. 50/50. It took most of the night before one tried it. 3 weeks later still making the mix and the last 6 rats are eating it every night. But none have died. There is a water container as well. Why on earth is the baking soda not working?

Any other ideas I can try? I even tried to find small bear trap - sounds weird I know. But I was looking for the netting that lays on the ground and when the bear gets in the middle it flies up in the air with the bear trapped inside! I figured since these rats were coming right up to the feeders and eating out of them, I'd put the net underneath. Sitting far away and wait. Once they ran on, pull it up and rat is hanging in the air! LOL Of course I'd have to get them down before they chewed through it. But I can not even find one to see if I could make it miniature size! Shooting them there would work, but again the chickens are there.

Oh border collies will catch mice too. And of course I have a stray cat who literally watches the rats in the run from outside. She of course can not get inside the run and the rat does not go outside.

I've attached a photo from a video where you can see 4 rats and the bowl has baking soda and feed in it. You can see that they want it. One rat is actually under the water (chicken are not drinking from there anymore) I put a waterer on the far side and they drink there. That is the slide going from the coop into the run where they have their hole at. Well those are everywhere under the shed.

I have pet rats i am inordinately fond of, but believe me, i MURDER every wild rat, mouse and other rodent i can get to. No hurt feelings here.
One thing I've learned from having pet rats.. they are INSANELY intelligent just as you described.
They are also fierce and ninja- like hunters. Most folks don't know that. They will kill baby birds and raid nests for fledglings and eggs. They will fight off all but the meanest hen and roo.
I have seen this multiple times myself. Not second hand stories.
Rats have a keen sense of smell. They won't eat anything they think will harm them and yes, they can tell by the smell.

But the reason i wrote is because BAKING SODA is a farce. A myth.
My 3 boys regularly fart and burp.
That myth about they "can't expel the air so they blow up and die" is exactly that.
Falsity. Believe me. Anything that can excrete solid waste can also excrete air. I'm not even sure how this myth got started, really. It's not even sensical.

Sometimes around here is like having 3 old men living in my house with the belching and farting and testicle cleaning. Sigh. As far as getting rid of them, stuffing holes with steel wool and spray foam after, make all doors and windows completely sealed, eliminate the smallest cracks.
I poured bagged crete around my foundations too. I painted resin thickly over that and pressed steel wool into it on the outside. They actually can chew through concrete, but usually won't. Takes too long and they are also prey animals on the lookout for owls and hawks.
If you can't do that, then persistence in shooting is the only real help. Weasel pee, coyote pee, probably not even TIGER pee scares them. I live in an old apple orchard in Northern Maine. Literally fight rodents tooth and nail every single day.
Those bucket traps? Garbage.
Poison, maybe get one dead one.
I have only two things that ever worked. The wool/spray foam and crete, and, weirdly, i feed them far away from my shed and house. If they invade my spaces, i blast them with birdshot and put the body out by their "entry" to rot.
Yes. They are that smart. They will learn very quickly that table scraps are available for free, but chicken feed will cost you at least an arm and a leg. No joke. I still get the occasional rebel. But the blasting works. I keep the yard around house and sheds clear of any cover and mowed bald - easier to target.
It sucks. But there it is.

 

[Al Gerhart]

That was a great reply on the topic.