Strange Tracks in Pen *Logical Conclusion on Page 46*

[Cass]

OH MY. Fluffy is one smart ratgirl.

Does your cam have a time stamp? You could sit there with a pellet gun at the time the cam said Fluffy was moving about. And if that cat isn't yours, you might want to scare it away too.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

My cam does have a date and time stamp. It needs to be reset every time i change the batteries, and i often forget. But when i do remember, it looks like Fluffy is out there running around from about midnight until 5 am.

No, the cat isn't mine. Every cat in the neighborhood hangs out in our yard. Near about impossible to keep them away. i'm fine with them there if they want to catch rats, though.

 

[CopperCT]

Looks like you have a trap smart rat there. She knows where she should not go. Rats can be surprisingly intelligent...unfortunately in your situation. Maybe it is time to try a new type of trap...how about a bucket trap? A bucket or drum too deep for her to get out of with some peanut butter or tuna or something tempting in the bottom to get her to jump down in it and then can't get out? She would need a way to climb up to the rim but no way to climb back out. What is she going into the run to get? Is there water or food out there?

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Midnight isn't that late on a Friday. take a nap after dinner and get the 22 loaded. No more Fluffy.

 

[sweeterdeeter42]

I cant believe this thread is still unresolved. LOL. man o man.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

CopperCT - i think she is going after pieces of scratch. i keep water and food inside the aviary, and then tip the larger waterer on it's head at night. i do that in all the pens as i saw a rat going after the water in another pen last year. Since i throw out scratch on the ground in the morning, there are always bits that don't get eaten. It isn't much. i try to be careful to just put out a handful or two per pen to avoid waste. But i guess those little bits that are left is what Fluffy is after.

Cass, i don't have a 22, but i do have a pellet gun.

 

[AllAlaskan]

Well shoot, after all that I expected to see a snake haha (after page 24 I jumped ahead), was thinking maby a King snake or a Rat or Corn snake possibly too, especially with rodents to be around (granted that rat is to big for one of those haha) would be a good hunting zone, not to mention the possibility of eggs.

And I dont know if any one answered you but most snakes are nocturnal. I have 2 Ball Pythons and 1 Corn snake and all three dont really become active till around 7-8pm. And I know alot if not most snakes prefer Dusk/night to hunt. And those tracks look like they could have been from a member of the snake family such as Kings/corns/rats too IF it was a snake.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Thank you for your input, AllAlaskan. i don't know much about snakes and wasn't sure if they were nocturnal. i do believe those tracks were snake tracks, just based on pictures i've seen on the internet. Have not seen them in a long time, though, since the beginning of the month when i first started this thread. We just came out of a bout of cold wet weather. It was warm and dry when they last appeared.

The game cam this morning showed only 6 pictures, all of me walking into the pen to get the cam. So it would seem that nothing was in that pen last night. Maybe that cat did get Fluffy. One can only hope.

 

[AllAlaskan]

You sound so broken up over the possible death of fluffy haha.

 

[CopperCT]

Quote:
Yeah my chickens do the same thing...most of it gets eaten but not all of it. She seems to be onto you with the live trap.....You might need to change it up a bit and try a different kind of trap with different bait that will be more appealing to her than a few corn leavings. I also really like your idea of flood and shoot.... it's worth a shot....no pun intended. Ok it was actually intended......

I still think your drag marks are from Fluffy adding to her stash and thankfully not a snake.