white belly wood rats!!

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
LOL.. Doesn't neccesarily have to be a kid.. My better half, Adam, would do it for the target practice! He's so funny sometimes.. But really, he would! Just to see how many he could get.. LOL

-Kim

 

[Moonwalker]

The idea with the can of feed works. You can also grease the inside of the top edge to keep the more althetic ones from jumping out. We keep feed in 55 gal drums and sometimes when we go to open one that's almost empty there will be a huge rat trapped in it.
We have had to resort to poison to control them. I have a small cage inside the pigeon/rabbit/fancy chicken enclosure with bars big enough for the rats, but too small for the chickens to get in and secured in the center of it, with wire, a bar of rat poison. I sprinkle a few bits of feed on it to attract the rats. We also put bags of the bait pellets deep into any holes the rats dig. This keeps the other animals from eating the poison. But you do have to keep a sharp eye out for dead and dying rats and dispose of them where they can't be eaten by chickens, cats, dogs etc.
Snakes in the barn work too but they will eat a few chicks and eggs as well.

 

[wildflower]

Wow! thank you everyone for your great advice. I squished 4 big ones last night. I am getting the live trap today and will pick up some peppermint oil as well. Where the heck does a person get Lynx pee? I do have a cat who brings one occationally, but she is in most nights, so not too effective. I think the idea of a Tom cat is great, but my husband is on the brink of a big ole stop with the animals as we are adopting two ducks tomorrow and have baby goats comming in a week. I'll try all my female tricks to sweeten him up for another cat. Does the animal have to be un-nutered? Can't get those from the pound. I will be trying the feed then water routine as well, when I get the live trap going. Oh, good no more snap traps, it is just so disgusting! Again, thanks so much for the help. By the way my 15 year old son thinks I should get him a pellet gun as well........hummmmmmmmm.

 

[jjthink]

Once I fortressed a coop where rats were visiting with hardware cloth so they could not come up through the floor or in any little opening, I never had the problem again.
I should have done this from the start - lost months with repellents (every Tom, Dick and Harry's pee), hav-a-hart traps and endless daily cleaning - the only thing that was flawless was making a fortress - and it was easy actually. And it's a permanent solution.
I feel the way you do about killing, so this may be your answer.
JJ

 

[CUDA]

Scents aren't going to work with the rats, you can count on that. Also, you have to have one bad azz cat to tackle a rat, most wont go near one. The hardware cloth will definitely help, but I would still try to kill them off, for obvious reasons...

. Once those rats get nice and dug in, it is really hard to get rid of them totally. You might be surprised if you actually saw how bad you have to be infested before you start seeing signs of them... It is a constant battle if you live in the country with a lot of crops around you. Good luck!

 

[CoopDelisle]

My mini schnauzer is a rat killing machine! I have two male cats outside, and they are not the least bit interested in a rat.....

 

[GwenFarms]

Quote:
No he does not have to be unneutered. My mean old barn cat IS neutered. He is a killing machine. I think you just have to pick a scrappy one.

The idea of a terrier is good to. Thats what those dogs were bred for. To hunt rats, hence rat terrier. You might want to try that.

 

[CUDA]

Yep, jack russell's are good rat dogs too!

 

[wildflower]

jjthink.......we actually built the coop and outer sealed yard with hardware cloth above and below. I am digging out the composting floor today (great compost with rabbits burrowing in the poop everynight.) I suspect I am going to find holes where the rats are getting in. They have chewed the wood in classic cartoon rat holes in other places. I bought brillow pads/steel wool and spray insulation for filling in any holes I can see. We caught another three last night, averaging 3-4 a night. Seems they are getting smaller, so maybe we are actually tapping in to the mass of the population. Thank for all the help, I am still aming for a rascaly Tom cat.

 

[Brian]

Two words: RAT TERRIER.