Will ANTIFREEZE kill RATS???

[Tweeza]

Quote:
I hear that in some places the humane society will to take care of shots and I think some medical costs of unwanted cats if you'll take care of feeding and watering them. We had stopped in at a nursery that had quite a number of cats. I mentioned them and the owner said that a neighbor had died and he had quite a few cats. Evidently the neighborhood liked the cats. So long story short, the humane society cares for the shots and medical stuff and the shop owner feeds and waters. Cats are great at deterring snakes...that's another long story.

 

[jjthink]

Be very careful with poison. Other innocent beings can eat it and suffer and die. Or they can eat a poisoned rat and get very sick or die.
Never use antifreeze.
Make all food sources inaccessible. This means keeping everything in the fridge or in sealed containers. This will reduce the 'draw' - something is making them want to be in your house. Make sure your chicken food is in metal cans with weights on top - the rats will not be able to access.
Check carefully everywhere to see what might appeal to them in terms of nesting (are they setting up shop in a basement or garage in straw or in blankets or some other comfty set up? If you remove that draw, your place will be less appealing.
What you want to do is remove the appeal as much as possible so the 'grass seems greener to them' somewhere else.
JJ

 

[shelleyd2008]

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They were eating the soap and cardboard boxes in the bathroom drawers! Even lotion bottles, some IcyHot, and some plastic medicine bottles. I can't take their food source away if they are eating EVERYTHING!

The chicken feed is in metal garbage cans.

 

[ranchhand]

That's a tough one, but the key is to deny them food and to block all access. They are coming for a reason and they are finding what they want. And they are able to get to it.

You need to deny them those things and they will move on. You can kill them all you want, but as long as there is something attracting them they will keep coming.

Poison, traps, etc. will work, but it just opens more territory for other rats. I don't recommend antifreeze, simply because too many other good critters are attracted to it.

The main thing is to eliminate whatever is attracting them and how they get to it.

Good luck, I don't like the nasty critters either! We have some rat snakes living under the house and they are welcome to any rat that comes around!

 

[Boyd]

use the the peanut butter/dough ball recipe for rats. Everyone here raves about it.

 

[keystonepaul]

I had rats in my garage several years ago- bunches of them. In the winter I didn't spend too much time in there, but in my attached "potting room"where I keep the dog food I hoisted a 50 pound bag of dog food up onto my shoulders- imagine my suprise when it was completely empty. I got rid of them pretty completely by using store bought poison bait in the "attic" of the garage and a combination of flat sticky tray traps and the tried and true wood and wire snap traps. Can't say how well the poison worked cept the rats dissappeared. I did catch them consistently in the glue traps as well as the snap traps. I even wired a snap trap to the metal overhead tube frame that the door slides up on in the garage as they were using that as a runway. Got a few that way. Good luck, Keystonepaul

 

[deb1]

I always put a little Ranch Salad Dressing Mix ontop of the rat poison. For some reason, the rats liked to eat my packages of the stuff so I figured that they must have been attracted to the taste. It worked like a charm.

Put as many items as you can in plastic containers. Its a pain but on the plus side, your cabinets will look really organized.

 

[Attack Chicken]

Shelleys on a hunting spree! Get ya a shovel and whack em as ya seem em

Glad I'm not a rat LOL

I've heard the peanutbutter balls and the plaster of paris work wonders. Just my 2 cents. Haven't had a rat problem here yet *knocks on wood* Goodluck hunting!

 

[jjthink]

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I know, very frustrating when they resort to those kinds of items! Very odd actually, re: some of those things - I wonder if one or more couldn't find their way out and got desperate or if they were chewing up those things to take and use some of it for nesting as some of it is not food any which way sliced. They're getting actual food somewhere and if that access is blocked they will have to go elsewhere. I have had 2 rat situations and I know they're challenging. Both were in chicken areas and were resolved by blocking all access to any food sources as well as blocking access to coop via hardware cloth. A project, but all is well now.

JJ

 

[shelleyd2008]

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I keep forgetting to get the POP when I go to the store, and that's not often. Dad's truck is broke down AGAIN, so running to the store 'real quick' is not possible.

I wish dad had a pellet gun, but I don't think I could sit out there with his 12-guage blasting rats away all night!