Catching rats

[Cycling Naturalist]

Nah. I'm off to get the spade out of my shed after tea.

To dig out a rat play area, I hope. They're pretty omnivorous, so any food you put out for them will be gratefully taken.

Better this than your children being traumatised by seeing you holding up a board with terrified rats glued to it and beating them to death.

"We had no alternative but to take them into care," a grim faced social worker told the press. "It was like an animal Belsen in there."

 

[catwoman]

Those sticky boards are horrible things. I have had cause to have them used by professional pest controllers in a restaurant kitchen that had a very bad mouse infestation. When I visited the restaurant the day after the initial inspection there were about 30 mice trapped on the boards. Poor little things were very distressed and they got taken outside and bashed with a spade. It was horrible.
In fact I'm quite surprised that sort of trap is available on the open market for just anyone to use.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Those sticky boards are horrible things. I have had cause to have them used by professional pest controllers in a restaurant kitchen that had a very bad mouse infestation. When I visited the restaurant the day after the initial inspection there were about 30 mice trapped on the boards. Poor little things were very distressed and they got taken outside and bashed with a spade. It was horrible.
In fact I'm quite surprised that sort of trap is available on the open market for just anyone to use.

Unfortunately, while there are ruthless people like Mr. Paul around, there'll always be a market for this sort of stuff.

 

[Foghat]

terrier-type dogs

This is far and away the most entertaining and satisfying option.

Witnessing terriers ratting in full cry is a wonder to behold and highly recommended, especially when you use several to deal with an infestation as a team. They usually despatch them very quickly too, with a violent shake of the jaws.

 

[Ranger]

This is very sensible advice! Don't use sticky traps as you might catch other animals so put poison down and you'll only get the rats, why? Oh, I forgot, Henry Hedgehog can read and if he sees 'Rat Trap', he will then know that it is not for him.

For starters, this is written after a bottle of wine,and this is starting to get pretty Soapbox but anyway:

Oh my god, what do you mean Henry can't read the text on the bait box!!!! Perhaps I ought to get in contact with Natural England who have used bait stations to target species that we want to 'control'

 

[4F]

Nah. I'm off to get the spade out of my shed after tea.

Use a shovel instead, they are lighter and you can normally get a better swing with it.

 

[Dave5N]

Are the rats in the house or the garden?

 

[fossyant]

Can't say I've ever seen a rat near us, but there aren't any rivers and it's residential with a fair amount of open ground......our cats bring back the odd live field mouse....hence catch cat and let the little mouse go....not big killers our two older cats.....not sure what the young one will be up to shortly....hmmmm

 

[Arch]

Unfortunately, while there are ruthless people like Mr. Paul around, there'll always be a market for this sort of stuff.

Well, there's demand for morphine, but that doesn't mean it ought to be sold on the open market. These sticky trap things (I'd never heard of them until now) sound like they should only be available to licensed pest controllers who can prove they won't leave the poor things lying around for days.

Having seen the Portillo death programme a couple of weeks ago, perhaps the kindest way would be an airtight baited box (ok, you have have a one-way valve type door for the rat to get in), filled with nitrogen, to induce hypoxia.

But cats and terriers is more natural....

 

[Tetedelacourse]

There are some shops at the end of the road. I think they live in the dump behind that. They use our garden as a commuting route. All day long. And all night long, considering the number of times that they set the security light off at night.

They're pretty tame little things. Which is my worry, seeing as our youngest is in to furry little creatures at the moment.

I wonder if they have a Commuting section on RatChat.co.uk.

Mister Rat: This beggars belief; an idiot white human placed a board covered in glue right in the middle of my commuter route. Anyone who uses this route will be aware just how dangerous that can be. Should I write to the council of Nimh and report him?

Ratrick Stevens: Legally he is within his rights, although the morals of such an act of wanton disregard are certainly questionable. In such cases that I've dealt with, it's fairly easy to convince the magistrat that there are sufficient grounds for compensation.

Cabrat: Why are you complaining? You should be watching where you're going. I hope they string you up.

Magnarat: Did you get any of this on film?

etc

etc

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Can't say I've ever seen a rat near us, but there aren't any rivers and it's residential with a fair amount of open ground......our cats bring back the odd live field mouse....hence catch cat and let the little mouse go....not big killers our two older cats.....not sure what the young one will be up to shortly....hmmmm

South Manchester!!!!! Haven't they all been shot?

 

[Arch]

I wonder if they have a Commuting section on RatChat.co.uk.

Mister Rat: This beggars belief; an idiot white human placed a board covered in glue right in the middle of my commuter route. Anyone who uses this route will be aware just how dangerous that can be. Should I write to the council of Nimh and report him?

Ratrick Stevens: Legally he is within his rights, although the morals of such an act of wanton disregard are certainly questionable. In such cases that I've dealt with, it's fairly easy to convince the magistrat that there are sufficient grounds for compensation.

Cabrat: Why are you complaining? You should be watching where you're going. I hope they string you up.

Magnarat: Did you get any of this on film?

etc

etc

Very good!