Smartass Rat!

[Mickeydredd]

Sat up til 2am, no sign.

 

[Cyres]

If you use a fenn trap then make a box about 2ft long big enough to accomadate Fenn. I use square downpipe which is inserted in both ends and so directs ratty directly over the treadle plate. If this is a cunning criter then you will need to slightly recess the trap and lightly cover it with old saw dust or alike. Leave trap with safety catch on and bait it with small ammount of wheat which has been mixed with used cooking fat ( eg fat in pan after you have grilled sausages or bacon), it will soon be evident if the run is being used. When wheat is going regularly then release safety catch.

Might take a week but will work.

D

 

[Mickeydredd]

cheers.

that rat has definately taken the bait from the box the guy left so he has removed it.

Phoned him today and suggested to him it wasnt too clever to put loose poison in someones garden. Said he saw my dogs but not the goshawk and chickens.....I suggested he should try asking permission before putting anything in someone's private property.

Will keep an eye out for a carcase, smell of one!!

Thanks for everyone's input, appreciated

 

[trouble]

The quail shed is going

The quail and chicken feed is kept in a metal dustbin due the the rat chewing through a plastic bin.

There are no obvious runs due to being gravelled paths between the sheds, but I have targeted the snap traps at the holes and in the quail cages, no joy

I dont mind the mice too much, they are easier to caqtch if I try

I live next to a school. They saw the rat on Thursday and called out pest control. He came into my garden and laid a poison box and sprinkled loose poison at a hole under the big shed.....without consulting me! I wonder what his risk assessment was and whether he considered primary poisoning of my hens and secondary poisoning of my goshawk and dogs. Last night the rat tunnelled into the gos aviary, thankfully she didnt catch it. Tonight I spotted poison-coloured rat **** in the aviary next to the gos beside attempted tunnelling into the gos aviary next door.

Not happy....sitting up with air rifle tonight.

the loose bait may be a non toxic monitoring feed stuff , setting uncovered fenn traps on runs would also be illegal

 

[Mickeydredd]

Well, he seemed rather too embarrassed and apologetic for that to be the case tbh, but who knows as he didn't consult me.

the loose bait may be a non toxic monitoring feed stuff , setting uncovered fenn traps on runs would also be illegal

 

[Mark23576]

I have been having a problem with rats this year also they have managed to get into 3 goshawk pens. I caught one in a cage trap but somehow it managed to get the flap up that allows more in and escaped. I replaced a peice of ply it had chewed through with steel sheet and then it tunnelled under the concrete footing I set a fenn trap in a tunnel over the hole at back of pen about 2 weeks ago so far it has not been back in but I know it will do at some point.
This is on a farm and rats have been a big problem this year but poison as been used to good effect but I don't like to use poison near the gos pens.

 

[activeviii]

Peanut butter daily on a shootable area.

Home made night vision rig. You can buy for less than £100 for your needs.

Wireless pir that has red led that lights on movement.

Leave then to get on to the peanut butter for a few days, then add the pir for a couple of nights. Once you have the peanut butter going every night then sit up with air rifle. When pir glows, turn on NV and shoot the rat.

Not hard, lol

 

[Mickeydredd]

Says you! lol[

I was tidying up behind the sheds today and when I lifted some board to remove it, look what the nice pest controller man left underneath it!!!

Surely this isn't allowed??

PS NO SIGN OF RATTY SINCE POISON WAS LAID

Not hard, lol

 

[Myford]

Ratty will most likely be dead. Some info for you - British Pest Management Manual (Re BPCA British Pest Control Association) states "it is a legal requirement to search for and remove rodent bodies and this is the responsibility of the pest technician and not the customer".

At the end of treatment the Pest Technician is meant to remove all uneaten bait - HSE requirements "as far as reasonably practicable".

Putting baits under boards is a normal practice. The pest technician should have done a risk assessment and also spoken with you to determine risks before laying poison.

As to mechanically trapping rats - it is difficult, they are neophobic, they are difficult to manage mechanically. As advised Fenn traps and other traps are good but need to be hidden away. Caster sugar added to almost anything is a good general attractant, best bait is what ever they are eating, glue some of it to the Fenn trap plate to make them interact with the plate. As previously advised keep the trap unset to start with and after a few takes then set it. If poison has been used then put more traps down and the slower sick rat will (hopefully) end up in the trap and then at least you will have a body and some degree of control.

At end of day the pest controller is pushing their luck. Contact the BPCA for information.

By the way if there was one area that has tons of legislation its pest control and especially pesticide use.

So in answer to your question it is normal to place bait in a hidden place but failing to talk to the property owner is not normal

 

[Mickeydredd]

Thanks Myford, much appreciated