rushy lad Posted August 17, 2005 Report Share Posted August 17, 2005 I have been working a local farm now for a good few years and it has always held a good population of rats for my terriers to chew-on, But every so often Mice will appear which is a good sign that the rats have vacated. Rats will not tolerate any other rodents near or on their patch and will kill or drive away Mice within a matter of Days. A good sign for people to look out for when ratting on Farms. Brian Plummer also mentions this in one of his books(Tales of a ratcatcher) which is quite a good read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badsworth Posted August 18, 2005 Report Share Posted August 18, 2005 That is a really good tip thanks. I tried to get my 'permission' to let me have a go at rats in his barn. I was surprised when he told me that he didn't have a problem. I thought he was wrong (but he is great about letting me shoot everything else). From what you say he was probably correct because my cat comes home with one or two mice every day. I guess if there were Rats there the mice would have scarpered. Thanks B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushy lad Posted August 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2005 Thats right. If I wipe an area out of rats(sadly for the farmer never completley) the mice will move in, but as you probably know ,where there is food lying around rats are never too far away, and it only takes a few weeks for a new colony to fill a void. Dogs are public enemy number one for rats and if you work an area regulary then the scent of the dogs in and around barns etc will make the rats shy for a while so it is a good idea to rat on a patch only two or three times a month. The downside is it can only take a very short period of time for the rats to breed and destroy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete k Posted August 18, 2005 Report Share Posted August 18, 2005 thats weird as i shoot rats at a pig farm and there are loads of mice with the rats sometimes more about , even seen rats eating in the same room as mice . pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushy lad Posted August 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 Could be really young rats(baby,s) but rats will always drive away other rodents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete k Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 these are mice and the farmer wants them shot with the rats , it might be because of all the food lying around that keeps them both there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushy lad Posted August 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2005 Yes pete that could be a possibility. I suppose if there is a lot of waste food lying around then the rats might not be too bothered about the mice. Shooting little mice will certainly test your shooting skills! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunganick Posted August 20, 2005 Report Share Posted August 20, 2005 i would think they are baby rats as well, on my main rat shooting permission during the winter months when all the big rats get lamp shy the little babies havent got a clue whats going on, so as rat shooting is pest control the little ones get an accupel up the bum. it is quite challenging from 20yard standing but fun none the less. unfortuantly the farmer just had the rats poisened, so i prob wont see any for at least a week bloody things move in and reproduce so quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushy lad Posted August 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2005 Its a pity you can,t persuade the farmer to save himself a little bit of money by not using poison. Tell him you will rid his farm of these pests free of charge! Selfish I know but good ratting pitches are quite hard to come by. Young, Baby rats do look very much like mice and are often mistaken for them, But you can sometimes on occasions see Mice and Rats together in the same areas. The rats in my area are on the increase again in and around the farm buildings, They move into the fields in the spring and venture back by Autumn, unless they are undisturbed and have plenty of food to keep them occupied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
massmurderer Posted August 20, 2005 Report Share Posted August 20, 2005 Thought i'd have a bit of input on this one. If you know you have mice on a place and they suddenly vanish or appear in very strange places, WORRY. Rats and mice will not stay together. For anyone who is unfamiliar with young rats/mice they do look very alike. I have a supermarket which is now surrounded by rats,thank's to the council digging the area up.Mice were outside on the waste land at the back. Now no mouse problem apart from one which gained access to the shop a week or two ago and was living in the plant room.He was found one morning in a jacket in the managers office and a rat was found in the plant room.needless to say ratty died very quickly and mickey was never seen again. P.S i only have 32years experience at doing pest control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushy lad Posted August 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2005 Could,nt have put it better myself mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
game_boy Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 I have only ever seen a baby rat once. Where I live out in the sticks I we had a little rat out-break locally and we have never seen any rats all the time we have been there. (about 18 years.) Its all farm land around us but all of a sudden they appeared first of all we saw a couple that had been steam rollered into the road beside the house then one evening while having a BBQ my dad saw one run along side the house. Council were called out and said that part of the problem was the compost heap and the bits of food left out by the dogs when they were eating bones and scraps out on the back lawn. They guy put posion out round the place we never saw any of the ones that ate it but we ended up catching 5 in traps. Sadly this was before I got my Jack Russel. The next door neighbours but one, had them in the house!! Anyway I was walking passed the kitchen window and noticed a little brown thing on the grass. I thought 'thats a big mouse, funny seeeing it in the middle of the lawn during the day??!!' Then I realised its a rat, quick air rifle, get the air rifle........! Went and got it and shot the wee ****** from the bathroom window. And sure enough it was a dirty little rat. Never seen them since thankfully. Cheers, gb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushy lad Posted August 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 A few landowners/farmers will state that they are overun with rats and they are as big as dogs etc when actually there are only one or two knocking about the place. I was asked by a couple of young lasses once to bring my old terrier(sadly dead now) to their stables to wipe out a huge infetation of rats. I was typically looking forward to some frantic sport but was soon deflated when i arrived to find two large stable blocks with one small mouse in the corner of one! How people blow things out of all proportions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
massmurderer Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Get used to it RUSHY LAD,how many times has that happened to everyone on here.i.e.i'm over run with rabbits,"non on site or neighbouring area". Pigeons keep eating my crops i.e.badly planted field. etc. etc. etc. We have all had our hopes of great sport shattered by story tellers. Years ago i was promised a great area to clean out of rabbits. Great,dogs,ferrets,guns,friends,everything sorted including sale of rabbits to local restaurants etc. Not a fu**ing rabbit on the place !. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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