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Illuminated rats


amateur
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We've been troubled by rats raiding the bird table over the past couple of years,

 

Usually I've nailed them in daylight with the Logun, but our Scottish terriers would hurtle out to interrupt proceedings and I also realised that any crusts of bread left on the bird table were being cleared overnight.

 

As my sight is not up to night shooting, and a nightsight would be cost prohibitive, I found the solution on eBay.

 

2 x 12 volt self-adhesive LED strips, designed to light up cars were attached to the eaves of the bird table and powered by a spare gel bike battery. I recharge the battery during the day.

 

Once it is dark the bird table looks like the boxing ring at Madison Square Gardens.

 

An empty tuna tin was filled with a sloppy mix of dog food and breadcrumbs as the bait.

 

I left it alone, but lit, for three nights until a regular feeding pattern was established, rats being notoriously neophobic

 

I sat up for a couple of hours for the last 3 nights at the bedroom window, and have had a result every night.

 

Happy nights

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All was well with the set-up until this morning - at about 3am I was woken by the dogs barking, and peered out of the window to see that the light had gone off, and, when I looked through my night-vision monocular, I could see the bird-table upturned and a fox eating the rat bait and fat balls.

 

Clearly, I couldn't take a shot with an air-rifle, nor was there enough light anyway.

 

When I inspected the wreckage later on, the switch and one light strip had been chewed to pieces.

 

Oh well, it was fun whilst it lasted

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One of these might be handy, there's probably no exposed cabling or switch and quite expendable too - with spares for the rat run to and from the bird table.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-X-SOLAR-LIGHTS-POST-GARDEN-PATIO-OUTDOOR-LED-LIGHTING-STAINLESS-STEEL-POWERED-/322084864208

 

Thanks for that, but we already have solar "lights" in the garden and the dim glow that they emit isn't great.

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