30-6 Posted December 19, 2018 Report Share Posted December 19, 2018 On my friends farm I noticed a run coming from under a zinc sheeted out building. I stuffed the hole with straw and it was cleared twice. Put a camera up and had a rats head poking out. As it was near a corner I put a fenn on one side and a bodygrip around the corner, ( only just started using the bodygrip). After 3 days had a squirrel in the bodygrip ( I've had 5 in total around the buildings and 15 rats). The traps were in tunnels and then covered more with zinc sheet and small branches to make chicken and dog proof. Nothing had been pulled off or disturbed, but on inspection the squirrels head was gone and it looked like something had been eating down into the body, it was so fresh it was as if I had disturbed whatever it was. So, rat, weasel, stoat or another squirrel ? The skull had been taken is puzzling me, why not just eat the flesh ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason g Posted December 19, 2018 Report Share Posted December 19, 2018 My dad keeps pigeons and had this a couple of times he enlightened me that it's rats because they eat from the head down. Nature doing it's thing I guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted December 20, 2018 Report Share Posted December 20, 2018 Might have chewed the head off and taken it away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clakk Posted December 21, 2018 Report Share Posted December 21, 2018 Left you the best bit for dinner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30-6 Posted December 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 Never fancied eating squirrel, and yet when I done a lot of sea fishing a long time ago, I used to eat dogfish, pouting, gurnard, rockling, all stuff others used to say we're rubbish, even ate a spurdog once. Watching the Alaskan programs on the TV, seen them eat some stuff that I don't think I would be able to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30-6 Posted January 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 Had the same again today. Mouse caught in a kness brand rat trap, the force of the trap had caused the body to split open with the innards pushed out, this was not touched, but the head had been removed. The set up was under an upside down small plant trough with a 2 inch hole, weighted down. Only thing that could have got in would have been rat or mouse. I have caught small rats in this particular area so they are my main suspects. But why the head when the guts was available ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbower Posted January 13, 2019 Report Share Posted January 13, 2019 Brains and eyes , very tasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30-6 Posted January 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Assuming what is taking my trapped rodents is a rat, perhaps I should be using meat as bait rather than peanut butter. In the trap today was a mouse with the kill bar right in the middle of it's head. So as the head could not be moved, something chewed through the neck again and took the whole body. In fact I am going to try that, use some sort of raw meat instead of my usual bait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason g Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 you should get a trail cam and set that up be interesting to see what's there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 17 hours ago, 30-6 said: Assuming what is taking my trapped rodents is a rat, perhaps I should be using meat as bait rather than peanut butter. In the trap today was a mouse with the kill bar right in the middle of it's head. So as the head could not be moved, something chewed through the neck again and took the whole body. In fact I am going to try that, use some sort of raw meat instead of my usual bait. either that or pate? Definitely need a tral camera up just to see what is going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30-6 Posted January 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 Put a camera up and had a suprise. It cannot be the culprit as no trap tunnels or traps were disturbed, due to the restricted entry points I had employed, but sniffing around was a tom cat who decided to lift his tail and **** over one of my tunnels. I also found his calling card in the shape of a **** nearby. Not the farm cat, so where he came from I don't know. The nearest house is a couple of fields away, so how far does a cat wander on its nocturnal outings ? With his predator scent marking there I suppose rats / mice will now venture elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 Might still be the cat. I had some Fenns set in long wooden tunnels covered in the natural Welsh stone alongside a dry stone wall. The traps where being dragged out and the rat or on one occasion mouse had been eaten down to the bit still trapped. I went up to check round one morning and found a very large feral cat sitting by the tunnel with it's front paw up the tunnel. It was obviously feeling around to see if food was available and set the trap off. Biggest thing I have ever caught in a Fenn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted January 29, 2019 Report Share Posted January 29, 2019 On 27/01/2019 at 01:42, 30-6 said: Put a camera up and had a suprise. It cannot be the culprit as no trap tunnels or traps were disturbed, due to the restricted entry points I had employed, but sniffing around was a tom cat who decided to lift his tail and **** over one of my tunnels. I also found his calling card in the shape of a **** nearby. Not the farm cat, so where he came from I don't know. The nearest house is a couple of fields away, so how far does a cat wander on its nocturnal outings ? With his predator scent marking there I suppose rats / mice will now venture elsewhere. ive had mouse traps disappear when they've had dead mice in them, one turned up in front of my neighbours door, he thought I'd left it there because of his chickens. my garage door had been left open and cats had obviously gone in then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30-6 Posted February 13, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 That bloody moggy left me a smelly calling card again and then stuck two fingers ( or claws ) by nicking a mouse trap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clakk Posted February 16, 2019 Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 Seen moggies on a Pheasant shoot after the poults about 3 miles from the nearest town so the little arrogant kill everything and blame foxes **** arent slack in the Alan Whicker dept Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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