Scully Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 (edited) I live in a converted barn, attached to an unused ( other than for storage ) but unconverted barn, and the back wall of my airing cupboard is separated from that barn by a modern breeze block wall. We get the odd mouse coming in for the warmth ( and the possibility of food ) in the colder weather, which are easily dealt with via a small mouse trap. About three weeks ago my OH woke me in the night, saying there was something scratching at the inside of the airing cupboard door, and after telling her it was probably just a mouse I turned over. She was adamant it was something bigger than a mouse, and mentioned the word rat, which got my attention as they make my skin crawl. We have a mezzanine floor so we can hear anything going on downstairs, and next thing her labrador ( which is a completer wuss ) was upstairs and circling our bed looking decidedly worried, which he does whenever he hears a mouse! My Border would have ripped the place apart to get to either a mouse or a rat! Anyhow, the noise stopped after when the lights went on and I went downstairs, and a few droppings inside the airing cupboard the next morning confirmed what my OH said. We found a hole behind the tank, hard to get at, but after filling it with gravel and expanding foam thought that was the end of it. It wasn't. After hearing noises again a few nights alter I placed a 'self set' rat trap in the cupboard and baited it with something, and next morning the food had gone and so had the rat. Ditto the following morning, and after having to give the trap a hefty thwack to spring it I realised why, so polished the sear and tried again. Same result. Then we went away for the week. We were sat watching tv that evening when a sudden movement in the corner of my eye caused me to start as I saw a rat trot out of one of the bedrooms! The OH screamed, causing me to nearly soil myself, and the dog did a runner upstairs. Over went the sofa and chairs as i tried to find it but eventually I gave up, thinking it may have run out of the open door. We then realised we'd left the airing cupboard door open before we left! Anyhow, fairly sure we'd scared it off we eventually went to bed, only for OH to wake me in the early hours as she'd heard something downstairs, and sure enough when I put on the light the dog was standing next to the bed with his ears down! 🙄 I leant over the banister rail to peer into the lounge, just in time to see the rat run along the back of the sofa and disappear! Right, it was 0240 and down stairs I went, into gun room and returned with a MK4 Fenn trap....time to get serious! I opened the cupboard door ( so it could go home ) and baited the trap with rat poison and after tying it to the trap ( so it couldn't wander off with it and leave it somewhere the dog would find it ( unfortunately...but it's not my dog!) I set the Fenn and left it in the airing cupboard. Three days later the poison was untouched and we weren't disturbed. OH by now has a 10 lite tub of emulsion up against the cupboard door so the rat can't push it open! We heard it again on the inside of the cupboard over a week ago, but the poison wasn't being touched, so I removed the poison and baited it with banana skin. Next morning skin gone, trap still set....and no, I hadn't left the safety on! Tried avocado as I discovered I could wedge bits between the trigger plate and frame; same result, food gone, trap still set. Lucky bloody rat! Took Fenn out and polished the sear to within an inch of its life, and had to engage safety before wedging in avocado as it was so fine now I sometimes triggered it wedging in bait. Ex keeper was having a good laugh when I was telling him about my exploits, especially when I told him I hadn't considered naming it yet but was growing attached! 😀 In bed a few night ago I heard the trap triggered, but wasn't convinced it sounded like it should, and rolled over and went to sleep thinking I'd got it, only to discover the food had gone and the trap triggered......but had left the safety on!!😫😫😂😭😭 Anyhow, last night OH woke me to say the trap had gone off, ( hadn't heard a thing! ) and sure enough we could hear squealing and the chain of the trap being moved. She was quite disturbed by this ( yes, you guessed, so was the dog ) but other than thinking it wasn't as instantaneous as I'd expected, I went back to sleep. This morning OH reckoned I'd find an amputated leg and that was all, but instead there was the entire rat, dead, pinned right across its chest. So, If anyone has a rat problem, bait your Fenn with avocado and sit back and wait...it's a doddle! 😂😂👍 Edited June 2, 2019 by Scully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butchdickason Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 Loved the tale, best laugh this week end.😂 Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strimmer_13 Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 Jesus that was some rat! Think I'd have borrowed a terrier for a few nights. Btw are fen traps illegal yet? Or have u got that wrong, i remember hearing something about it a while back but can't remember the details Cracking story, made me chuckle 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 Mix broken glass with cement to fill the hole, if they try to chew through the glass should deter them. I would have got the air rifle out after a few nights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redial Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 I have seen an unusual amount of rats about these last few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewluke Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 22 minutes ago, strimmer_13 said: Jesus that was some rat! Think I'd have borrowed a terrier for a few nights. Btw are fen traps illegal yet? Or have u got that wrong, i remember hearing something about it a while back but can't remember the details Cracking story, made me chuckle 👍 can still be used for rats,i think fenn traps are illegal for stoats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 Fenn are fine for rats at the min. I have 2 set in my chicken run as they ignore the poison and I haven't time in the mornings if I take the chicken food away to always put it back out again. Fairer on the chicken to leave it. Caught 3 in the last week. The holes I filled in have not returned. A big dead one in the compost heap that must have had the poison. Still the food goes down so I left the fenns in place. Checked yesterday and had a massive grey squirrel that would have had to really squeeze himself into the tunnel. Strangely the food isint going down so fast now and I've noticed I have more eggs with none broken/eaten in the coop..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB1 Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 👍👍 Had a good laugh at that...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel b3 Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 Absolutely fantastic 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 I can imagine scully his Mrs and her lab all on the bed squeeling there's a rat. Did you name him Roland? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnfromUK Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 I have heard these are very good; https://goodnaturetraps.co.uk/humane-rat-traps/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krugerandsmith Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 8 hours ago, redial said: I have seen an unusual amount of rats about these last few weeks. Yes my Sister in Law has been having trouble with them recently. In the kitchen and attic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arjimlad Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 Got him in the end ! Well written. Persistent crafty blighter - takes one to catch one ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 Very dirty animals as they urinate as the walk all around your house. Blacklight shows where they've been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 31 minutes ago, figgy said: Very dirty animals as they urinate as the walk all around your house. Blacklight shows where they've been. That's a black light on order then and lots of bleach!! Had to laugh at a lab that's scared of well everything by the sounds of it, and can't believe you let the rat live as long as it did, were you leaving the telly on for it 🤣🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 Rats are just so smart, they can suss out a trap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 24 minutes ago, Mice! said: That's a black light on order then and lots of bleach!! Had to laugh at a lab that's scared of well everything by the sounds of it, and can't believe you let the rat live as long as it did, were you leaving the telly on for it 🤣🤣 gotta love 'em though. we have a flatcoat who is sometimes afraid of the floor. he'll wake up some mornings and be scared of it, then pluck up the courage to go across, which means he runs...which means he slips, which makes him even more scared! other days, he'll be absolutely fine and it won't even occur to him that's an ace rat hunting story. it makes me kind of sad it's all over; this story needs a sequel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 28 minutes ago, chrisjpainter said: .... this story needs a sequel! A squeekuel? Sorry I just had to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 minute ago, henry d said: A squeekuel? Sorry I just had to! I was just about to type 😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted June 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 Thanks all. Yeah, a very persistent rat. At one time I had both traps set and it would steal the food without triggering either; a polish of the Fenn sear and a very fine set did it in the end though. I had considered sitting up with the air rifle but OH wasn’t too keen. She just wanted it poisoned but I was enjoying trying to trap it, and there was a bit of pride involved too I suspect. 🙂 Yes, the lab’ is a real wuss, and before I arrived on the scene wouldn’t even go into undergrowth for his ball! He does now however, as I wouldn’t get it for him, and despite running off to hide when I fired a shot on his first driven day, he now lays down beside my peg while I shoot, and retrieves birds like a good un. 👍 Switch the hoover on however, and he’s upstairs like a shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 great read.. caught plenty of rats in live catch traps.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 I had a few Mk4/6`s set for a mink/rat near a watercourse and one trap was always getting attention with some of the bait going but no tripping of the trap, eventually I found the culprit was a field mouse as he got caught by the tail. Might have been the same occuring with your trap Scully? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 19 hours ago, figgy said: Mix broken glass with cement to fill the hole, if they try to chew through the glass should deter them. I would have got the air rifle out after a few nights. Was going to be my suggestion too, as resilient as Ratty McRat can be, he can’t gnaw through broken bottles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted June 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 7 hours ago, henry d said: I had a few Mk4/6`s set for a mink/rat near a watercourse and one trap was always getting attention with some of the bait going but no tripping of the trap, eventually I found the culprit was a field mouse as he got caught by the tail. Might have been the same occuring with your trap Scully? There could well have been a mouse involved at some point, but the only droppings we found were too big for a mouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted June 4, 2019 Report Share Posted June 4, 2019 I've a good record in this department ... only ever seen 4 on my property, all under my bird feeder ... all have been dead within 2 hours thanks to the HW100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.