Clever Rats

[marsh man]

We only put a small amount of bread crumbs out in the back garden first thing in the morning , at that time the Pigeons are already sitting on the fence and within an hour everything is gone and the small area is left all nice and clean , for the smaller birds we hang fat balls in a container on the thin braches so the Pigeons don't eat the lot before the smaller birds get a chance to grad some .

Anyhow , just lately we have had several Rats in the humane trap and at times I have been catching one a day , over the last two days I have been repairing the fence and we haven't caught any , then tonight while we were having a cup of tea in the conservatory we saw two following each other , one climbed up the tree , managed to get along a thin branch where the bird feeder was and somehow climbed inside and spent a few minutes eating the fat balls , no chance in shooting them as we have neighbours each side and the otherside down the bottom of the garden .

We have now been here getting on for seven years and these are the first Rats we have seen , Mice yes but not Rats , mind you we do live on the edge of the countryside so it don't come as a surprise .

Have YOU seen more Rats this year and what is the best way to deal with them , without resorting to the gun .

THANKS     MM 

[ShootingEgg]

I've caught 4 I love cage traps this year, and it's there first year I e caught them. Maybe after COVID and the lack of human activity in towns and city's they were there, now more activity in small town centres and villages it's pushed them out to the gardens..

[Bigbob]

A fen trap or a body gripper set under a bird table 24 /7 will pick them off 

[jall25]

Seen a lot more rats about this year Marsh man

Yes its amazing how agile they are - i watch them in the thermal climbing hedges and trees - like squirrels 

[marsh man]

1 hour ago, Bigbob said:

A fen trap or a body gripper set under a bird table 24 /7 will pick them off 

I would be a bit weary about catching my wifes pet Black bird in a fen trap or a gripper , I have caught it a couple of times in the humane trap and then released it with no ill effects , I have also caught a Frog , slugs and a couple of Sparrows that sprung the trap , all lived to see another day , I say all , but not the Slug , he / she commited suicide by getting stuck in the entry door by trying to squeeze itself free , sadly it didn't work out

33 minutes ago, jall25 said:

Seen a lot more rats about this year Marsh man

Yes its amazing how agile they are - i watch them in the thermal climbing hedges and trees - like squirrels 

Yes , the one I saw went up our Cherry tree dead easy , somehow it walked along a thin branch that you would had thought wouldn't hold it's weight and then climbed in the top of the fat ball container , I have been repairing the knot holes in our fence to stop them coming from our neighbours and looking at them climbing up our tree it would be a doddle for them to climb over a six foot fence in seconds and not minutes , can't stand Rats but you have to admire there agility .

[243deer]

Couple of bags of sand as a backstop (easy to clear up) and a fat ball pinned to the ground just in front will give you a shooting option or else bait in an approved bait station

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, I would use a cage trap but you would need a means of dispatching humanly ,never found those boxes pest companies use any good, cover over the cage , I've caught 2 /3 in one go, this last winter was average on rats shot to about 350,

Edited April 30, 2023 by oldypigeonpopper

[wisdom]

We get or we used to get a few under our bird feeder which they cannot reach as its on the washing line.when I spot them I use magnum traps in a proper pest control box baited with peanut butter.i continue until non are caught.i have never had anything in them apart from rats.If they come back I trap again.Interestingly we never saw any until a couple of years ago.

[yates]

We have seen more rats this year without a doubt. Even had them in the attic at one time. As a consequence we no longer feed the birds as this one of the main attractants. Like you I observed them climbing the trees and scaling the branches to get to the feeders. The biggest plus was a couple of weeks ago on return from holiday, the rats had found the packets of poison that I was going to put in the traps and had eaten the lot, chewing through the packaging and plastic seals in doing so. Suicidal rat's 

[jall25]

4 hours ago, yates said:

We have seen more rats this year without a doubt. Even had them in the attic at one time. As a consequence we no longer feed the birds as this one of the main attractants. Like you I observed them climbing the trees and scaling the branches to get to the feeders. The biggest plus was a couple of weeks ago on return from holiday, the rats had found the packets of poison that I was going to put in the traps and had eaten the lot, chewing through the packaging and plastic seals in doing so. Suicidal rat's 

 

Dont make the birds miss out because of the rats. The rats will still be there but just less visible eating something else - at least under the feeder they can dealt with easily i would imagine

[wisdom]

1 hour ago, jall25 said:

 

Dont make the birds miss out because of the rats. The rats will still be there but just less visible eating something else - at least under the feeder they can dealt with easily i would imagine

That's exactly the reason I deal with them my way.

[Dave66]

I don't feed birds in the garden but neighbours on both sides do, I end up having to deal with the rats, this one had been on the fat balls

Edited April 30, 2023 by Dave66
Typo

[pigeon controller]

Just found this post. This year so far I have caught 11 rats over two month, last year I saw and caught two. I live backing onto the none tow path side of a midland canal. All day people feed the ducks etc and we see rats on the tow path, walking the dog he spooks rats under house boundary hedges, the scrub around the park. 
I trap with multiple catch traps and have relived my youth by drawing my “ Webley Senior”  into service.

I’m just amazed how many are about. It just as bad as when I started my shooting career shooting rats with a Webley mark 3 air rifle in the late 1950’s this was because after the war people had chickens at the bottom ot the gardens, the posh ones had a pig. I then progressed to shooting rats in the barns of the farm across the road.

[jall25]

22 minutes ago, pigeon controller said:

Just found this post. This year so far I have caught 11 rats over two month, last year I saw and caught two. I live backing onto the none tow path side of a midland canal. All day people feed the ducks etc and we see rats on the tow path, walking the dog he spooks rats under house boundary hedges, the scrub around the park. 
I trap with multiple catch traps and have relived my youth by drawing my “ Webley Senior”  into service.

I’m just amazed how many are about. It just as bad as when I started my shooting career shooting rats with a Webley mark 3 air rifle in the late 1950’s this was because after the war people had chickens at the bottom ot the gardens, the posh ones had a pig. I then progressed to shooting rats in the barns of the farm across the road.

 

Think last year was a good year for them PC

I have been shooting them with thermal on 12 gauge pump

i have had hundreds ! and hundreds !