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Discussion on RATS!
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 - 4:32 pm:
RATS!
I have a BIG rat that has taken up residence in my hay room.
This is a shock as I have NEVER had this happen in all of the 17 years I've kept horses here.
Usually the wildlife takes care of this problem in my open air barn, but I fear that some members of my natural "rat patrol" (big snakes) are hibernating on account of this seemingly endless run of cold weather.
I do NOT want any outdoor cats and do worry about poisoning this big guy and then having him croak and begin to rot and stink behind the hay.
Also, I wouldn't want a wild animal to eat the poisoned rat, nor one of my dogs, but this monster has GOT to go one way or another.
The rat has defecated in several of my mineral feeders so I had to throw out lots of nice free choice salt and minerals.
Before fleeing, he jumped right out onto the leg of the hay delivery guy who was removing 8 bales of bad hay and delivering new on Friday, and was seen back in there today.
Has anyone tried anything new for rats lately?
Or must I resort to poison?
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 - 4:58 pm:
Vicki I think I would resort to poison while you only have one, the sooner you get rid of it the better. They tend to become very numerous once one takes up residence. Then you will have a problem
Some people have had luck with the rat glue traps and since you know where he travels maybe that would work.
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Member:
boots
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Posted on Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 - 5:01 pm:
How about a trap? One that catches the rat live and then it can be carted off and let go or !!!
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Member:
stek
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Posted on Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 - 5:32 pm:
I think I would get the poison out but quick. Next time it could be YOUR leg he jumps on!
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 - 6:54 pm:
Vicki, I share your concern with the poison. I personally would save that as a last resort and try either the regular traps or glue traps first. Hmm, actually, now that I think of it, I think there's also poison traps that the rat has to crawl in to get the bait, but can't get out again, thus there's no risk to predators that eat it's remains.
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Member:
rtrotter
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Posted on Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 - 7:33 pm:
Its funny that this topic came up, since my husband declared war on whatever animal it is that's living in my hay room. The dog's know its there, they go nuts every time the hay room door gets opened. It hasn't been doing any real damage until recently.
Over the last several weeks, my husband noticed holes in several feed bags, so we stopped buying extra and only bought enough to fill our plastic garbage pail. This weekend, my husband noticed there was feed under and around the garbage pail, when he picked the pail up there was a hole in the bottom. The critter actually ate through the plastic.
The next thing I know, hubby jumps in the car and takes off to the hardware store for a metal feed barrel declaring war on the rat/mouse/critter.
I have the same problem, I don't want to use poison because of the animals or if it does die somewhere and I can't find it. I may do the glue traps that sounds like an option.
Rachelle
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 - 8:05 pm:
Thanks to all of you for this exchange of ideas.
You are making me realize that I need to aggressively get on top of this situation. I too have been concerned about this one rat reproducing!
I certainly don't want me or my horses to be exposed to the nasty germs or the possibility of a bite.
A friend of mine who works in a nearby town doing landscaping maintenance has been bitten twice.
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Member:
npo33901
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 1:11 am:
I have mice problem. They even made a hole under the hay bales in the concrete floor !!! Made a den there . Mice of all sizes - from tiny ,just born to pregnant mice.............
We have 9 dogs, we cannot have cats . Cats come to hunt them at night but if the dogs get there on time, they kill he cat ! Horrible .
We have excellent mice traps, made in Switzerland and they work ! The same manufacturer makes rat traps .
By accident I have new way catching them now . I left deep bucket close to a table, at the bottom was some hay debri/grains. In the morning I came , hear this scratching noise.
In the bucket were 8 mice !! Jumping , trying to get out, but coudn't get that high ( 2feet ).
The coming night I put the bucket at the same place - caught one mouse - now I am going to do it every night .
Some of my dogs manage to get mice too, they are fast.
What about a dog specially bred for catching rats ? Kind of hunting dog ? Jack Russel ?
I used to have a cat which got rats - when living in a suburb in South Africa .
I'll get the name of the Co. making my mice traps , send it later. In Yellow pages should be a list of Co. "vermin catchers"?!
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 7:35 am:
Ugh...I hate them things! I remember years ago when our tack room was just newly built the farm dog we had suddenly went nuts and dove behind the feed barrels and came out with a huge rat in his mouth! First and last time I ever saw one here, but we have 3 barn cats who seem to take care of all critters who come near the barn.
I am not sure if the poison is a concern. I always have decon in the basement for mice and I've never noticed our dogs interested in eating a dead poisoned mouse. Or getting into the poison.
A good thing to research though.
I guess you have to weigh the diseases possible from the rats vs the poison concerns.
I am not sure, but I don't think they smell that much when they die from the poison do they? Or maybe I am just remembering wrong.
Just remembered, when I was a kid, my dad used to sit in the chicken coop and shoot rats! A method of target practice, ha!
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Member:
lucyc1
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 8:40 am:
When we first built our 20 stall boarding barn we had a big rat problem. When we started finding them dead in the horses water buckets I realized we had to do something extreme and fast. We did everything I could think of: all feed went into metal cans. Feed room swept 2x per day. We got 2 cats. We put poison in rat boxes. (I hate using poison. We and the boarders together have lots of dogs, plus the cats. I was not afraid of any of the animals getting the poison, but I was afraid of their eating a poisoned rat. I took the risk though, and have never had a problem.) I also used the sticky boards. They make little ones for mice and big ones for rats. They also work, but I have stopped using them. The critters get stuck, but do not die. I had to take the whole board, critter and all, and hold them under water to DrOwn them. Rats take FOREVER to DrOwn. Maybe 5 minutes.......
The boards were probably the safest and most effective -- but I will not use them anymore.
The only good to report is that we don't have a problem anymore. I think once we got a handle on it the cats did the rest.
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Member:
stek
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 10:19 am:
UGH 5 minutes? That would be hard to do, I think I'd opt for the shovel guillotine (gross and brutal as it sounds at least it would be quick).
We had what we thought were just a couple rats (golden retriever puppy sized) living in our detached laundry shed in CA. Tried every kind of trap to no avail. Had all the same concerns about poison, but also didn't want to have one DrOp onto my head while rinsing my delicates!
Eventually we put out a little d-con. There must have been more than the couple we were aware of because within days they had eaten SEVERAL BOXES of poison. Chewed into the containers to get at it too.
Where there is one, there is bound to be many...
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 11:32 am:
More great comments and suggestions on this UGHly problem.
Swiss traps capable of catching large rats sound interesting and I will see if I can locate some for future use.
I went up to my barn late last night and upon turning the lights on saw the rat jump from the top of a stall door to the top edge of the hay room, which is quite a high leap.
I'm sending my husband to the hardware store to examine the possibilities.
I've been in some houses where rats died in the attic or unseen places after being poisoned and the stink was revolting. Sickening, in fact, and lasting quite a long while.
I'm kind of leaning toward the sticky traps although I don't want to catch anything else in them such as baby bunnies, squirrels or skinks or lizards, but I think with the correct location that would be unlikely to happen. And the reptiles are inactive right now, hence my problem, so they probably would not get caught as long as the weather stays cool.
Quick death by a sharp shovel may be possible if I remind myself about all of the rat DrOppings in my mineral feeders!
I'm still contemplating how to clean out the mineral feeders appropriately having emptied them as they cannot be removed from the wall. Maybe some disinfectant spray cleaner followed by lots of rinsing. What a messy job as the feeders also have no drainage holes in them. Until I get rid of the rats I probably can't use the mineral feeders. I've been offering the horses salt out of a hand-held feed pan since emptying the feeders.
Thanks to you all for the suggestions!
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Member:
zarr
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 12:44 pm:
For those who can get Buckeye Chickens they are the best mousers in the world, no joke! 
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Member:
zarr
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 12:46 pm:
Pictures and info on Buckeyes!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckeye_(chicken)
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Member:
npo33901
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 12:59 pm:
Vicky, I've got for mice Super Cat. and it works !!
The site is
www.swissinno.com
They have for RATS too. Hope you''ll eliminate them soon !!
Good luck .
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 2:31 pm:
Cindy, Those chickens are beautiful (and rare?).
Thanks for posting this.
Anna-Marie (Fame), Thank you for this site. Some of the other products look very interesting too!
I just talked to my daughter and she is encouraging me to use a live trap and when caught, take the rat out for a nice long car ride before releasing it where it might eventually become food for an owl or prey animal. That idea was intriguing but as I think about it, I wonder if there might be a possibility of being bitten doing that since this rat already jumped on the front of one person's pant leg when confronted with a human in its space.
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Member:
npo33901
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 3:17 pm:
Vicky, I agree with you . Rats are dangerous vermin . And breed like mad . Kill them .
I despose of dead animals the way your daughter says .
Take them into the forrest for the wild life to enjoy . Foxes have a feast and stray dogs get some food.........
I might try the fly catcher in the stables this year .
Good hunting!!
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Member:
zarr
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 3:53 pm:
Vicki Z, they have absolutely wonderful eggs. I have 4 hens and a roo and No mice, none!
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Member:
kpaint
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 4:42 pm:
Thanks for the Buckeye Chicken link. We're do for new chickens. Sure would like to get some of those. They are beautiful.
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 6:13 pm:
Love the idea of some fresh eggs and these beautiful chickens though I worry whether they could tolerate all of the predator animals in my ecosystem. I will seriously consider this, however.
Due to the immediate urgency of the situation and what was available in my local ACE Hardware store, I have put two sticky trays in a couple of locations in my barn.
Here is hoping that I catch a RAT, and not something else.
I will look into having some of these other remedies on hand for future use.
Thanks to you all for participating in this rat elimination crusade.
Will let you know if I catch the perpetrator.
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Member:
dustee
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 8:13 pm:
Well, I have something for you to think about. The owner of the last farm where I kept my horse told me he put down rat poison that day, and just to be aware of it. He thought he "had a few" rats around the farm. What he used would kill the rats and have them seek water, hence he was not concerned about them dying within walls.
The next day when I went to the farm, he told me the total was up to 32 - dead large rats in one day...The moral of the story, of course, being, that if you see one - there's a lot more around. Hope your story has a different ending, but I would surely jump into action!! Good luck!!
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 8:35 pm:
Yea where there's one there is usually more. The barn i worked at had a horrible rat problem, they were so big the cats were afraid of them..very bold too. They were destroying that place with their tunnels, holes, wood chewing ect. They even started chewing on the horses fetlocks UGHHHH. The tunnels under the stall mats were unreal, they must be one heck of a good digger, the floor under the mats were like cement.
We went on a poisoning rampage, the dead rats were in the hundreds, I'd go in in the morning and find them staggering through the aisle. We put new poison out everynight for over a month, when finally they seemed to be all gone. They stayed away for about a year then it started up again... the place had a huge manure pile and they seemed especially attracted to that for some reason. They finally got rid of the manure pile and the rats AGAIN and as long as the manure pile was moved out every month the problem didn't seem to come back.
Through all of this the barn cats were out and the owners had dogs there was no problems with the animals getting poisoned. I think by the time it kills the rat it isn't as potent, they did ask the vet about it and he said they would have to eat a massive amount of poisoned rats before it would effect them.
We poisoned a bunch down in our lower barn where hubby keeps the calves corn. The damage they were doing was unbelievable. The only thing that died was rats! You gotta wonder where the come from and how they know there is food there, after all they have to probably travel a good distance. Even rats are quite amazing in their instincts (but like snakes I can do without the amazing critters being around here)
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Member:
gramsey1
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Posted on Wednesday, Feb 17, 2010 - 8:48 pm:
If you see one rat there are probably 50.
Our Jack Russell is much better at catching mice than our cats. She is also a capable rat dog, ground hogs too.
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 18, 2010 - 7:10 am:
I agree, no such thing as ONE rat.
Funny, our Jack Russell loves a good chase, and a good run after anything while barking up a storm is his speciality. He's going to be 10 next month, and I honestly can't remember him catching anything except the ball or frisbee!
Our barn cats though leave evidence of their hunts all over the barn. Mice, shrews, birds.
No rats, knock on wood, but something caught one of the rabbits that was hanging around our yard. My husband said a cat would do that. Very weird, the rabbit looked "whole" until I got closer and saw the frozen guts. Those parts were out and obviously ignored, the inner carcass cleaned out.
Does anyone know if that sounds like a cat's kill? I didn't see any tracks but the snow was hard.
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Thursday, Feb 18, 2010 - 1:41 pm:
All that I caught on my first two sticky trays was one small mouse who was dead on it this morning.
You may be right about more rats though. Now that I am thinking about how the mat in my center aisle is kind of sinking away at one end as though something has dug underneath I must wonder. And under my tack room and feed room there is evidence of digging, and possibly even chewing as I now think it over.
And the bait tray looked like the bait may have been disturbed but no rat.
You are making a very good case for putting out the poison!
Thanks all.
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