For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
#1845169
Yeah - well...we have chickens, and a guinea-pig hutch, and do composting of everything that the chickens and piggies (and dogs) don't eat...which to be honest isnt much - the dogs adore eating cat and chicken sh*te

We have had rats at the end of the property for months - but since the missus very rarely ventures that far, it wasnt a problem - even though the neighbours for once were relatively polite and said they would wait until vermin breeding season was over.

I did look into all the fun options when it comes to PCP air weapons - totally unregulated here in Belgium, meaning I can happily buy a .50 cal PCP gun that can pretty much down a small elephant. A tad overkill for our problem - but interesting to see.

Missus was in ballistic NO mode - even though I said "we live in the country - shooting vermin kinda has to happen".

She was not at all with me on that point.

Now she has seen a goddam huge rat standing on the ladder of the chicken coup....

...so - any suggestions for a PCP? I kinda fancy the FX range, but they are pricey.

A mate who runs a gun range says "buy electric shock traps" - I honestly dont know if they work?
#1845173
Had a rat in the back yard a couple of months ago. It would eat the bird seed dropped from the feeder by the birds. It looked quite cute. Next thing I saw it learnt to climb between the wall and the ladder to actually climb up and eat from the feeder. That was even cuter, watching it climb. I moved the ladder out a bit from the wall. I haven't seen the rat since then.
#1845177
Paul_Sengupta wrote:Had a rat in the back yard a couple of months ago. It would eat the bird seed dropped from the feeder by the birds. It looked quite cute. Next thing I saw it learnt to climb between the wall and the ladder to actually climb up and eat from the feeder. That was even cuter, watching it climb. I moved the ladder out a bit from the wall. I haven't seen the rat since then.


Any chance we can do an exchange visit?

Given all the Brexit BS - an exchange of actual (versus hypothetical) rats could could be “a laugh”
#1845243
A far more effective and wife-friendly alternative would be to hire a pest control specialist.

But this one small rodent is being used as the justification for buying an expensive, desirable toy.

Just get the animal disposed of, buy yourself the toy, join a club, shoot competitively and everyone wins except ratty (who at least doesn't get wounded by a less than perfectly aimed shot to die in pain some time later)

Rob P
Morten liked this
#1845252
An air rifle is a total waste of time, unless you are prepared to maintain a 24 hour watch for them - they are about when all are fast asleep. Rats are very switched on - they learn what is killing their buddies. The best defence - tracking powder poison has been banned for a few years now.
#1845253
I have them in burrows under shrubbery in the garden. Saw one climbing a thin metal pole to a cage of bird nuts the other day.

Have shot 7 since mid way through the really dry spell as it is water they need and were coming to drink at the bird bath. I have an Air Arms TX-200 which is pretty powerful, sometimes too much so as the pellet will go straight through. If not stone dead from the shot the terrier soon tidies up.

They breed too fast to get rid of them and they recolonise if the burrows are empty.
T6Harvard liked this
#1845270
Get a Terrier :D

As you know you'll get a large rat population where there is food and water. Be careful about handling the animal feeders and other objects the rats frequent because Leptospirosis, spread by rat urine is a nasty disease (did you know that rats pee almost constantly?).
They are very smart but if you wage a war of attrition and make the hidey holes less welcoming, ensure all food is in rat-proof (ie, metal!) containers and none is left lying around once the pets have their fill you MAY be able to keep numbers under control.
BTW, They will try and come indoors - climbing up Wisteria is an easy method for them (ask me how I know).

But ultimately ....
humane cage traps, promise to take them to release them far away, have new 'toy' already secreted in car, drive out of hearing range, and despatch. Rinse and repeat.
seanxair, Nick liked this
#1845292
This is sadly a very timely topic for me. I generally have a "live and let live" approach to wildlife, but I make a strict exception for rats! An airgun is not really the best option because, whilst I have successfully shot and killed one or two at the bottom of the garden in the past, to be effective you would need, as already pointed out, to mount a 24 hour guard.

I read somewhere that the rodent problem has got a lot worse during the lockdowns because with restaurants closed, depriving them of a reliable food source in scraps, they have greatly expanded into purely residential areas. I have lived in my present home for 40 years and never had a rat enter it. A couple of months ago we heard scratching in the loft and found rat droppings. I called in the rodent specialist who set traps all over the place and on exploration of the property discovered that the builder who did my neighbour's extension had not properly sealed off the end of my fascia board. It was invisible from the ground but made a perfect entry hole for Roland. It was extremely difficult to reach for various reasons but I have now repaired it to seal the gap. The traps caught just one rat but (fingers crossed) although we heard more after that before I managed to seal the gap we have heard nothing for a few days now so hope they are now gone. I sincerely hope so because my wife couldn't sleep for listening to every creak in the house.

A word of warning from the rodent guy: when you sweep up the droppings spray with water first and wear a mask and gloves. The dust from them can become airborne and is toxic if ingested. :evil:

We have a fox visit the garden most nights, and sometimes days, and I would have hoped he could have sorted them for me. I must have a word next time I see him!

PW
T6Harvard liked this
#1845297
Rats will chew electrical cabling and plastic pipeware so keeping them out of your loft is a top priority. A cat which adopted us, came from a neighbour who’s other menagerie were bullying it, said to be in the order of 18 years old and one eyed, has kept us clear of rats for years now. Another cat which was chucked out when another neighbour moved to Portugal last year has moved in but there has been no takeover bid yet. I’ve inoculated my sheep against toxoplasmosis every year, just in case.