Rats

I have three dogs and two cats and still I have rats eating everything in my polytunnel and a mouse has moved into my kitchen. The cat sits and watches it from on top of the 'fridge. Keeps her amused anyway. I am not a person that worries about them normally but with all the wet weather they are becoming a pest and I have woodland nearby so no shortage of the little critters. I have lost almost everything in the polytunnel, to my great annoyance.
Any ideas anyone? How do I get them to move out of the tunnel?

 

Kill those rats ASAP.

Put some 'blue corn' down but in a 3 sided tunnel (or some other enclosure) that will prevent birds and dogs from taking it. http://www.diy.com/nav/garden/garde...ouse_control/Rentokil-Rat-Killer-1kg-11327723

Bait a couple of these with peanut butter http://www.diy.com/nav/garden/garde...-Traps-Twin-Pack-Fr51-11327720?skuId=11838425 but again place or protect them from birds and dogs. Fix a length of thin wire to them and attach the other end to something immovable in case (rare) it's not a clean kill or the injured rat will make off with your trap. They are sensitive enough to also kill mice.

I've found using traps and bait to be most effective.

Both the above will work with the mouse, but if it's a pregnant female it wont be just a single mouse for long.

 

I sorted out some rats a couple of weeks ago with that Rentokil 'blue corn' containing Bromadiolone. 4 or 5 days and they were dead.

 

Could i just ask...Apologies Lea i don't want to hijack your thread
I've seen a few mice in my chook run but the other day unless it was just my fancy i thought one looked a bit bigger than your average mouse...the mice don't bother me as the chooks sort those out but their bigger cousins do.....how do you go about getting rid of those? i daren't put anything down incase the chooks get anywhere near it....

 

You could call in the pest control people from the council. I had them once because I thought I might have a rat problem and they were helpful. They might sort it for free.

 

We use a trap in a tunnel in an area outside their run, tight up to a fence that they would run alongside. As their run is completely (walls, roof and floor) rat-proof they don't get access to food so don't tend to hang around, only when some idiot neighbour starts chucking loads of scraps out 'for the birds'. Bait doesn't get used for fear of poisoned mice being eaten by hens and the danger of mice moving it somewhere accessible to the hens (dogs, birds, etc.?). Bait in plastic tubs should be left somewhere vermin proof or stored in metal tins because mice & rats will gnaw though the plastic and move the lot somewhere else.

Once when small rat got in the run after finding the one and only hole large enough to squeeze through I went in and sorted it out with a hay fork.

 

Pity you live so far away, I would have fetched round my Terriers great ratting dogs

 

One of my dogs is a Jack Russell. You'd think ..............

 

Your Jack Russell should get rid of them, have you tried phoning the council?

 

Some LAs get rid of rats FOC, others charge and some no longer provide any service whatsoever.

For Bucks (Lea's location):

Aylesbury Vale - (website down) but appears to be free of charge to customers on housing benefit, council tax benefit or income support. For all other customers the following charges apply: Rats and Mice: £57.50 (Includes a minimum of 2 visits) https://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/environment/pest-control/pest-control/

Chiltern, South Bucks- Treatments are provided free of charge to those who are in receipt of income-related benefit and/or disability benefit. The income related benefits being Income Support, Income based Job Seekers Allowance, Housing Benefit, Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme, Disabled Persons Tax Credit, Pension Guarantee Credit and Universal Credit otherwise £42 for rats and another £42 for mice http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/pesttreatments

Milton Keynes - No service provided http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/env...health/milton-keynes-pest-control-information

Wycombe - Rats free but £75.14 for mice http://www.wycombe.gov.uk/council-services/environment/pest-control.aspx


What a load of inconstancy and if you live somewhere that charges you'll have to pay again as soon as they come back.

 

Think it needs some training equipment (available from Sainsburys).

 

Lol. I may just get him one of those. :-)

 

would you not be afraid of the rats biting the dogs? rats being disease carriers & all.

 

One thing I will not tolerate is rats, I'm terrified of them and to compound this, my previous dog suffered from an episode of Weils Disease after coming into contact with a dying, cornered rat. She was very sick for quite a while.

Out of curiousity I have just checked my local council website and they charge £24 for up to 2 visits.