Rats - glueboards. Help!

[fliptheswitch]

I'm at the end of my tether with "Rat-gate".
I've still had to luck with the traps, but Ratty is still coming in during the night.
Why is he not going for the traps I've laid out? There is no other food available for him, so I am so confused as to why he's not going for the bait (Peanut butter and chocolate). Four bloody traps! FOUR!!

Tonight I am using "the last resort".... glue boards.
I ordered two, which arrived today, but they are quite small. Wish I'd got twenty, now.
Where should I place them and, most importantly, do they work?

My plan is, to hang a bag full of a mixture of peanut butter, poison, glass and chocolate, on the kitchen drawer handle. This is where he grabbed a bag from before, so I know he can get to it.
Underneath, I was going to put one of the glue boards.
I figured if the mixture doesn't get him, the board will.

Will that work?

[Cowtipper]

The glue boards are pretty nasty but they do work. A regular wire and bail trap is much kinder. If the rat dies under the cupboard it won't smell long so poison is fine. Glass probably won't work but honestly a belly full of strychnine probability hurts just as bad.

[RATTER15]

cowtipper, I dont believe you can buy strychnine in the UK anymore and I dont believe it was ever approved to be used to control rats, certainly not in my time as a Pest Controller.

[fliptheswitch]

I'm confused about the poison now.
Does it kill them instantly? I was under the impression it can take upto six days?
That's why ratman said he didn't think it was a good idea, as he could "die under the floorboards and I wouldn't be able to get to it".

If I find it stuck to the glue board in the morning, I plan to take it outside and "dispose" of it.
I've got the spade out of the shed ready.

Old-wos-is-name, as much as that sounds like a fantastic idea, I couldn't bear to sit there and wait for ratty to come out. If I have to go into the kitchen (and I only do on a needs must basis!) I literally run! I'm terrified of coming face to face with it.
If I saw it, I think I'd grab the nearest heavy object and bash it's head in!

[fliptheswitch]

Cowtipper, thanks. I bought some poison earlier, to use with my homemade "mixture". I've just got it out and it's in a big block, on top of some grain.
So, I'm not going to be able to mix that with any kind of peanut butter... nor glass.
Hmmm.

I think I'll leave the poison under the cupboard, when I go to bed tonight, and leave the boards out as "plan B".

[Cowtipper]

Different types of poisons. A rat corpse wouldn't smell much so I guess I miss the point.

[237SJ]

I disagree. A rat corpse stinks. I remember when I worked as a chambermaid in the local inn as a teenager and they had rats. The landlady knew they had a rat problem. She bought some Warfarine from my dad. It worked a treat (the rats were in the loft). I think it took a couple of days before the rats were dead. Unfortunately, nobody bothered to go into the loft to retrieve the corpses. The smell of rotting rats is very distinctive. Not like anything else - not exactly overpowering but you would know the smell of rotting rats.

[RATTER15]

Flip, no poison will kill them instantly, yes it can take a few days, this is a built in safety precaution, if the rat does not take a lethal dose in the first sitting it will come back and feed for a day or two suffering no ill affects, guaranteeing a lethal dose. It prevents bait shyness.

A trap caught rat will smell the same as a poisoned rat, generally speaking there will not be a problem with the smell as they usually die else where but no guarantees on that one.

[RATTER15]

Flip, you dont need any home made concoctions, these poisons have been developed by chemists and scientists, they know best, just follow the instructions and dont try being economical with the poison, put the whole lot down or you may not solve the problem and create the problem of bait shyness.

Yes, dead rats do stink!!!

[tenrec]

When Rentokil used to come to the pub where I worked, we were told that any rats would eat the bait, die and somehow decompose without a smell so it wouldn't matter if they died under the floorboards. Was he lying? We never saw rats, dead or alive. It was more of a precaution.

[fliptheswitch]

Right. Poison is down... minus the glass, some of you will be pleased to hear! :-)

It's in a solid block, and says it's grain with poison mixed it/on the top.

I do hope this works.

[tenrec]

Good luck Flip.

[fliptheswitch]

Thanks Tenrec! :-)

[RATTER15]

Well done flip, I hope you put the whole lot down!!!

[owdhamer]

The sister in law is talking about getting a couple of ferrets to cure her rat problem, im sure this is not a good idea

[RATTER15]

Owdhammer, no that will definitely not work, crazy idea and very cruel!! to ferret and rats, rats are an equal foe for a ferret and will do each other a deal of harm, pain and suffering, believe me I know, I have hunted rats with ferrets but under different circumstances.

[fliptheswitch]

Ratter, there's 150g in the box (it's Rentokil Rodine mouse and rat killer) and it says to lay out 50g minimum. Should I lay out more? There are only three little plastic trays in the box, should I fill them all up and lay them out?

[fliptheswitch]

On another note Ratter, Did you say you lived in Devon? That's not too far from me. Please feel free to pop on over and catch this damn thing for me!
Feel free to bring your good lady, and the wolfhounds. Actually, would they be any good at catching it? lol.

[sherrardk]

We've got some rat poison outside in a special rat poison container (it has a special lock thing so the children can't open it). Himself bought a huge tub of it but as the rats are outside I don't know if they are going for it or not (they were terrorising our rabbits - taking it in turns to run up the ramp to their sleeping bit it to steal their food). I would hate for them to be in the house.

[RATTER15]

A wolfhound catching a rat would be amusing, a Wolfhound chasing a rat around your lounge! I dread to think lol, they weigh in excess of 11 stone! and 3 of them :)

Yes put all the poison down, personally I would have put twice that amount down for a guaranteed eradication with one visit.

Do you also live in Devon?

[fliptheswitch]

Thanks Ratter. I'll put the whole box out then.

I do live in the West Country, but not Devon. I live near Bristol... which isn't *too* far :-)
But yeah, now you come to mention it, the wolfhounds may not be a great idea after all! Haha.