Rat problem.

[Josiejose]

Hi everyone, we have quite a bad rat situation going on. We have seen quite a few. They appeared to be living under our decking which we have now got rid of and put down a patio instead. However we are still being tortured. Have put traps down also but they seem to be ignoring them. We have a dog so can't use poison. Anyone any tips as to what to use for bait. Have been trying peanut butter. We have a small ditch/open drain running along the side of our house which runs along the whole development and have since discovered that we are not the only ones with the problem. Environmental health said it's nothing to do with them its the rivers agency...phoned them and they pass the buck and say it environmental health? What do we do now??? Anyone any ideas. We are at the end of our tether. Sorry for such a long post!

[raysparx1]

Hi josie, I live in the countryside, and our local gamekeeper uses lime to kill them, if you know the route they take,they will always follow the same route along perimiter walls etc, put some lime across the track they take they then lick the lime from there feet and it poisons them, people will say it is cruel to kill them this way and it is, but it certainly works, otherwise get some warfarin (Spelling) this again is a poison that makes them thirsty they then head for water and the poison reacts with the water, well I think that is what happens, otherwise you will need loads of traps, good luck, Ray

Lets hope RATTER sees this question.

[rabbitygirl]

I sympathise. A few years ago a company near us had a sort out and disturbed a colony of rats. They arrived at our house because we had a rabbit and they would all gather around the food bowl alongside the rabbit. We bought rat killer and placed heaps inside large empty lemonade bottles with the ends cut off. Put the bottles where the rats run. You should see tracks after all the rain weve had. It worked but the dead bods needed spotting and removing quickly - they dont all die on your land either. Have read that the gaps under decking are encouraging rats as they are left undisturbed under there. Act quickly and efficiently as I know they eat thru ANYTHING including brick - I have seen it.

[RATTER15]

Rats are very easy to get rid of!!! You just need to be thorough, you can use poisons even around pets, you just need to be careful.

Firstly!! traps are not really the answer.

Go to your garden centre or farm supply shop and try to get "Neosorexa" if not get whatever rat poison they are selling, if you try cutting corners on buying a small amount you will fail!! buy at least twice as much as it says on the carton, cheaper in the long run as it will work first time!!

Try and locate the runs and their holes, if you can find their holes, place about 6 table spoons of bait into a plastic bags and stuff them down as many holes as you can find (they will chew into the bags) then seal the hole with a large stone to prevent access to it by your dog and other wildlife, now try and find other areas where you can place the same amounts of poison on small trays and hide it under a shed or similar or as stated above in plastic bottles with the end cut off to prevent it getting wet and access by pets and other wildlife!!after one week do it again!!

The risks!! your dog will only be poisoned if it directly eats the poison that you have placed, it will not be affected by eating poisoned rats, I promise!! they rarely eat them anyway.

Should an accidental poisoning occur (and it wont if you are careful) take dog to the vet and vet will give dog a shot of Vitamin K1 that will counteract the anticoagulant affect of the poison!

Good luck

Ray, I doubt you can buy Warfarin over the counter these days and it isn't as affective as modern poisons due to resistance appearing in some areas. Warfarin is just an anticoagulant that makes the rat bleed to death internally and whilst it sounds horrific, it is actually a peaceful and relatively pain free death.

Warfarin is usually just used for people with heart problems these days for the blood thinning properties, so lets

[RATTER15]

Cont... when you no longer see any activity, search out and destroy any dead rats and all accessible poisons remaining

[Josiejose]

Thank you all so much for your help. All your posts are very informative and very much appreciated indeed. Will continue our war against the pests. Thanks again.

[sammermaid]

Hi. I know it's a pain but have you considered getting some cats. You haven't said how big your property is or if you're contry or suburb living, however it may be a saner, cleaner and less chemical way of dealing with the problem. Good luck.

[HPCServices]

Hi I am a pest controller, and I would like to clear up a few things that have been said in some of the answers to your query,
If you�re pet eats a poisoned rat or mouse there is a risk of your pet suffering from secondary poisoning!!
All rodenticides available to the public work as anticoagulants, it is correct that the antidote to these rodenticides is vitamin K1.
When using rodenticide it is imperative that dead rodents are searched for on a daily basis to exclude the risk of secondary poisoning to other wildlife, this is a must.
Cats may catch the odd baby rat, but are practically useless in knocking back numbers of a rat or mouse infestation due to the speed that mice and rats can breed, An average female rat is capable of giving birth approximately seven times per year, they have a short gestation period of 22 to 24 days, the litter of approximately 8 young is born, these babies are generally able to breed after 3-4 months and the cycle goes on......
I am not going to give you all the details of the nasty diseases that rodents carry but here are just a few......
� Salmonella...carried by all rodents.
� Trichinosis
� Rat Bite Fever...Murine Typhus spread by lice on the animal, they die of it, but not before they have passed it on.
� Hantavirus
� Weils Disease...Leptospiral Jaundice (Leptospirosis). Symptoms are flu like, with a severe persistent, Affects the liver and kidneys. Needs early treatment.

My advice is to call a professional pest controller to deal with the problem; they have a lot more experience and equipment to deal with a problem safely and efficiently than can be written on a label of rodenticide that can be bought from your local hardware store....
If you would like any further FREE advice then don�t hesitate to contact me at www.hampshirepestclear.co.uk
Regards CT

[smarts4god]

Some interesting ideas and liberal understanding of facts.
As a pest controller myself I would obviously recommend you seek professional help with this.
The 'best' or at least most practical solution is to use second generation anti-coagulant rodenticides. There is a 'risk' of secondary poisoning to your dog - but this risk is very very low. Firstly, once a lethal dose has been consumed, the rats are 95% + likely to die in their nests away from your dog and other wildlife which may predate upon them. Secondly, the LD50 (lethal dose required to kill a rat) is many many times lower than even the smallest of dogs - your pet is quite unlikely to even eat the rat, let alone find enough corpses to even consume enough rodenticide to have any impact upon its health.
Given your location you must accept the presence of rats and other vermin, and seek only maintain an acceptable level of infestation. Look to reduce likely food sources such as compost heaps, open bins etc, ask your neighbours if they have any problems, your garden will not be the only place these pests are.
As the gentleman before me posted, I am available for free advice...
[email protected]
Best of luck