Help RATS

[roadkill]

I am at my wits end now with rats they are taking over the allotments , first they cleared the whole site of sweet corn now they are attacking my shed so far i have had to cover up three large holes . Two in the side of the shed and now i have just seen one on the floor ......

I need some addvice on how to stop them . Other plot holders have put down pouison some have been cuming down at night with guns and i also have a trap ...


I just want to know how to stop them touching my shed?

cheers roadkill

[Cloud]

Traps are probaly the easiest way or you could just Nuke em!!!!

[roadkill]

the trap i have catches them live so far since september i have had 20 , I dont mind them on the plot just dont want them in my shed

[quark1]

A handful of ferral cats would help to clean up - but poison use would have to stop!

Alternatively, I don't know what the situation is with the law regarding use of known ratters like Jack Russels to be deployed to 'seek and destroy' on a regular basis. Not sure how that sits with hunting with dogs legislation these days.

[Cloud]

The trouble is rats can chew through most things including brick!Some sort of steel barrier may help.

[Two_Sheds]

Make your shed less attractive to them: store any food stuffs in metal bins off the floor.

Are they nesting underneath your shed? If so, disturb them with blasts of water, or stuff any gaps with chickenwire etc.

Clean your site up generally ... don't leave piles of stuff lying around for them to nest in.

Compost heaps: rats and mice will nest in them, but not if they're wet. Water heaps regularly.

Do you know anyone with a Jack Russell? Invite him over for a cuppa tea and leave the dog unattended for a while

Good luck

[roadkill]

i think its the chicken feed there after so if i remove it then all should be good, what about the bail of straw i have in the shed would this also attract them?

[kirsty b]

Probably, they will want it for nesting material. Can't think of anything else to try beyond what has already been suggested.

[Hilary B]

Holes can be filled with a mixture of broken glass and cement. As an alternative to poison, offer a mixture of something tempting (but dry, chicken food is an option) with dry plaster-of-Paris, nasty, but effective, and harmless to any predator which eats the rat. Sometimes rats will be stupid enough to eat dry sugarbeet pulp, which is similarly fatal without turning the corpse toxic. As someone said, put tempting items in rat-proof containers. Metal is safest, but the blue plastic 'drums' you sometimes see in the woods, converted to pheasant feeders will work (unconverted, you don't WANT holes). Straw is less tempting if it has air all round. Put it on a slatted shelf, away from the wall and at least a foot of the floor, and keep it 'compact' (traditional straw bales can be retied after taking off a 'slice' or 2). They will go for the feed in the poultry run as well as the bags.....
What do you do with rats caught in your 'live trap'? (cage type?)

[FionaH]

I don't know what the situation is with the law regarding use of known ratters like Jack Russels to be deployed to 'seek and destroy' on a regular basis. Not sure how that sits with hunting with dogs legislation these days.

As far as I know hunting mammals with one dog is legal, two or more is not. My opinion is that whilst fox hounds are still catching foxes who would care what a bloke does with a couple of Russels?

Having spent many years trying to outsmart rats with humane traps, rat proofing etc the conclusion I have come to is nuke the blighters! For me the only way to deal with a large community of rats is to poison them, being careful to dispose of any bodies that are out in the open. This minimises the impact on other creatures. Alternatively do a Jasper Carrot and sit out at midnight with a 12 bore

[Hilary B]

As far as I know hunting mammals with one dog is legal, two or more is not. My opinion is that whilst fox hounds are still catching foxes who would care what a bloke does with a couple of Russels?

Having spent many years trying to outsmart rats with humane traps, rat proofing etc the conclusion I have come to is nuke the blighters! For me the only way to deal with a large community of rats is to poison them, being careful to dispose of any bodies that are out in the open. This minimises the impact on other creatures. Alternatively do a Jasper Carrot and sit out at midnight with a 12 bore

I believe there was a specific exemption for ratting terriers in the hunting bill, but it may only apply in certain areas or for 'registered' control people. If you want to shoot rats in the allotment, I would recomend an air-rifle, rather than a 12 bore. It does less damage to the veg (this is half-serious. It works, but the rules may now have changed sufficiently that BOTH options are illegal).

[FionaH]

Um.. I was kidding about the 12 bore. Its an old Jasper Carrot sketch about moles and getting rid of em...... Its very likely illegal

[lottie dolly]

is there nothing charnwood borough council can do,

[roadkill]

is there nothing charnwood borough council can do,

its not a council run site , but im sure if they move into the village then the council might have a say then

[Two_Sheds]

Ratting with Dogs - the law

This is from Defra itself:

"Rats are a health hazard and a pest, and dogs are an effective and relatively humane means of keeping numbers down.

The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 places an obligation on both local authorities and occupiers of land to take steps to ensure, as far as practicable, that land is kept free from rats.

On the basis of the evidence available, it is considered that the use of dogs to control rat populations is an appropriate method of controlling the population which does not cause unnecessary suffering

Since shooting rats is impractical, the alternatives (to using dogs) such as poisoning and trapping are likely to cause more suffering to rats and other animals.

For this reason, the use of dogs is regarded as humane and the Act includes ratting as a class of exempt hunting (provided that the prior permission of the occupier of the land is obtained)."


So there you have it.
Defra says that using dogs to kill rats is not only legal, but recommended above poisoning, trapping and shooting.

The ethical argument against hunting with dogs seems to be that hunting foxes is done for jolly good fun, whereas killing rats is not. But that's a different thread, don't let's divert this one