So barn cats do not keep rats out?? Or does it just depend on the cats?
[QUOTE=tpup;8415970]
So barn cats do not keep rats out?? Or does it just depend on the cats?[/QUOTE]
My barn cat has always been an amazing hunter of mice but he is 15 yrs old plus or minus - and still gets the odd mouse but has never taken down a rat as far as I know. I also think he might even leave if I brought in another cat- he was feral when I moved here. I don’t want to harsh his mellow- he means a lot to me
[QUOTE=Foxtrot’s;8415389]
We resort to poison but have no barn cat. It has to be done very meticulously on a regular basis as rats get pregnant right after they have given birth - virtual machines for producing ratlets. We break the bait up a bit hoping the bits will be carried back to the nest.
Good news is that mice and rats do not co-habit (rats eat mice babies).
I use the one bite bait - never seen a rat carcass - possibly because they re all under the barn floor boards.
When we quit the program, the rats come back, so we are only controlling it, I guess. Hate those things.[/QUOTE]
I use the One Bite stuff…usually under a cat proof lid, and rarely find bodies…but ALL of the poison is gone in a day or two…as are the mice/rats!! A well fed cat probably won’t eat a poisoned rat, but if you are worried…remove the cat for a few days. A Jack Russell terrier or in our case a Pappillon/Doxie cross is a willing and able “poison free”, solution!! One bite…carcass goes in the garbage!!
[QUOTE=cayuse;8415463]
Yup, aggressive. Had one jump at me. Once was enough.[/QUOTE]
OMG — nightmare material!!
Aggressive, fear, doesn’t matter ughhhh!!!
If you didn’t have rat problems for 15 years, what has changed about your surrounding environment?
Something happened to make the snakes disappear. We have been on this farm 12 years. Like you for your first 15 years, we don’t have rat problems but, we have plenty of Black Snakes, garden snakes, and a sprinkling of viper snakes.
That said, fill a 50 gallon drum with water, but not so full the rats can get back out.
Buy a cheap gallon of peanut butter and put dollops of peanut butter in the water.
PUt a gangplank up, so the rats can easily get to the top. The rats can get in but can’t get back out as long as the water isn’t too close to the top.
You will still have to fish the rats out, after they die and don’t get on a guilt trip over such a filthy creature.
I have no sympathy for rats, I don’t care how they die. I got bit by one when I was a child. I almost lost my finger. I am 68 and still carry the scar.
Get a handle on their population before they overtake the farm.
The rat problem here is general, you can see them cross the highways at any time, more then one, there are so many.
No one here has seen that before.
A friend picked up his shop vac and found they had eaten holes in the plastic bottom and made them a cozy nest in there, then eaten holes in everything else, the filter, hose and wiring.
For some reason, mice and rats this year have been over 1000s of times worse than anyone has experienced, pest control companies here are saying they can’t keep with demand for their services.
Most think it is the record breaking moisture we had this year, giving rodents a home in weeds and seeds like not seen here before, so they reproduced like we have not seen here before.
Rodents are incredibly destructive, eating holes into everything.
Something has happened to your snakes! I have lots of rat snakes and no rats or mice. I would never use poison on my farm (too much wildlife to worry about), and no cats for the same reason. Any chance you could rehabituate some rat snakes?
Ugh…rats! We had them once or twice but thankfully some bate and in a few weeks they were gone. Nothing like walking in your horses stall to find a nice HUGE hole in a corner…shudder
As for trapping raccoon’s and releasing them…you DO know that it will upset the balance in the area you do this in yes? There are several studies that say this is actually worse than just having them get “lead poisoning” and doing the shoot, shovel and shut up routine. After finding my very much loved rooster half alive and in shock, having to quickly kill him after a racoon attack, we shoot them.
From the Humane Society web site:
The dangers of relocation
Although homeowners mean well, wild animals do not “settle in” quickly to new surroundings, no matter how inviting that habitat may seem to humans. In fact, the odds are heavily stacked against any animal who is dumped in a strange park, woodland, or other natural area.
A 2004 study of grey squirrels who were live-trapped and relocated from suburban areas to a large forest showed that a staggering 97 percent of the squirrels either soon died or disappeared from their release area. Take it from the animal’s point of view:
Suddenly in an unfamiliar place, she is disoriented and doesn't know where to find shelter, food, or water.
She's in another animal's territory, and she may be chased out or attacked.
She doesn't know where to go to escape from predators.
She may desperately search for babies that she is now seperated from.
In the meantime, her helpless young are slowly dying. Even if the orphaned young are discovered, rescued, and taken to a wildlife rehabilitator to be reared, it remains a bleak situation for both the mother and her offspring, and one that could have been easily prevented.
Dry weather brings the rats out here.
One summer with no rain and I saw a rat on the sidewalk of my town.
So no moisture= visible rats, in search of water.
put up a barn owl box. plans can be found on the internet. studies show that barn owls are more effective than poisons. each owl eats 1500 rodents a year.
My friend had put two of his buckets with the rolling spray can in the barn yesterday.
This morning, there were 30+ in one bucket, 12+ in the other, in one night!
Guess we need bigger buckets?
That sure works for our mice.
Thanks for all the suggestions- I am now using the loud repellers (bird x trans sonic) now for the house - not the quiet ultrasonics- but these are so annoying-even to me - so this is my current approach-
bird ex repellers on three floors when we are not in the house= when in the house- unplug the main floor one.
If this does not work-will use poison.
http://www.bird-x.com/transonic-pro-products-71.php?page_id=137
Healthy active cats will definitely seek out and kill rats. Any chance your elderly barn cat would accept some younger company, Crockpot?
And do you have a fox/drag hunt remotely near you? Sometimes they have terrier people who will come and tackle the rat population with relish.
Or, try asking local terrier enthusiasts if they’d like to come over with their dogs for an afternoon or two? Just make sure you shut away the barn cat safely first!
I would never use rat poison; I’ve had our dogs get into a box of Warfarin (yummy) and the results were NOT pleasant. Fortunately we caught them in time, but it would have been fatal had we not.
Our rats have dug tunnels under the barn through the gravel, there are pallets under the hay to keep it dry and rats are able to stay well hidden, but then I feel they go under there to die, too, as we do not see them. A cat or terrier would never be able to clean up the whole population…the rat population needs to be kept at bay as they will explode in population. Preferably the babies will get weaned on the poison, but honestly, there is always another rat, or another one moving into the hood.
I have successfully used eucalyptus oil to repel wall rats.
[QUOTE=Crockpot;8415933]
What type of poison are you all using? I have been reading up on this. Looks the the first generation poisons so called are less risky for secondary poisoning( my concern because my cat eats dead things)[/QUOTE]
According to both my emergency and wildlife colleagues, none of the poisons is safe wrt secondary poisoning. Just sightly less bad.
And hope it wasn’t rabies.
[QUOTE=Ghazzu;8416701]
According to both my emergency and wildlife colleagues, none of the poisons is safe wrt secondary poisoning. Just sightly less bad.[/QUOTE]
Yes that is why I said ‘less risky’- not safe! Where did you get the idea anyone thought it was safe? 
If you have followed the thread you\ll already know I have not yet used any poison so far because of this risk
These threads are strange- but thanks to those who offered helpful advice.
No poisons with the bucket method here and it works like a charm:
[QUOTE=Crockpot;8416716]
Yes that is why I said ‘less risky’- not safe! Where did you get the idea anyone thought it was safe?
If you have followed the thread you\ll already know I have not yet used any poison so far because of this risk
These threads are strange- but thanks to those who offered helpful advice.[/QUOTE]
That was assuredly not meant as any type of criticism; merely a piece of data.
Sorry.
I’ll leave quietly.
