I have just purchased a new horse so my husband is getting his stall ready. He picked up a stall mat to adjust it and 6 rats flew out from underneath it…GROSS!!! I am looking at options to get rid of them. I cannot have a cat due to one of my dogs. We have a shedrow barn and poison makes me nervous because I am worried a horse or dog will get it. Is a trap my only option?
We did traps with a professional company to manage them because I am a wuss. AT first they were out every day, now we have things under control all is well! Yes vermin live under the mats. I will occasionally get a mouse here and there.
Thansk…UGH!!!
You can put the poison in the burrow under the mat and replace the mat. The rats will die down there. But, yes it is possible that one will crawl out. A dog might get to it. I doubt a horse would. Other wildlife like owls, snakes, etc might also get the carcass. You do want to control them sooner than later.
Ratzapper
I tried trapping when I had rats trying to move in and it just didn’t work. The rats were too smart. I contacted my exterminator and they recommended Terad3. It’s not an anticoagulant and has no/exceedingly small risk of secondary poisoning. It’s even recommended by one of the Audubons. I spent time looking for ANY report of secondary poisoning in the literature and couldn’t find a single mention.
Deployed in locked bait boxes, rats were gone. Highly recommend.
If you do want to try trapping, buy more than you think you need and bait them without setting until the rats are eating from them. Slim Jims work well. Then set everything. The goal is to catch everything in one night. Rats are SMART and will avoid the traps when they see their friends killed.
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Thanks, I had never heard of this product but it appears to be the best choice on the market… will order this now
TERAD[SUB]3[/SUB] Ag BLOX is the first and only rodenticide registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for use in organic production. This unique bait gives PMPs access to an excellent rodenticide for organic facilities where previously no baiting options were available.
With its EPA registered label, Terad3 Ag Blox can be used in organic production. It can be used in and around agricultural buildings, and man-made agricultural structures. It cannot be used in fields and orchards.
https://www.belllabs.com/bell-labs/p…-3-sub-ag-blox
looked at its data sheet, the active ingredient is Cholecalciferol. at just 0.075% (3/4 quarters of 1 percent) rest is fillers… Cholecalciferol also known as Vitamin D3
data sheet
https://www.belllabs.com/images/uplo…_Blox_0116.pdf
Poisonous to: Cats, Dogs, Horses, Birds, Cows
Level of toxicity: Generally moderate to severe
Common signs to watch for:
- Lethargy
- Inappetance
- Vomiting
- Diarhea
- Weakness
- Increased thirst and urination
- Kidney failure
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Get a rat snake or two. 
We had mice in our old barn, they also got under the mats, had a couple barn cats that were sadly not good mousers; then a pair of rat snakes moved in and no more mice. Granted I had to get over walking in a stall and seeing a 5’ snake stretched out along the wall but I got over it and the horses apparently never noticed. They are quite harmless, not aggressive, are good mousers and eco friendly.
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Recommend here:
https://www.domyown.com/terad3-blox-p-1283.html
With these bait boxes:
https://www.domyown.com/protecta-rat-bait-station-p-1292.html
thanks
I would love one! We have one that lives around the house, but so far, he has not moved into the barn 
Do the rats actually go in the bait boxes?
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Yeah, of course they do. They go in, eat the bait. And die.
Handle the bait boxes with gloves and mess with them as little as possible. I check mine and rebait quarterly or so now.
Same goes with the traps if you go that route. Glove up, leave them alone (other than rebaiting.)
The more you move and mess with this stuff, the more rats will avoid it.
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If this is your barn, get a cat or two. The cats will not only take care of your rat problem real quick, their presence will discourage any more rodents from moving in. They’re much safer (and more reliable) than putting out poison.
It’s an unusual cat willing to take on full grown rats.
Ratting dogs are a better bet if you want to go with that sort of control.
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Dogs and a well-trained Mink to flush out the rats from tight spaces. Warning: This video shows the harming of rats.
I would love nothing more than cats. However, I have dog that has a huge prey drive. I would not want to put a cat at risk…I have a few traps and hope that as it warms up, a few snakes move down…UGH…
cats here equal coyote snacks
Do you have any friends with indoor cats? Bear with me.
I live in a townhouse community where my neighbors tend to leave trash out and I admittedly have a bird feeder. Rat heaven!
Rats burrowed under my shed, so I collected some of the used kitty litter (urine soaked, if that isn’t clear) and tucked it down the hole. Immediate fix. I use the clumping, smell controlling type, so it’s not overly smelly to me and it dries to nothing fast enough that I wouldn’t worry about odor or ammonia in a barn, but if you lift the mats, line some entrance areas with litter and go about your business, the rats will move elsewhere.
Yes, it won’t fully remove them from your barn but rats can really tunnel and a bumpy, lumpy stall mat is a tripping and cleaning hazard all over the place. Also, once you kill rats, more move in, so I just prefer to make myself an unfriendly neighbor so they pass through quickly.
Please be aware that the cholecalciferol poisons we are now limited to are untreatable toxins. An exposed pet either survives with supportive care or dies. There’s no antidote like we had with the Vitamin K related products. I won’t allow it on my property because I’ve got a couple of seriously food motivated dogs who were bred to tunnel after rats. If the rats can reach it, so can they. They’re personally very disappointed that the kitty litter worked, as they like rat catching and don’t quite understand my shrieks…
I was going to suggest some kind of terrier since you mentioned you can’t get a cat because of the dog. What about one of the ratting terriers big enough to not appear as prey to your dog? (I once lived with a Scottie who tried to take on a Rottweiler – fortunately they were both on strong leashes!)
Google reputable snake dealers and see if you can find one or two selling good snakes. There is even a snake adoption site, but they would probably make you sign in blood that you would keep it safe in a cage and not let it anywhere near a rat.
Best suggestion yet.
I bet someone could find a market for this. Shops in ancient Rome (? or somewhere) used to put out collecting pots for human urine that they used for something or other, so there’s a precedent for this. :eek: :lol:
