I’m glad you seem to have sourced the issue to flax. I effing hate rats. I lived in a dumpy rental house long ago and suddenly at the end of the summer an army of rats moved under the back of the house, tunneling in to the rubbermaid dog food tubs. I mean, like thirty pounds of dog food gone. Disgusting.
But, if you have a friend with a Jack Russell, invite them over or host the dog for a few nights in a row. Ours is an irrepressible killer, 14 pounds of serial murder. I take out the flyswatter to smack some flies in the kitchen and ours is on my heels, joyfully leaping up and snapping at the swatter because something’s fixing to die. It’s a good thing he’s not bigger. The cat recently brought in a kangaroo rat (which are darling, and not like the barn rats in the least). The cat proudly showed me his prize and in the blink of an eye - truly, so fast it was astounding - the terrier materialized and did the poor thing in. Then the cat looked at me and said, “really?”
Also, I didn’t read whether you have barn cats, but every one we’ve had has made a huge difference in our barn. No sign of rodents anywhere, for years, much to the terrier’s dismay.
