Identify these gnaw marks

[normspanners]

As far as I am aware the general consensus is if you see a rat in the day time you already have a infestation, as they competing for the food available.I use bait and traps.

go to 1minute, they where eating the pigs ears and backs whilst the pigs were alive and feeding !!

 

[Robotstar5]

Getting a couple of semi-feral cats for the stables stopped our vermin problems

 

[ronan]

An old poachers trick with traps was to piddle on them, it masks the human scent.

 

[GW8IZR]

I've reached the age where that technique is inevitable...

 

[Migmac]

Bury new traps in a manure pile for a few weeks, takes all unwelcome scents away. Used to pee on them, stopped that and still caught as much. Bit of an old wife's tale I think. Best stuff to use is the pee from the animals you trap.

 

[rockweasel]

Mk4 Fen Trap bought. It's in a bag of old horse manure at the moment to get some of my smell off of it. Looking forward to pitting my wits against Ratty McRatface.

 

[Migmac]

After it's had the dung treatment, build it a tunnel that is just slightly higher than the height of the trap when the jaws are closed. That way the rat can't jump up out of the way of the jaws. At the end of the tunnels stick sticks into the ground to stop unwanted victims going in.

 

[zx9]

Getting a couple of semi-feral cats for the stables stopped our vermin problems

When we got our kittens from a rescue centre they had a special area for semi ferals. No good as house pets, too wild but specicially recomended for stables and farms and as they come pre-nutered you wont be over run with cats.

 

[Robotstar5]

When we got our kittens from a rescue centre they had a special area for semi ferals. No good as house pets, too wild but specicially recomended for stables and farms and as they come pre-nutered you wont be over run with cats.

Ours were sisters, just weaned, so we had them neutered and chipped, now 4 years old and still keeping the area free of rats, mice, rabbits and even the occasional bird going on the "presents" they sometimes leave in the tackroom .

One of ours looking for her next victim...

 

[rockweasel]

Trap (unset) in a tunnel against the stable wall. A smear of peanut butter as bait. Snack bar is open!

 

[Migmac]

If the tunnel is open at both ends you won't need to bait it. The rat should just run through

 

[brightspark]

If the tunnel is open at both ends you won't need to bait it. The rat should just run through

sprinkle some nuts and bird seed through and u catch the tree rats as well .easy to spot as they will be a long tail sticking out of the tube

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Never anyone close to me on here with vermin problems do like a bit of ratting now and again with the air gun, unfortunately since moving my permission is now 2 and a bit hours away, long way to go for the odd rabbit and a couple of rats

 

[mcostello]

How does one get some pee from the animal they are trapping? Run around and get a sample? Rodent urinals? Animal Port-A-Johns?

 

[Migmac]

Poking fun and laughing at them is the easiest way!

 

[Kent]

I suppose I could but I don't have much of a problem, every so often I catch and shoot a rat but I'm not infested. The garden backs onto fields so I think it's just the odd wondering visitor. If I start seeing holes or damage then I will take more drastic action.

You will have. Rats are very very good at making more rats at astonishing rates. Let it get out of hand and they are impossible to remove. Buildings have even. Required demotion. If your seeing them you have a lot!

 

[dannyp]

stabels are terrible for rats, problem is they put the hay and straw bales up on pallats usally next to all the bagged pony food, its rat sanctuary then, all the perfect warm snug nesting places and material they chould ever want and all the food, with a 4" high rat superhighway where dog and mog cant get. quite a few places round here the rats are poison proof as well.

in those situations you really to get rid of the littel buggers. problem comes theres that meany of them and they are more inteligent than youd think, once roland has seen a few of his mates in a trap roland wont go near a trap that anything like that one regardless of what its bated with where it is or how long its been there. sods law says roland is immune to poision as well. if his main base is on your ground the 1st step is to move the food and make them travel if it's not on your ground you've got problems

 

[ronan]

The worst place i have ever seen for rats was the power generation plant in dublin bay. They had three massive pumps drawing water off the river, the water passed through mesh band screens that removed fish from the water and was supposed to return them to the river. They used to clog up with fish and it was a seafood buffet for the rats. There were hundreds of the bloody things running around the place.

 

[Kent]

An old poachers trick with traps was to piddle on them, it masks the human scent.

Worst thing you could do. Traps are seasoned by hanging them out u touched by human hands for a few months. Some boil them first. Human pee is liquid human

 

[rockweasel]

Although our barn may be rat heaven, I don't think we're the one with the problem. There hasn't been any sign of ratty since the gnaw marks appeared, and we've even left the barn door open to let him in to see the trap. All the horse feed is kept in plastic bins with locking covers. The horse feed bucket with a loose cover has been the rats target, but that's locked away now. Our neighbour across the road gas several horses and her place is messy. She also keeps dog outside and the bowls of food may be attracting vermin. Maybe one of her rats wandered over here for a meal but has given up since we locked everything away?