Rats

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PW in Polemi
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Location: A village in Paphos, Cyprus

Post by PW in Polemi »

OK so get a humane trap - looks like a wire cage with one end opening up towards the roof, and a pressure trap in the base that springs the door closed when the beastie walks in to get at the goodies you've left for it. This way, if a cat or hedgehog or lizard or anything else you don't want to catch gets caught, you can simply open the trap and release them. If it is a rat, he'll be metaphorically spitting feathers to have been caught, so keep your fingers well way from the cage. You will also need somebody to dispatch said rat while he is still in the cage - lead pellet to the head works well and Ratty will not return to poop on your towel again :lol:
Alternatively, you carefully (mind your fingers!) pick up cage complete with irate rat and take it a long way away (like several km) before releasing it.
However, this may not work. We did this with a feral tomcat we had problems with. 10km away. He was back in about a week and much more wary of the trap :roll:
Good luck - but if it is a rat, and you do dispatch it to its maker, it will have family. However, once you have dispatched several members of his family, the remaining ones will move to somewhere safer.
Dogs have masters. Cats have slaves!
lorca
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Post by lorca »

Our neighbour uses a trap like that - he puts a bit of (very smelly) fish in it. Not sure how he "dispatches" them though...
If not now, when?
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PW in Polemi
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Location: A village in Paphos, Cyprus

Post by PW in Polemi »

Somebody once suggested to us a barrel of water - but we felt that a lead pellet through the brain was quicker, less suffering for Mr Rat.
Dogs have masters. Cats have slaves!
brendan
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Post by brendan »

There are tree rats in Andalucia i.e. they nest in trees which is why you see strips of aluminium around palm tree trunks. There are also ground dwelling rats. Have a careful look around and you might be able to spot their nest....indentation/hole in the ground often at the base of poles/walls. Pop a couple of rat poison tablets in there and that usually does the trick.
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teapot
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Post by teapot »

brendan wrote:There are tree rats in Andalucia i.e. they nest in trees which is why you see strips of aluminium around palm tree trunks.
They collect aluminium to make their nests, how very modern. do they leave a strip around the trunk to put the nest number on?
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Marks
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Post by Marks »

Humane traps for rats? What are you going to do? Release them back into the wild after a period of rehabilitation in a halfway house? Pffft.

You need a pest controller who will be able to locate their runs, they are creatures of habit and take the same routes to and from their nests. He will then place boxes that they will enter, eat the poison that they are irresistibly attracted to (laced with pheromones), go back to their nests, puke it up for the rest to eat. Too late for the bringer of the poison, the others will eat his puke and the whole nest will die from haemorrhaging. The boxes with the poison cannot be got into by cats/dogs etc but mice will also be attracted to take a look and a nibble. If you have fruit trees and grapes they are attracted to fallen fruit so make sure it is picked up regularly and that ripe grapes are picked regularly as well.

Tis the only way. I have no sympathy for rats, vermin.
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brendan
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Post by brendan »

Nesting Pests
Rats -- and in particular, the roof rat (Rattus rattus) -- are known to nest in palm trees. In fact, palm trees are the preferred choice of roof rats, according to the University of California Master Gardener's website, although other types of rats also enjoy nesting in palms and other trees. They are excellent climbers and, once in the tree, can easily make their way to rooftops and into attics by creeping along overhead wires. They'll chew through wood, electrical wires and even through your palm fronds, causing them to droop and possibly drop. Short of chopping down the tree, your best bet is to prevent the rats -- and squirrels and other nesting mammals -- from being able to climb up to the fronds in the first place.

Sheet Metal Shield
A band of sheet metal, wrapped around the trunk, can prevent climbing pests from gaining a foothold. But don't think you have to encase the entire trunk in shimmering gray -- it only takes one strip of metal between 12 and 24 inches wide to be effective. Palm trees that have multiple or clumping trunks, on the other hand, should be protected by a 2-foot-tall metal wall that, when inserted into the ground, surrounds all of the trunks.

Installing the Band
Metal bands should be placed at least 4 feet up the trunk, as some rats can jump as high as 3 feet. Wrap the metal band around the palm's trunk, but don't nail it to the tree -- this will damage the tree. Instead, place a wire against the trunk vertically; then, as you wrap the band around the tree, ensure you place it over the wire. Secure the band in place by bending the ends of the wire over the metal band. The wire should be a few inches longer than the band is wide to ensure the ends are long enough to bend over the band. The band should be snug enough so that it won't slip down, but not so tight that it cuts into the tree. Check the band occasionally, and adjust it as needed.



Read more : http://www.ehow.com/info_7922157_do-tre ... metal.html
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