Yes, I know Rats are vermin, but - alternative removal/deterrents please!

Reply to post by Gibbon

true, you got a point there, i cant deny.

but in the long run its not sustainable.

you are better off with the old bow&arrow combo.

and on that one rat's bones for arrow tips will make sure ammo wont go on shortage any soon.




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Probably less humane than the poison baits, but here's one that I heard recently... Bazooka bubble gum. Yes, the hard nasty gum we all had as kids with the comic and the joke in the wrapper. Break it up into quarters and leave near their travel paths. The confection, when consumed by the rodent, will literally gum up their digestive track leading to death.

I'm an animal lover but I see no problem with killing rats or other vermin since they spread disease. I hope though you try not to use poison, as something else could potentially eat that poisoned rat...like a neighbors cat or a hawk. The bubble gum thing sounds good if you dont want to shoot it, never heard of that before lol.

Thanks for wanting to be humane. I suggest trap and release, far from your location, opposed to the other methods mentioned. There are different types of release rat traps available. Choose a trap, single trap or multi trap type as there might be more in the area. Add in some stinky foods such as fish inside the cage, to attract them faster.

Also,
If you're concerned of future rats and mice coming into your home, a cat is a great way to keep populations in check, the natural way. Not to mention many are in need of homes as we discuss. That's if you don't already have one!

As I posted elsewhere on this site, I have had rats tear apart a rabbit hutch in a single attack and slaughter baby rabbits and maul the parents. I would not ever spare one ounce of humane measures to rid a property of rats after witnessing that horror. The one rat my dad was chasing off tried to turn and attack him. I do like pet rats. They are clean, tame and intelligent pets. But a wild rat is vermin and I think relocating them only makes them somebody else's problem. They can destroy benign wildlife too, you know. A lot of wild rats are actually not native to their regions but are the descendants of invasive pests brought here by settlers.

As for cats, I don't know that would solve much. I have had six cats and still my previous house was infested with mice. The scent of the cats didn't scare then in the least. In my current house, mice used to get in and eat the cat litter. I saw a mouse actually run across my sleeping cat's back! It was the wheat based litter that killed them. It would clump in their digestive tract, I think. I wouldn't recommend using that kind of litter on your rat problem if birds or other animals you do like could eat the litter. But it might work if you can put plates of it, called Swheat Scoop, somewhere only the rat could get to.

We also have lots of garden snakes and still had mice. The only thing that stopped our mouse invasion was finding all tiny holes and sealing them with caulk and spray foam and in some cases, steel wool. For the few that found a new way in that we haven't found yet, we use a plain old baited spring loaded mouse trap.

First off, there is probably more then one rat, they are like cockroaches.

As someone who used to do inspections, the first thing you need to do is remove the food source: bird feeders, trash, outside dog food, etc. Anything they can eat.

They generally don't come into dwellings, they prefer to live in the yard, and hide under buildings. They run along surfaces, they rarely will cross an open area, so if there is a big problem, you will see paths worn along fences and walls.

I hate the use of poison. Pets can eat it, plus then you don't know where the carcass goes too. We have been smelling dead summer baked rat for weeks cuz my roommate freaked and threw rat poison, the carcasses are worse the the rats.

There are special traps now thta kill them instantly and humanely and you simply toss it away. it is worth the investment.

You don't need to use poison. We have dozens of squirrels here too, in the back yard, and scurrying up trees, along the fences, onto the roof, they're wonderful. I wouldn't trade them for anything in fact thinking of getting a feeder for them. They're cousins to the other rodents too. Very communal,and communicate with each other. They paused and chatted back and forth, and it was like one was saying, come over here, its this way.

Live traps for inside, a few smart moves with blocking them off in rooms where you here them, and plug the holes.

Try being earth friendly, a friend to all creatures great and small.

reply to post by slidingdoor


I don't know get a cat. At least it is a natural umm exterminator. My cat kills em He got one last week, and he was handsomely rewarded with tuna. Love my little hunters!!! HATE RATS AND MICE!!!!

reply to post by ldyserenity


That is funny as we used to have a cat named Exterminator (we would have named him Terminator but the moive was not made yet). He was attacked by a rat as a kitten and lived but I think it messed his mind up. He would take on a rat 3 or 4 times his size and he did not just kill it he went insane. He would not eat them but the mess he left was a sick site.

reply to post by Unity_99

Unity 99 you are among my list of favorite posters on ATS, and I love squirrels, too. I even like mice and don't like killing them but eventually we had to. They are dangerous in their own way, too, chewing through wires and such. But getting rid of a rat infestation by lethal means IS being earth friendly. Rats, if allowed to invade an area in sufficient numbers, will slaughter all of nature's likable creatures, if not by invading their nests and tearing their young and adults to pieces, then by spread of parasites, viruses, and other nasty diseases. Hantavirus will come along and render those adorable squirrels deadly. The kinds of rats that infest homes are in many ways not natural creatures. The kinds of rats that become invasive are tailed conquistadores not native to most areas, decendents from rats carried aboard ships and thrive on our pollution and kill the natives any chance they get. Native wood rats don't usually invade or bother anybody and look kind of like chinchillas.

I hate to come across as pushy on this subject but having seen what they do to nature I'm passionate on the subject. I grew up adjacent to lovely woods (cut down to make more cheap nasty housing) that in turn was adjacent to some bad slummy areas.. We always had the round eared wood rats and those fit into the ecosystem just fine. But rats from the dump areas that look like mice on steroids (I believe this kind is called Norway Rat) invaded the woods and killed off birds, squirrels got scarce for awhile, and somehow so did box turtles and frogs. I don't know if the rats got all of those, but the time frame was about the same as when the rats got numerous enough and bold enough to start ripping stockade and picket and even wire fencing apart and get into our yard and neighbor's yards and attacking household pets. I do think neighborhood cats chased some off but as I recall the cats ended up with bad cases of worms and mites and stuff like that. I think if anyone wants to use cats for rodent control they better consult a vet first about putting the cats on a monthly de wormer and bug repellant, though the latter can make some cats sick.

I agree poison is a bad idea. It's too easy to lose control of the situation and risk poisoning the everybody but the rats. Traps work well and fine, use a humane one but instead of catch and release, ask a friend with a pellet gun to off the little beast. It is a humane way to go if the aim is good.

Rats are disease spreaders and as someone else mentioned their urine carries a potentially lethal disease, Weils Disease. A civil engineering co. that I worked for had a clause in their working agreement that any labourer / engineer etc could not hold the company liable for contracting this disease ... lovely!

Anyways, cat(s), ferrets are all humane ways to deal with rats but if you know anyone with a small terrier dog e.g. Border Terrier, Jack Russel Terrier etc get a hold of the dog for a week or two and see a pile of dead rats appear. Having had a Jack Russell I know what these dogs are like when they get the scent; they're vicious and ruthless in their pursuit of rats and other rodents.

If all else fails then it seems like you're only option is rat poison but please remember to keep kids and other pets away from it. I hope your rodent problem gets its arse kicked.

Thank you , Thank you , Thank you, for all your replies. It's a dilemma with not wanting to cause excruciating pain but at the same time rid ourselves of the problem !

I should have said I'm in London - so the gun option becomes null and void unless some yardies happen by

We have lots of cats and foxes in the suburbs , yet , still ratty evades them .

We will have to look at the other suggestions , all good, so thanks again to you all.

I like the bubble gum idea...

reply to post by Ficargul


I don't consider a cat an appropriate method of extermination as its not humane in the least. I think live capture and release is a great plan. Humans carry a lot of diseases too! Our cats were not the mousing types in any case.

reply to post by Unity_99


My cats for the most part wouldnt be great ratters either and I agree in that respect that no, it wouldn't be a very humane way to kill vermin. Some cats are natural ratters and will kill efficiently, but Im guessing that barn cats are not very common in London where the OP is from.

Yes, we humans do carry lots of disgusting germs/ bacteria / viruses, but I'll take a manky human over a rat any day. At least I can clean said human and show him / her how to be cleanliness personified.

reply to post by slidingdoor


Rat pee is fatal? Please explain

Rats propagate and carry disease, yet they are fellow creatures too

Isn't there any way to catch him/her and kill them painlessly?

Or, in Demolition Man, they had rat burgers................you could try out your survival skills? (I'm joking on that last one).

I found this picture highly disturbing

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/aa497616838a.jpg[/atsimg]

And this article.

A rat is just a rat, right? Well not really. there are Black Rats, Sewer Rats, Norway Rats, Roof Rats, Cotton Rats, Kangaroo Rats and many others throughout the world. ( don’t forget the squirrel ) To most people however a rat is just that. They all look so similar but the right identification can sometimes make all the difference in trying to catch one.

I used to do a lot of rodent work in the city of Baltimore. Rats and mice were so plentiful there. Mainly the Norway Rat and Sewer Rats. In one open food market downtown we trapped 43 rats in our first service-BEFORE- we even finished setting all the traps. I hated that account, I had to be there every Tuesday morning at 3 am, spray for roaches ( that’s a whole other article ) and bag all the dead rats while resetting the traps. Some mornings I’d fill 2 trash bags full of rotting,stinking rats. Even the mice were were afraid to move in because the rats would eat them. All in all I have to say I got pretty skilled in ‘how’ to trap them. They are cautious critters and caught on pretty quickly of the dangers of my traps. Across town however I had another account

This was a mattress assembly plant and they had a whole different kind of rat. Cotton Rats. They came in with the huge truck loads of cotton. The men would dump their load of cotton and these funny looking rodents would scurry off looking to hide. My usual techniques and baits didn’t do so well there. I had to approach these guy’s with baits and grains in large protective stations and even use liquid baits. Cotton Rats are much cuter than the Sewer or Norway so I always felt a little sad for them.

My point is I guess, a rat is not a rat. Just calling the exterminator and telling him you saw a rat may not be helpful. In North America there really are just 2 rats you’ll probably have trouble with. The Norway Rat and the Roof Rat. Each is totally different in terms of how to trap them. As the name suggests a roof rat will most likely be in your trees or attic where as a Norway Rat is happy in your shed or garage. The 2 look very similar and are easily confused.

Source and rat quiz: pestcemetery.com...

Personally, they propagate rather fast, carry disease (like the black plague) and can bite so I would say to try to exterminate this sucker as humanely as possible............sad but a necessary evil.

And usually I am very pro animals.

My husband said in the stock room some rats he has encountered actually challenged him, he had to get a broom and hit the big bugger charging him

If the SHTF ever does happen, rats may come in handy as a food source though................

*** IDEA *** You could get a cat, make sure it's spayed or neutered and from a rescue shelter or a rat terrier, they were bred to get rats. But try to get a dog or cat from a shelter vs pet shop or breeder.

We have a 26 pound cat name Jack that lives with my son in his town house and heaven help any creature, (spider, mouse, etc) Jack would be on them so fast it wouldn't even be funny..........he's quite a hunter.

reply to post by Tripnman


For sure? Wow, never knew that..............how did you find that out?

Wonder what it does to toddlers that chew and swallow it?

'Ofhumandescent' - the rat pee being fatal was a reference to Weil's disease:

www.le.ac.uk...

Even when weeding in the general area of this rat I'm wearing disposable gloves !

reply to post by ofhumandescent


Full disclosure - I haven't tried this tactic myself, but my neighbor said it has worked for him on both rats and squirrels. I heard some rustling in the attic last night, so may try it myself shortly - though for indoor disposal I stick with the tried and true spring loaded traps. That's as humane a death the vermin deserve, in my opinion. Glue boards - now those are just mean.

reply to post by Kali74


Very good post, some poor kitty out for a stroll.............that's why it's good to keep your companion (dog or cat) either in a fenced in yard or on a leash/harness for a walk.

I have a fenced in big back yard and still keep a real close eye on my Lucy.

Another thing to keep in mind is my vet told me that my back yard being just grass is good for Lucy as a lot of plants are poisonous to dogs and cats.

Lavender is okay for dogs though, looked it up. I have eight lavender plants on my deck.

Another thing, off topic but good to know for animal lovers.............went to a pet CPR Class and the number one killer the vet says is cats and dogs eating human medicines that accidently fall on the floor.

So keep a sharp eye out when putting your medicines in their little day compartments and never ever give your pet a human medicine without calling your vet first............you never know.