Ferrets and rats - what to do?!

[Malt 379]

Don't talk to me about council 'effin pest controllers! They come round, look at something then chuck a bit of poision down. We've had a rat problem for a while now. I get them now and again under my shed. What I find works, is to put a load of my ferrets 'muck' under my shed or in any runs I find and then I don't see them for a few months.

They reckon the stupid green 'darleks' (compost bins) that the council insist we use attracts them due to the veg peelings etc. One of my neighbours had a nest of the little feckers in hers, untill a lad from down the road got in there with his ferrets.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

My god. That huge social experiment which used to be england really is just shaking itself to bits now, isn't it?

 

Compost bins? Place them on concrete or else ~ what I find more satisfactory ~ cover their open bases with good mesh. 'Mind you, all that'll happen is that the rats will eventually gnaw f*cking holes straight through the bins walls! Then ye have to discover which bait will win them over when ye put it inside the damn bin. I tried amateur use, shop bought stuff and they liturally buried it. That was actually the defining incident which made me take the exam and prove my competance to handle Professional stuff. Bought some 'Sorexa Pro Pasta' and wiped the b*stards out in no time. Never looked back.

[sniffer 167]

kEEP your stinker's locked in or under control, them rat's iff not controled will sread like a bad rash kill the f****r's if poisen is free...

[Guest ARTEMIS]

d

Edited August 18, 2007 by ARTEMIS

[Ludwig 0]

Hi Artemis,

 

I until recently was a council pest controller for a council in the sunny south and I just want to say were not all as useless as is people think, What is the main problem with council PC is that they are sometimes lacking in what we in the hunting fraternity call feild craft, that paired with the fact that the pay is better in the private sector means that pest control can sometimes have a fast staff turn around so the council ends up losing anyone worth keeping to private industry.

 

Also the fact that pest control is very close minded as an industry and seems IMO to ignore methods like smoking out rats to terriers in favour of poison, which rats will not eat if they have an alternate food source (don't get me started).

 

 

In answer to your last post, you are unlikly to find any droppings unless you are overun with rats in which case you would not need to look for droppings... does that make sense? Rats are very predated and taking a crap out in the open just advertises the fact to predators.

 

What you are looking for the paths and tracks they leave behind, start looking where you neighbour alleges to have seen the little bugger and look for smoth marks on bare earth or wheregrass or other vegetation is worn smooth in a continuous track about 2 inches or so wide. The reason for this is that rats use the same route over and over (normally along an edge of an objectlike a fence but not always) due to them using the senses of touch and smell over the eye sight (they don't see in great detail). Also look under fences and at small holes in fences them selves within 6 inches of the floor.

 

If you can prove beyound reasonable doubt that the rats are living in the woods then assuming the council are responsible for the woods then put the blame on them as it is not fair for them to expect you to put poison in your garden if you have kids and pets when the rats are from else where.

 

Also rats are more likley to eat the poison if it is close to their burrow as the risk of trying out the new and convinient food is outwayed by the lack of risk to life and limb thrying to run the gauntlet (which in your case apparently involves trying to steal food from a predator.

 

IMO the rats are least likley to steal food from your ferrets at this time of year, food is easy to come accross now as nature is providing lots food now. I think the council guy was probably set in his ways and used to rats feeding on the surplus from over fed pet rabbits and guinie pigs he probably wouldn't have known a ferret if it bit him on the arse.

 

Good luck with the rats and if you want any further advice PM me

 

As for people slagging off the Council pest controllers, I know some good ones, some very good ones and I don't need to tell you about the rest as you guys seem to have met the ones I mean.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Artemis; Now ye see why a cage trap Catch anything ye 'shouldn't'? Just let it go. Ye'd be amazed what Will turn up in a cage too. Only, just to add; I've never been personally happy using " Mink / Squirrel " traps for rats. Mesh on those is sized to contain those much bigger creatures. Young one gets in and squeezes out again? That's one BAD rat to have on ye ground

 

Incidentally; Hotchi's make and use runs much like rats. Best bit is, their foot prints are so alike it can be a bugger to tell. Oh and yes; Maggots would draw one like a magnet. Perfect little feast for the prickly snuffler.

 

Ludwig; Couple of the best Pesters I know ~ one a very good friend of mine ~ are ex council. I was talking about that guy. Not generalising. In fact, one of my all time favourate fellows is ..... wait for it! ..... ex Rento! (Shock! Gasp! Horror! )

[Guest ARTEMIS]

d

Edited August 18, 2007 by ARTEMIS

[3jackwhite3 2]

my gramps harris hawk died from eating a rat that had been poisioned and they told him the hawk whould not die stupid council people