rats in our barns

[BlueCoyote 0]

a little back ground info first:

 

Six years ago i was given a female jack russell X pup(no idea what her mom was.. some sort of hyper active cairn terrier looking dog), had her for three years until circumstances made me give her up..

Recently got her back after three years.. it wasnt in my plans to get her back. i thought she was well adjusted there but apparently she decided to make waves and attacked the labrador she was living with, then bit our friend on the hand when he stepped into the fray... the lab has a lasting scar across he muzzle and he lost his thumb nail... they figured having her spayed would settle her down but of course it did NOTHING to improve her relationship with the lab(or any large dog for that matter).. just made sure she couldnt have puppies

 

anyway.. she came back to me middle of November.. she's six years old and dead game as hell... apparently when the dogs got along together our friends let her and the lab chase and kill stray raccoons in their back yard. she shows an interest in hunting like a proper terrier should.. but you have to show her what you want - a rabbit burrow, or squirrel in the tree or on the ground, - she wont go off sniffing to find it herself, but if she SEES it she's right on it.. i suppose thats normal?

 

So, the barns in question... i bought a big bag of corn and stored it in the big barn - we also park our cars up there when we arent using them. We only have one car that has a working heater in it.. So when it finally got cold enough to use this car.. the heat wouldnt work.. after fiddling around with it my husband found out why.. the whole engine compartment, glove box, any available space had CORN in it and leaves.. and sticks.. and rat crap.. yeah i should have known better, but honestly i've never kept cars in the same space as i've kept feed until we moved here.

 

now i'm not a gear head or obsessed with cars.. but this is MY car... i love THIS car... and some rats have turned it into a grain silo.... it literally had 25 lbs of corn inside it... some little rat or mouse scampered back and forth with one kernel at a time... or maybe he had friends.. i dont know which.. next i'm expecting to find baby rats under the seats!!

 

as for the other barn.. its smaller and is where my mom keeps her chicken and goat feed.. naturally rats have infested themselves in there and are not removing the grain from the bags, but are SLEEPING in there. i reached into one bag and almost grabbed a big fat rat - but he was faster than i was, thank God -

 

 

So... this evening i'm thinking... or maybe after dark - depends on the kids behaving - of going to the big barn to start with and seeing if this terrier can earn her dinner and kill some rats....

 

i dont really know how to start.. i figure i would just go up there and wait for things to settle down so they'll come out when they think its safe then let her have at them..

 

 

 

or is this a completely bad idea and i should NOT do it this way?

 

Here is the terrier in question..

 

Edited December 20, 2007 by BlueCoyote

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

First. Put the feed in steel containers.

 

Second. Call a professional Exterminator.

[BlueCoyote 0]

the feed is all in barrels now ^_^ its just i dont like rats being that close to my house and yeah why pay someone when i could do it myself? if she cant or wont do it then, sure i would have to call a pro.

 

Terrier man.. i promise you that there is no one around here that has a rat terrier that actually uses it for rats.. the only thing they kill rats with is poison and i refuse to use the stuff after what happened to my sister's collie when she ate a poisoned rat..

[BlueCoyote 0]

you're right. it is boring..

found some nests and a big bucket full of droppings... and i mean full!! This is an old barn with a couple generations worth of junk in it.. so that means there is probably a couple of generations of rats living there!!

 

anyway.. either bad timing or they've moved out recently.. she was interested though! didnt have to point her in the right direction. once we were in the door she was all over the place looking.

 

and as much as i want to, we dont mess with the foxes around here - yet. they arent really a problem for us, but the bulldogs probably keep them well away from the place.

possum on the other hand.... looks like a twenty pound rat.... but again the only one we had a problem with was dealt with by the bulldogs..

 

anyway... better luck next time i suppose...

[Guest MOLLY]

Brilliant post BC

 

Start off by baiting the rats with the grain, get something like a large corrogated tin sheet, plywood, somewhere the rats can go under to feed and feel safe...you know what i mean?

Then start putting the grain underneath it, make sure you put enough down and do it about twice a week for a couple of weeks. Then go back one evening, with a powerfull torch and the terrier, block off any escape routes you can out of the barn then lift the sheet, she should get the idea straight away when she see's them running

Moll.

[earth&hounds 94]

get your self a few cats easy init

[BlueCoyote 0]

it took some convincing but she will now leave the cat alone... the first day home she went ballistic.. would have thought she was squaring off with a bear!!

The cat however... he does his part in pest control! he isnt completely useless.. but a well fed cat hardly has a reason to hunt, right? and even then.. if he is hunting just for his dinner he'll take one or two rats, maybe a bird ( ) and then he is done for the day.. we HAD three cats. but... because of the birdkilling thing we are down to one. the old man next door is in love with his martins and will shoot predators of any species on sight.. including mine and his grand daughter's cats) i dont want to supply any more target practice for him than i have to!

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

The old man next door is in love with his martins and will shoot predators of any species on sight.. including mine and his grand daughter's cats)

 

 

I can't quite seem to put my finger on it but, by f*ck; That reminds me of someone or other I'm well and truly familiar with!

[BlueCoyote 0]

doubt they're related. this guy's family tree goes straight up with no branches.