Lots of questions re rats! Please help.

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Marina
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Lots of questions re rats! Please help.

Postby Marina » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:13 pm

In the last week or, we have caught and taken away 3 wild rats which have come into the house! Any ideas on why they have started to come in and how to get rid of them? It is definitely not one rat, with a good homing instinct, as they look different.
Poison and killer traps are not really an option as I have a dog and a kitten. The local ferretarias don't have humane traps, so I'm going to search for one on the internet, but in the meanwhile I'm getting scared to put my feet on the floor! I could put the dog into kennels for a few days, but the kitten is at the age where he needs to be socialised, so that's not an option either.
We do tend to have the doors open all day and often for a while after dark, but I know they are not just coming in through the doors as one actually made a hole through a mossie screen to get in.
We don't tend to have food lying around and we do keep the house clean. We have a pet rat, so I'm wondering if maybe they are attracted by the smell of her. She has had a hysterectomy (97€ worth!), so she's not "on season", and we didn't have the problem last year. There are two houses being constructed nearby, Could that be a cause?
Does anyone know of a good pest control company, (east of Malaga)? Is it worth calling them in, given that they can't use traps or poison?
I have to say that while the pet rat is really rather cute and very tame, these wild ones a vicious little B*****s and do attack, so I'm now wondering if it is safe to let the dog go after them or is she risking a nasty bite!
In a couple of weeks I am having guests to stay who have two very young babies. One of them will be crawling, so I really do need to sort something out as soon as possible.
I'll be very grateful for any advice.

julian
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rats

Postby julian » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:43 pm

i am sure that a pest control company would know best what to do and have a solution, maybe you could fatten the kitten up quickly so it can catch the rats, my cats kill off all the rats off however vicious they look.want to borrow my cats for a week? they´d love it

Andy1
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Postby Andy1 » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:50 pm

In our local supermarket they sell sticky sheets of paper, just under A4 size, that are specifically for rats & mice. Our friend had a mouse problem and used these, they put them under the kitchen cupboards and caught 4 in one night! Although I must say this wasn't a particularly humane way of killing them as they got stuck and the paper was disposed of while they were still alive, so I assume that they died in the end of starvation :?

But when you think of the disease that they carry, maybe it will be your only option without using poison!

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Postby Marina » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:02 pm

Julian, YES PLEASE :)

Andy, thanks, that's something I've not come across, but will look for tomorrow. It must be very sticky if they can't get off it and it sounds horrendous. If my Dad was still alive he would finish them quickly with a brick to the head, but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to do that, or to encourage the kids to do it for me.
Anyone know of how much vets charge to put rats to sleep? Seriously, the thought of disease is very worrying. Do you know if these diseases are transmitted by bites or by contamination? Are they diseases that would affect my other animals?
I am now so seriously worried that I will have to retire to bed with a glass of wine! I will check in, first thing tomorrow, (hangover or not) so please keep the ideas coming.

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safeashouses
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Postby safeashouses » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:45 pm

Good Morning Marina I hope you had a good nights sleep here is some early morning reading for you as requested. :)

http://www.es.rentokil.com/en//pest-pro ... odents.php

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Postby katy » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:57 pm

We had rats living in a very mature palm tree and the gardener said not to worry they are not sewer rats they are very clean. One of our cats caught one and it was as big as her! I got someone out of sur in english to come (he was called Nigel) and he just put some envelopes around...it worked.

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Postby Nikvin » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:59 pm

you can buy a special non-drying glue that you can then just spread on cardboard or anything else suitable. It isnt pleasant, as the mice are still alive!! and then need to be disposed of. However it is non-toxic, and albeit a pain to get off anything else, especially other animals, it may be the best solution. A year or so ago we had some cardboard, suitably treated and strategically placed (or so we thought) but 2 of the cats got in and got covered including the kitten that was being collected that day! Afetr several baths, she cleaned up fine and apparently now quite likes water!
And you can make your own fly papers too!!

Can be quite surprising what you might find on the treated cardboard!All sorts of insects!

Its called RAT -STOP and comes in a tube (about 135g I think and is packaged in a red box with yellow writing. possibly more economical that buying already tretaed sheets.

Nikvin
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Postby Nikvin » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:06 pm

Just remembered another possible tip I was told about for mice, but have never tried. Mix some yeso into flour or rice, cereal etc, the sort of food they'd go for. They'll eat it all up and then the yeso will mix with moisture in stomach and set solid quite quickly. never tried it as sounded TOOOOOOO cruel, but it's probably no worse than starvingthem on the glued cardboard. The advantage of catching them, whichever way, is that they don't crawl away and die somewhere you can't reach them, but where they'll still rot and stink the house out.

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Postby curatokid » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:21 pm

What about getting another mature cat from the animal pound that needs a home, dont feed it and Im sure it would enjoy a rat or two !! be very careful where the rats pee as that can be very dangerous, there are four million rats born every day in the world, just a bit of useless information, hope you find a solution as it must be terrible for you.

Beryl1914
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Rats

Postby Beryl1914 » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:21 pm

Have you thought of the plug ins you can get here in the UK? I have a place in Spain and had seen a rat or mouse in the house. I took 6 over and never seen any in the house since and they are harmless and will not bother the cat or dog. :twisted:

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silver
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Postby silver » Fri Oct 13, 2006 8:27 am

plug ins = Rat radar..you can get them here in some ferreterias.
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Postby Marina » Fri Oct 13, 2006 8:51 am

Good morning. I did sleep well after a rather large glass of wine, thank you.

I'm going to give rentokil a call this morning, but as I think they may be very expensive, I'll get a Sur and look for Nigel as well.

The sticky papers worry me because of the kitten and I don't think the electronic devices would be a possibility because of the pet rat. It seems that they need to be used for at least a month to clear the house and I don't know what I could do with the rat for that length of time.

Already having 3 pets and 2 teenagers in the house is quite enough, so I'm reluctant to get another animal. Especially as I never seem to come home with what I intended to get.

I do appreciate all the tips, thanks to you all.

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Postby Marina » Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:48 am

Rentokil are going to get someone to call me......on Monday.

Nigel doesn't work this side of Malaga.

Local company...closed for holidays. :cry:

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Postby Grouser » Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:35 pm

You can put poison down yourself. Put it in lengths of plastic drain pipe that are too small for the dog or cat to get into. Rats generally have runs and stay close to cover, so a good place to put the tubes with the poison in is next to walls.
Grouser

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Postby crazyred » Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:01 pm

What sort of dog do you have? If it's a terrier it should be able to sort the rats out for you. My Staffie loved hunting the little beggers :lol: :lol:

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Postby Marina » Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:33 pm

I think it's a mix of pointer and mountain goat. She did catch one of the rats but didn't kill it. I think she thought it was for playing with.
Rentokil called me back and are now coming on Monday.

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toddcl
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Postby toddcl » Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:56 pm

We seem to have a rat shortage in Alcaudete.

Put down the poison everywhere.
[The wrapped one that looks like a dish washer tablet]


Not a sniff not even a nibble. I'm gutted. Whats wrong with my property
why should I miss out on this pestilence. I'm set up and ready and waiting.

It's worse than fishing.
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Postby Grouser » Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:23 pm

Todd you could try leaving your toilet lid open when you go away for a long time that may solve your shortage.
Grouser

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toddcl
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Postby toddcl » Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:29 pm

Ooooo S**t, we have been away for a month and can't remember If I put it down.

Do rats like the Blue loo.

If you see a blue rat it's been to our house.
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daneinspain
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Postby daneinspain » Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:35 am

Firstly be very careful about rat poison when you have pets or children as pets can eat the rats and will therefore be poisoned or children can easily pick up the poison accidentally or come into contact with it.

Best way to deal with rats are air guns/pellet guns (the powerful ones that fire metal pellets, get the pointed ones with the tail they perforate more) Its jolly good fun to hunt them!

Its a common case of stupidity wanting "humane traps" what exactly is more humane about sticking a rat to a piece of paper or trapping them in a box for them to starve to death rather than a quick snap of the neck or bullet to the head?


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