My back garden seems to be host to some kind of rodent, which is living
on seed that I put out for the birds. I dont see it for very long so
cannot describe it in detail, because it darts out from behind the shed
eats a seed or two and then retreats just as quickly.

My initial instinct is that it is a rat, but it does not have what I
would call a rats 'face' which is pointed and similar to a mouse (only
much larger). It has more of a rounded head, like a grey squirrel. In
fact its head and body are very squirrel -like and of a similar size,
but it has a long rats tail.

Should I be concerned? Do I need to call the council exterminator, or
maybe hire the neighbours Jack Russell? Or is it just some harmless
species that I have not come across before?

If it's the size of a rat, and shy with it, it's almost certainly a rat.
And where there's one...

Depending on your preference, poison, traps or the next door neighbours jack
russel - although I'd not go for the latter because any vets bills for bites
to the dog could cost you a lot!

You must do something and I believe rats are notifiable (you have to tell
the council) but providing you're taking steps, they almost certainly won't
care. And you won't need me to warn you that rat poison should be handled
with care as anything else that eats it dies too!

Do you get them a lot? If so, you might want to invest on one of these
tought, but expensive, rat poison boxes. About £90.00 I'm told but
obviously handy to have as you can place it where you want, filled with
poison, and it's relatively safe.

Paul DS.

The message .com
from contains these words:

Should I be concerned? Do I need to call the council exterminator, or
maybe hire the neighbours Jack Russell? Or is it just some harmless
species that I have not come across before?

Probably is a grey squirrel - some of them have extremely manky tails,
and it may be old and/or diseased - but you should be able to tell by
the way it runs.

Squirrels tend to undulate, rats to scurry.

--
Rusty
horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 10:08:53 +0100, "Paul D.Smith"
wrote:

If it's the size of a rat, and shy with it, it's almost certainly a rat.
And where there's one...

Depending on your preference, poison, traps or the next door neighbours jack
russel - although I'd not go for the latter because any vets bills for bites
to the dog could cost you a lot!

You must do something and I believe rats are notifiable (you have to tell
the council) but providing you're taking steps, they almost certainly won't
care. And you won't need me to warn you that rat poison should be handled
with care as anything else that eats it dies too!

Do you get them a lot? If so, you might want to invest on one of these
tought, but expensive, rat poison boxes. About £90.00 I'm told but
obviously handy to have as you can place it where you want, filled with
poison, and it's relatively safe.

Or place the bait inside a length of drain pipe, or under a paving
slab raised on bricks.

I've been trying poison but its a slow process, non selective and
obviously has an implication for anything that eats the then poisoned
rat.

Another option albeit slightly more expensive is a live trap. It will
allow you to check that what you really have is a rat, if not you can
let it go. You get feedback on how many you are catching and so how
many there are and it is an environmentally safe option.

wrote in message
oups.com...
My back garden seems to be host to some kind of rodent, which is living
on seed that I put out for the birds. I dont see it for very long so
cannot describe it in detail, because it darts out from behind the shed
eats a seed or two and then retreats just as quickly.

My initial instinct is that it is a rat, but it does not have what I
would call a rats 'face' which is pointed and similar to a mouse (only
much larger). It has more of a rounded head, like a grey squirrel. In
fact its head and body are very squirrel -like and of a similar size,
but it has a long rats tail.

Squirrels do not dart out and retreat, they come out and taunt you whilst
stealing that which is valuable to you.

Should I be concerned? Do I need to call the council exterminator, or
maybe hire the neighbours Jack Russell? Or is it just some harmless
species that I have not come across before?

I would call in the council expert, if it is a rodent, then he will be
able to deal with it without harming other animals, if it proves to be
something harmless then you have the choice of letting it live or die,
I'm not fond of any animal which may be living in or under my shed!

If you decide to try to trap the animal, live traps can be obtained from
Mole Valley Farmers who have branches all over the South West, the one
I use is in Bridgewater.

--
Alan

Reply to alan (dot) holmes27 (at) virgin (dot) net

The message t
from "Paul D.Smith" contains these words:

If it's the size of a rat, and shy with it, it's almost certainly a rat.
And where there's one...

Huh! If you're in a populated area you're never far from a rat.

Depending on your preference, poison, traps or the next door neighbours jack
russel - although I'd not go for the latter because any vets bills for bites
to the dog could cost you a lot!

You must do something and I believe rats are notifiable (you have to tell
the council)

Notifiable? You have to be joking!

but providing you're taking steps, they almost certainly won't
care. And you won't need me to warn you that rat poison should be handled
with care as anything else that eats it dies too!

Do you get them a lot? If so, you might want to invest on one of these
tought, but expensive, rat poison boxes. About £90.00 I'm told but
obviously handy to have as you can place it where you want, filled with
poison, and it's relatively safe.

£90? Pah!

Get a couple of feet of plastic drainpipe and cut a short length off it.
(Large enough to cover the hole you are about to make.)

Cut, bore, drill or hack a hole in the middle, and make it large enough
to pour in a granular rat poison like Neosorexa.

Cut the short length longitudinally so you can expand it and slip it
over the pipe and slide it up to cover the hole.

Place the pipe alongside a wall, fence, etc, and expose the hole. Tip in
the poison and slide the cover back over it.

Job done.

--
Rusty
horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Alan Holmes" contains these words:

If you decide to try to trap the animal, live traps can be obtained from
Mole Valley Farmers who have branches all over the South West, the one
I use is in Bridgewater.

But you should understand that it is illegal to release vermin after
trapping them.

--
Rusty
horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Paul D.Smith wrote:
If it's the size of a rat, and shy with it, it's almost certainly a rat.
And where there's one...

Depending on your preference, poison, traps or the next door neighbours jack
russel - although I'd not go for the latter because any vets bills for bites
to the dog could cost you a lot!

You must do something and I believe rats are notifiable (you have to tell
the council) but providing you're taking steps, they almost certainly won't
care. And you won't need me to warn you that rat poison should be handled
with care as anything else that eats it dies too!

Do you get them a lot? If so, you might want to invest on one of these
tought, but expensive, rat poison boxes. About £90.00 I'm told but
obviously handy to have as you can place it where you want, filled with
poison, and it's relatively safe.


£90.00 is a bit steep as the council ones look like they cost about
£5.00 and if I still have one, the original poster can have it for free.

As to poison, I don't know if the poison mix is changed over time but as
noted by council rat killers, the rats build up an immunity to the stuff.

As suggested by 'JB' rats like protected runs more than wide open spaces
and can be caught by baitless or baited traps (which can be found in
B&Q). I've found that some rats are too damned quick for traps, even if
I've slightly bent the trigger pin to fire the trap earlier, minding my
fingers.

Richard.



--
Celebrate Eid Safely!

Don't leave cooking unattended.

Alan Holmes wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...

My back garden seems to be host to some kind of rodent, which is living
on seed that I put out for the birds. I dont see it for very long so
cannot describe it in detail, because it darts out from behind the shed
eats a seed or two and then retreats just as quickly.

[snipped]



I would call in the council expert, if it is a rodent, then he will be
able to deal with it without harming other animals, if it proves to be
something harmless then you have the choice of letting it live or die,
I'm not fond of any animal which may be living in or under my shed!

The concrete floor of our shed now has a crack in it where there is a
tunnel outide, and there's a pile of shingle along the outside so you
are wise not to be fond of something living under your shed.

If you decide to try to trap the animal, live traps can be obtained from
Mole Valley Farmers who have branches all over the South West, the one
I use is in Bridgewater.


I've bought mine in B&Q before but the sight of a cat in the early
morning, trying to get a rat plus trap through the gap in my chestnut
fencing was too funny, so I've taken to an air rifle instead.


Richard.


--
Celebrate Eid Safely!

Don't leave cooking unattended.

£90.00 is a bit steep as the council ones look like they cost about
£5.00 and if I still have one, the original poster can have it for free.

Depends on what you're thinking of. Around here these are steel boxes,
about 12inches x 6inches wide x 3 inches high with two entrace holes and a
dark chamber, which is where the poison is placed. I have seen plastic
equivalents but asking around I've been told that the rats like to work
their teeth on them and they don't last long.

So it depends on how many rats you expect to have to deal with ;-). I've
done the "length of pipe" thing myself but then I've only had rats twice in
8 years and these were a result of building work on a local "river"
disturbing them, whereas I know people for whom rats are a perennial
problem.

Paul DS

"Another option albeit slightly more expensive is a live trap. It will
allow you to check that what you really have is a rat, if not you can
let it go." and do what with it if it is a rat? Most people don't have
a gun handy nor are they able to safely get the rat out and bash it on
the head with a brick. Drowing is cruel and illegal.
Use poison, use it safely and it is effective. Most modern poisons
have no secondary effects. Get the council out to do it as they know
what they are doing. Buy a rat zapper which electrocutes instantly and
mostly, stop throwing food on the ground as it will attract rats. Get a
bird table with a lip to stop seed blowing off it.

" have seen plastic
equivalents but asking around I've been told that the rats like to work

their teeth on them and they don't last long. "
My plastic bait boxes are now over 5 years old and nothing has gnawed
them. Rats gnaw for fun. When they are eating they aren't thinking of
gnawing.
The ones I use are designed to take the poison blocks. They need to be
sited carefully then left. Rats will not go near anything new. It may
take 2 weeks before the rat starts to use the bait box or trap or
whatever. I use poison blocks called 'tomcat' and find them effective
and safe. I breed poultry so need to control rats. I also have 18 cats
which hunt so need to be sure there is no secondary poisoning.
Luckily rats which have taken the bait, feel ill and ill rats like to
go and hide in their burrows so tend to die underground.
Seriously if you have a rat problem you MUST get it soprted out. If
you don't know what you are doing then call the council rat man. I have
heard terrible tales of children finding the poison, pets eating the
poison and one stupid person assumming his chickens wouldn't eat blue
grain (they did).

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 12:21:44 +0100, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:

The message t
from "Paul D.Smith" contains these words:
You must do something and I believe rats are notifiable (you have to tell
the council)

Notifiable? You have to be joking!

Strictly speaking rats on domestic property, including in the gardens
of domestic property are notifiable but rats on farms are not. In
practice nobody bothers notifying (unless they want the council to
send in a rat man) and nobody will care if you don't.

Get a couple of feet of plastic drainpipe and cut a short length off it.
(Large enough to cover the hole you are about to make.)

Cut, bore, drill or hack a hole in the middle, and make it large enough
to pour in a granular rat poison like Neosorexa.

Cut the short length longitudinally so you can expand it and slip it
over the pipe and slide it up to cover the hole.

Place the pipe alongside a wall, fence, etc, and expose the hole. Tip in
the poison and slide the cover back over it.

Job done.

Can't argue with that, although I prefer just to put paving slabs on
bricks - less chance of it moving around.

On 18 Oct 2005 05:22:08 -0700, "pammyT"
wrote:

"Another option albeit slightly more expensive is a live trap. It will
allow you to check that what you really have is a rat, if not you can
let it go." and do what with it if it is a rat? Most people don't have
a gun handy nor are they able to safely get the rat out and bash it on
the head with a brick. Drowing is cruel and illegal.

Use poison, use it safely and it is effective. Most modern poisons
have no secondary effects. Get the council out to do it as they know
what they are doing. Buy a rat zapper which electrocutes instantly and
mostly, stop throwing food on the ground as it will attract rats. Get a
bird table with a lip to stop seed blowing off it.

Actually I suggested live trapping because I thought there were
secondary effects from the anticoagulants such as bromadilone (sp?).
Another reason I prefer live trapping is that I do have access to a
gun to dispatch the prey, only an air rifle but still more than
adequate.

More importantly than the secondary effects though would be the
primary effects if non prey species get to the poison, similarly with
snap traps and self set traps. So while I'll use them in a closed
controlled environment (e.g. inside the garden shed or in a sealed box
where I know it is only prey) elsewhere I'll always try live trapping
or shooting in the first instance. Are you sure that there are no
secondary effects?

A lesser consideration with the modern poisons, but actually quite a
serious consideration with some of the first generation anticoagulants
such as warfarin are that there is some evidence that their use has
lead to some resistance building up in the rat population.

Regarding what councils charge for, when I phoned about my wasps'
nest, I was told they only "do" rats and mice free; everything else is
charged for. Councils vary of course.

Pam in Bristol