In article ,
Sacha writes:
|
| Aren't rats classed as vermin? So do those rules apply? I must make sure
| the dogs read the books when they're up the nursery, foraging around......

You're thinking of the Game Laws. The Anti-hunting law is different.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 30/4/07 22:09, in article , "Nick
Maclaren" wrote:


In article ,
Sacha writes:
|
| Aren't rats classed as vermin? So do those rules apply? I must make sure
| the dogs read the books when they're up the nursery, foraging around......

You're thinking of the Game Laws. The Anti-hunting law is different.

I don't think the dogs are going to read that either, Nick. ;-) To be
honest, I'm not thinking of either. We don't hunt with the dogs in any
shape or form. We open the doors in the morning and they go out on their
own. We don't take them, encourage them, do anything other than open the
door and get on with whatever needs doing on the nursery. On the rare
occasion a dog gets a rabbit it's usually solo from the others, chasing it
down one of the tunnels or through a hedge. Sometimes, they get a rat but
that's pretty rare because we use exterminators. The dogs aren't an
organised pack encouraged by humans or even followed by them. They're just
dogs running around our own property doing what dogs do. Occasionally they
surprise themselves!


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
Devon County Show 17-19 May
http://www.devoncountyshow.co.uk/

Hi,

We used to get rats in our compost but when I stopped putting all cooked
food in (except veg.) the rates stopped completely and have never returned.

I now put any bones, fat and meat scraps, of which there are very few, into
a dedicate metal dustbin where I leave it for about a year or so to
'completely' decompose.

Good luck,

Keith



"mewthree" wrote in message
. uk...
found a rat in the compost bin today. pounded the compost and it shot out.
it got away but how do i stop it coming back and stop others living there?

I don't think the dogs are going to read that either, Nick. ;-) To be
honest, I'm not thinking of either. We don't hunt with the dogs in any
shape or form. We open the doors in the morning and they go out on their
own. We don't take them, encourage them, do anything other than open the
door and get on with whatever needs doing on the nursery. On the rare
occasion a dog gets a rabbit it's usually solo from the others, chasing it
down one of the tunnels or through a hedge. Sometimes, they get a rat but
that's pretty rare because we use exterminators. The dogs aren't an
organised pack encouraged by humans or even followed by them. They're
just
dogs running around our own property doing what dogs do. Occasionally
they
surprise themselves!

I am sure what we used to do would be illegal now. We used to have a huge
rat problem in a large private estate where I was under gardener (Not a very
good one) We used to catch rats in a humane trap which leaves them alive
with the idea you let them go else where. We would catch 3 rats put them in
a 50 gallon drum with a cover on. Once there was just 1 left we would
release him back on to the estate. The idea was he would have eaten his
fellows in the drum and developed a taste for rat and would rush about
eating all his family and friends. we would normally have a couple of drums
on the go at any one time. Weather it worked or not I cant say but as the
population didn't seem to decrease a great deal I suspect not. We had
chickens running about the place at the time once they had all died off and
were not replaced the rat population seemed to diminish on its own, I
suspect they were getting a feed from the chicken bins. I better not mention
the moles and the mower exhaust pipe had I.
JOHN

I am sure what we used to do would be illegal now.
JOHN


The rules must vary across the EU. Gin traps (not sure on the spelling of
gin / jin) have been illegal in the UK for many years. My father used to
have some in England, presumably for catching rats. I remember seeing a
rabbit's leg in one as a child. The jaws were so powerful it must have just
severed the leg from the rabbit. No sign of the rabbit though!

Here in France most garden centres stock them, plus much larger ones - not
as large as bear traps but certainly big enough to catch the likes of
badgers or foxes. Not sure if that is what they are intended to catch but
they look lethal with wide spring loaded serrated jaws. They are certainly
large enough to make a nasty mess of a child's foot.

--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk

In article ,
Sacha writes:
| |
| | Aren't rats classed as vermin? So do those rules apply? I must make sure
| | the dogs read the books when they're up the nursery, foraging around......
|
| You're thinking of the Game Laws. The Anti-hunting law is different.
|
| I don't think the dogs are going to read that either, Nick. ;-) To be
| honest, I'm not thinking of either. We don't hunt with the dogs in any
| shape or form. We open the doors in the morning and they go out on their
| own. We don't take them, encourage them, do anything other than open the
| door and get on with whatever needs doing on the nursery. ...

As I understand it, that's not illegal. But taking them round to
someone else's property and siccing them onto rats would be. If
there were three.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 1/5/07 09:08, in article , "Nick
Maclaren" wrote:


In article ,
Sacha writes:
| |
| | Aren't rats classed as vermin? So do those rules apply? I must make
sure
| | the dogs read the books when they're up the nursery, foraging
around......
|
| You're thinking of the Game Laws. The Anti-hunting law is different.
|
| I don't think the dogs are going to read that either, Nick. ;-) To be
| honest, I'm not thinking of either. We don't hunt with the dogs in any
| shape or form. We open the doors in the morning and they go out on their
| own. We don't take them, encourage them, do anything other than open the
| door and get on with whatever needs doing on the nursery. ...

As I understand it, that's not illegal. But taking them round to
someone else's property and siccing them onto rats would be. If
there were three.

Oh, I'll just send two, then. ;-) Actually, we never urge them on to do
these things here or anywhere else. They just do them. But presumably if
someone used a few ferrets, they'd be within the law!

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
Devon County Show 17-19 May
http://www.devoncountyshow.co.uk/

On 30 Apr, 17:23, mewthree wrote:
found a rat in the compost bin today. pounded the compost and it shot
out. it got away but how do i stop it coming back and stop others living
there?

Best way of keeping them out is digging a trench around the bin,
doesn't have to be too deep, then put metal wire mesh (like chicken
wire) around the base of the bin.

Fill the trench back in over the wire and firm the ground back up so
they don't burrow underneath the wire to easily...

That should do the trick!

Andrew.

In article .com,
westwg writes
On 30 Apr, 17:23, mewthree wrote:
found a rat in the compost bin today. pounded the compost and it shot
out. it got away but how do i stop it coming back and stop others living
there?

Best way of keeping them out is digging a trench around the bin,
doesn't have to be too deep, then put metal wire mesh (like chicken
wire) around the base of the bin.

Fill the trench back in over the wire and firm the ground back up so
they don't burrow underneath the wire to easily...



I was told they could dig quite a long way down Andrew.
The wire mesh is better if it is laid on the ground/soil first then the
bin put on top of it and the wire curled up around the base of the bin.

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

mewthree wrote:

found a rat in the compost bin today. pounded the compost and it shot
out. it got away but how do i stop it coming back and stop others living
there?

Maybe it was just searching for food? As long as you don't put any meat
leftovers in there, as mentioned elsewhere on the thread, rats shouldn't
be a problem.

As for nesting... They probably wouldn't like it if you keep adding
stuff on top, or rummaging with a pitchfork, or even watering from time
to time.


Greg
--

You may ask yourself, how do I work this?

No ficus = no spam

In article , (Gregoire Kretz) writes:
| mewthree wrote:
|
| found a rat in the compost bin today. pounded the compost and it shot
| out. it got away but how do i stop it coming back and stop others living
| there?
|
| Maybe it was just searching for food? As long as you don't put any meat
| leftovers in there, as mentioned elsewhere on the thread, rats shouldn't
| be a problem.

As I have said before, that is an old wife's tale. It is possible
that there is a SLIGHT correlation, but in general it doesn't make
a damn of difference.

| As for nesting... They probably wouldn't like it if you keep adding
| stuff on top, or rummaging with a pitchfork, or even watering from time
| to time.

It's the rummaging that will put them off. Watering is likely to
be effective only if you use 100 gallons a cubic yard.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 6 May 2007 14:02:52 GMT, Nick Maclaren wrote:

In article , (Gregoire Kretz) writes:
| mewthree wrote:
|
| found a rat in the compost bin today. pounded the compost and it shot
| out. it got away but how do i stop it coming back and stop others living
| there?
|
| Maybe it was just searching for food? As long as you don't put any meat
| leftovers in there, as mentioned elsewhere on the thread, rats shouldn't
| be a problem.

As I have said before, that is an old wife's tale. It is possible
that there is a SLIGHT correlation, but in general it doesn't make
a damn of difference.

| As for nesting... They probably wouldn't like it if you keep adding
| stuff on top, or rummaging with a pitchfork, or even watering from time
| to time.

It's the rummaging that will put them off. Watering is likely to
be effective only if you use 100 gallons a cubic yard.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Hi All,yes watering does indeed work.I found rats in my compost Barrel,put
the hose in and left it about 10 mins and out shot 4 or five!They were
quick!
And they have not moved back in.
--
Regards From
Wane Smooth

Help feed the Hungry,goto
http://www.thehungersite.com
It's Free!

"Wane Smooth" wrote in message
.. .
On 6 May 2007 14:02:52 GMT, Nick Maclaren wrote:

In article ,
(Gregoire Kretz) writes:
| mewthree wrote:
|
| found a rat in the compost bin today. pounded the compost and it shot
| out. it got away but how do i stop it coming back and stop others
living
| there?
|
| Maybe it was just searching for food? As long as you don't put any meat
| leftovers in there, as mentioned elsewhere on the thread, rats
shouldn't
| be a problem.

As I have said before, that is an old wife's tale. It is possible
that there is a SLIGHT correlation, but in general it doesn't make
a damn of difference.

| As for nesting... They probably wouldn't like it if you keep adding
| stuff on top, or rummaging with a pitchfork, or even watering from time
| to time.

It's the rummaging that will put them off. Watering is likely to
be effective only if you use 100 gallons a cubic yard.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Hi All,yes watering does indeed work.I found rats in my compost Barrel,put
the hose in and left it about 10 mins and out shot 4 or five!They were
quick!
And they have not moved back in.
--
Next time connect the hose to the exhaust of your car and kill the
blighters!
Graham