Thanks for help with rat - still trying

I appreciated all the responses to my story of the intelligent rat in my house. I was only able to stay awake for a couple of hours last night, hidden under a blanket with a loaded BB rifle. The rat didn't show up at all, near as I can tell. I didn't even hear him moving in the floor furnace like I usually do at night. Maybe the 25 watt bulb left on after the house was quiet tipped him off, but I'm starting to think he speaks english and overheard my plans. Maybe he even reads this newsgroup. I really don't have a lot of confidence in the BB gun approach anyway. Even if I get a clear shot at him sitting still, I doubt if a Daisy Red Ryder would kill him, even from 10 feet away. Before I invest in a high-powered pellet gun or search out subsonic 22 rounds, before I consider discharging a shotgun in the house, and before I spend time trying to get the Radio Shack clerk to show me how to connect the infrared beam booby trap, I'm leaning toward the homebrew electrocution device and the MIT mousetrap, since I can construct these with available materials. I don't think peanut butter as a bait will work on this guy, because that was how I baited the first trap I set, which sprung but didn't kill him. It was a mouse trap. Now he is wary of both traps and peanut butter. His nonappearance last night might be from caution, or he may be terrorizing one of my neighbors on alternate nights. Either way, I have some wiring to do. I'll let you know what happens. Gary Hastings

Reply to
GaryH82012
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If bait avoidance is a problem, pick something (cheese?) and put it out where it _won't_ hurt the rat. Try putting a little bit of your peanut butter on the things you value most (well, not those unless you have children already). Once he gets used to your bait being a "safe" thing to eat, then put out the trap.

Or get/borrow a Jack Russel terrier. They're the most irritating dogs on earth, having one may be worse than having a rat. They're little. They're yappy. Their metabolisim is too fast and their brains are too small for house training. But they do love to catch rats. You can find them wherever folks do english-style horse riding.

Reply to
Tim Wescott

I recommend doing some research ...........

watch "Caddy Shack" for tips on rodent extermination ..... also ..... "Mouse Hunt"

Reply to
Simon

Now, now, Tim. Jacks are great dogs! Sure, lots of energy, but the hunting instinct is incredible.

As for training - they are quite trainable as long as you are more headstrong than they are.

But your point is well taken - awesome dogs for getting into small spaces and locating rodents. Heard they are used in Hawaii to get poisonous snakes out of planes from SE Asia.

Reply to
Rick Chamberlain

On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 11:40:09 -0800, "Tim Wescott" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:

Unarguable........except maybe to a rat

Not necessarily.

Probably

wrong!

Yeeessss well....

I think your observations about JRs are true, but your reasons for their behaviour are wrong.

I blame the owners. I used to hate JRs. I do not own a JR. I own a

50lb bully - bordercollie cross, and that sort of size is my preference. But having met a few nice JRs, and seen the owners compared to those of bad JRs, I think that they are actually quite intelligent, and can be very nice, even to other dogs. But they do take a lot of _correct_ training and socialising to get there. I got on well with many of the owners of both good and bad JRs that I have met and known. They were good people. They just could not handle a JR, and should have had a min Labrador....... or something. I reckon too many of them pick this ripping tearing little ball of excessive energy, then either encourage or tease the little guy, or simply cannot handle it.

I do have to say that I often describe my own dog as a "50lb Jack Russell", and I am glad I have owned several dogs before this one, including my last one that taght me truly how to live with a dog.

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Reply to
Old Nick

I shot one once with a .38 special snakeshot load in an apartment in San Francisco. My brother-in-law had to be peeled off the ceiling (he was asleep on the couch when the opportunity presented itself). In any case, the load was lethal for the rat but did very little damage to the wall that he was cornered against.

Reply to
LBailey

Jack Russel - more heart than brain - but a WHOLE LOT of heart!!! They'd die protecting you if they had too, without even thinking about it, the little beggars. Don't start throwing a ball for a Russel if you are not able to keep up with him - and if you are you should be throwing for the big leagues.

Reply to
clare

Or, just put out baited, uncocked traps for several weeks, Peanut butter is the best bait, Once it disappears every night for a week, then set the trap.=20

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Reply to
Doug Warner

Good thought. When I was growing up my mother unwisely stored a bunch of bags of filberts in the attic (a filbert's a hazelnut that grew up in Oregon). We suddenly acquired a _lot_ of mice; when we set out traps they learned the trick of rolling filberts onto the trigger, then eating the bait. Those damn mice rolled filberts up and down the walls for _years_.

Faking them out with uncocked traps would have helped out.

Or, just put out baited, uncocked traps for several weeks, Peanut butter is the best bait, Once it disappears every night for a week, then set the trap.

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Reply to
Tim Wescott

Rat trap. Metal/plastic coated twist tie twisted tight with tails out and enticing - all covered in peanut butter. The smart ones lick off the peanut butter off the metal latch with a light touch - but the 'whiskers' make the best of them grab on and pull - then the trap snaps.

Martin

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Gary

I hate to inject chemistry into this otherwise macho discussion, but Warfrin rat poisons are very effective. I had a rat infestation in my garage a couple winters ago and a couple packs of Decon rat poison cleaned it out. One big advantage to Warfrin is as they are dying (bleeding to death internally) they get very thirsty so they go out in search of water and don't die in you walls. Must be pretty effective, according to reliable sources they used Warfrin to kill Joe Stalin.

Jim

Reply to
Jim McGill

Have you considered calling in Steve Irwin the Crocodile hunter.

He could make one of his TV programs out of it.

Steve....... Crikey - It's a big one

Terry...... As you can see only an experienced rat catcher like Steve should attempt this.

Steve.... I just wish my dear old dad were here to help.

Terry.... Steve learned so much from his dad and uses those techniques today to catch the largest rats from around the world.

Steve.... The trick is not to look them in their beady eyes.

Hmmmmm..... I wonder if there is a new career for me as an action writer for TV series.

Reply to
Shiver Me Timbers

Hey Jim,

I had not heard the cause Stalin's death, but it is plausible I suppose. I understood that the use of Warfarin as rodent control in days gone by, was specifically because it did NOT kill humans, or at least not in the quantity used for the rodents, and that it has an easy and rapid common anti-dote. Certainly today it has great use as a prescription anti-coagulent. Have a peek at:

Take care.

Brian Laws>Gary

Reply to
Brian Lawson

Wow, the things you can learn on this NG! Thanks for sharing.

Lane

Reply to
Lane

On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 19:51:26 GMT, Shiver Me Timbers vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:

.......with a baby for bait!

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Reply to
Old Nick

On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 11:02:19 -0800, Jim McGill vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:

You know, after many contacts with rats and warfarin, with the ensuing smelly walls, I wish I believed that crap.

Well simple warfare hadn't worked....

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Reply to
Old Nick

My grandfather was prescribed Warfarin back in the 60's after he suffered a couple of heat attacks.....

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Reply to
Roy

Hey Roy,

Hmmmm....that's interesting. I would expect a "heat attack" (high body heat/aka sun-stroke/heat-stroke) to have thinned the blood already. Or did you mean "heart attacks"?

Take care.

Brian Laws>>

Reply to
Brian Lawson

I stand corrected! Yes that should have been heart not heat!

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Reply to
Roy

I have atrial fibrilation that comes and goes. In and of itself, it is not life threatening. The danger is that during an episode a clot can form in the atrium. When normal rythmn returns, that clot can migrate to places I _really_ don't want it to. Thus I take warfarin. Many heart/stroke victims who survive are prescribed similarly.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Edwards

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