Rats...

Oh well that's good - just as long as you don't end up being arrested for a serious crime if you didn't know about the new firearms laws!

Just a tip for the humane traps - rats are very partial to "Cadbury" chocolate, well at least mine were, they would turn their noses up at nestle

Originally Posted by duckwaddler

Just a tip for the humane traps - rats are very partial to "Cadbury" chocolate, well at least mine were, they would turn their noses up at nestle

When I got mice in the house once (four cats, all too damn lazy to even look at the mice!) I baited the humane traps with Galaxy. It took great willpower not to eat it myself everytime I went past! The mice didn't touch it and eventaully cleared off of their accord - possibly to someone with a supply of Dairy Milk!

Originally Posted by Janie1962

When I got mice in the house once (four cats, all too damn lazy to even look at the mice!) I baited the humane traps with Galaxy. It took great willpower not to eat it myself everytime I went past! The mice didn't touch it and eventaully cleared off of their accord - possibly to someone with a supply of Dairy Milk!

You know Janie, that wouldn't surprise me in the slightest! There is something about Cadbury chocolate that they can't resist!

So Labrat? Please if you're reading this - please, please, please try Cadbury chocolate in the humane traps

Oh and don't you just love cats Janie? That is a sign that your cats are very well fed, not in the least bit bored - and extremely contented! Oh and just ever so slightly lazy

Yeah, I love my puddies! All are so very different in personality (purrsonality?) and absolutely gorgeous!

Play some Justin Beiber to them? (although probably more humane to keep at them with the air rifle.)

Originally Posted by locutus

Play some Justin Beiber to them? (although probably more humane to keep at them with the air rifle.)

I just nearly spat my coffee everywhere

Definitely comes under the heading of "cruel and unusual punishment" and is probably banned under the Rodents' Rights Act.

Defintely no certificate needed for air rifles under 12fps , anything over requires a firearm certificate, so you can shoot Rats with a lower velocity air rifle, I did double check in case I hads missed any new controls but it is still ok for air rifles.

Going back to cats my current ones will and do catch rats but most of my previous ones were too lazy to catch anything, I have no idea why these 2 are different prehaps its because they are totally country cats, but the do come in when it gets dark and wont go out if its wet so they are not that hard !! Actually they spend more time sleeping than doing anything else

theyre only round now as mums cat died a few years ago

the house is next to a railway line and near a resivour so it was bound to happen

scores up to 3, doubt it will go any higher as the rifles given in the ghost the springs gone, just ordered a scope as well

probably order a new one just a cheap one again maybe a B3

just ordered a pistol crossbow, rat kebabs anyone?

This is getting silly now, starting to feel sorry for the rats.

same in a way but im sure that something thats going to take one shot to kill is alot more humane than an old air rifle thats taking two or 3 shots

Peanut butter on the traps should do the job.

Originally Posted by labrat

just ordered a pistol crossbow, rat kebabs anyone?

Originally Posted by assisted blonde

This is getting silly now, starting to feel sorry for the rats.

I agree Blondie!

I'd feel slightly silly having to need any weapon against a tiny animal such as a rat - unless of course the rat has a sub machine gun, then you're allowed to be scared

Rats are vermin and carry diseases if kept in a cage as a pet of course there is a difference.
The same as mice....known to be prolific urinators,is it ok to have them running around in your kitchen ?
Yes there are humane traps designed to capture them ....I bought one for almost a fiver A plastic contraption with a maze and a see saw designed to trap the mouse unhurt.
I watched on CCTV camera as they jumped on top and ran around it for 3 nights !
Tired of them I then used a conventional trap with peanut butter....I heard it going off within 30 seconds of closing the kitchen door.

Rats are not vermin Martin, they are living breathing animals that are just as important to the eco cycle as every other living species on this planet - and the only "diseases" they carry, are those from the filth that us humans leave behind.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat

"Rats can serve as zoonotic vectors for certain pathogens and thus cause disease, such as Lassa fever, leptospirosis and Hantavirus infection. However the rat is almost never directly responsible for the pathogen. Though it is commonly believed that R. rattus is responsible for the outbreak of bubonic plague the European citizens are to blame. After throwing waste into the street the rats moved where it was easy to find food. The rat flea then spread the plague from there. It is estimated that as many, if not more rats died from the plague than people."

Originally Posted by MARTIN3030

Ok I accept your take on this.
I am an animal lover and have strong views on the issues that frequently hit the news such as foxhunting.
If we are to be generalising and considering the vast majority of peoples thoughts on Rats,then I am sure you would readily accept that they are not particularly viewed as welcome.
For me,probably like many,it comes with education from early years that these are creatures that scare the living daylights out of anyone in their paths.
I have travelled extensively in Russia and Ukraine (I am actually in Ukraine now) quite often I have been offered rabbit for dinner and refused saying that I prefer to see them running in the fields than on the dinner table.
Here it is a luxury and many breed them just to sell for food.
I remember reading about Paul McCartney being asked about Linda and her Veggie stuff.
He said they were sitting in their Sussex pad one day watching the spring lambs...and Linda said-how can we be eating these ?

I think those who breed and keep rats would obviously have the same thoughts on people who cant stand them.
But there is for me something about rats which differ from lambs foxes badgers and all the other animals which are killed for the food chain or else to control numbers citing pest considerations.

An interesting discussion for sure......but I respect your views.

And as always Martin I respect yours

I no longer keep rats, but contrary to popular belief they are highly intelligent, and make far better "pets" for children wanting to keep rodents than hamsters, or mice etc, as they don't bite (unless you have a strong smell of food on your hands, then they will try to nibble thinking it's food), they are very clean also, and if they're allowed to run free they always return back to their "home" to do their business.

By the way - did you come across any wild Hamsters in Russia? I used to also keep Russian Hamsters, boy they can give a bite down to the bone if they surprised

Oh, I forgot to say - I'm not vegetarian! But I am very choosy about where any meat I eat comes from, as I think any animal who's life it to be food should either live a free existence or be treated with respect if it's for the purpose of the food chain.....Which is why I abhor fox hunting! Killing animals for sport is selfish and cruel.

I went balistic when it was announced they were thinking of culling badgers because they "spread TB" - so do humans spread TB, perhaps they should start culling us!

You know Martin - I've always thought humans were the filthiest of all creatures, and I watched a programme today called "restoration man", it was about the history of water towers - and it told about the "big stink" in London, were humans just did their business everywhere, and parliament had to use a mix of lime and I think chloride to help stop the smell, they were even considering leaving London

The illustrations were pretty vomit worthy I can tell you!

I just think it's a shame when we label certain creatures vermin, and less worthy than others - we all each play our part. I live in a rural area, and there are many here who see Foxes as vermin! And in in Washington State the locals there see Wolves as the equivalent to how those here see Foxes!

Oh, I heard something the other day that they're thinking of reintroducing Wolves back into Scotland! So give it a few years, and allow them to breed and spread out - you won't see many rats or mice too willing to be cheeky then

Lol some food for thought.
Hamsters here tend to be the long haired ones-yes my OH had one here but lifespan is not long.
We took it to the nearby woods and buried it when it died last year.

Restoration Man gives me images of life in Russia where in villages the toilet is still a hole in the ground in a garden wooden hut....in fact it is a common sight even in Moscow suburbs.


On a visit in the Elbrus mountain region in 2005 my exes uncle took me up some snow covered mountains.
He was on a deer shoot and it was my job to hollo out if I spotted any.
I saw a few and chased them away before he had chance.

He later killed a mother and I let him know in no uncertain terms what I thought.
He agreed to take the baby to the village where it was allowed to graze with kids looking after it.
It was named Bambi.
I had many arguements around the dinner table with guys over a few vodkas especially over fox hunting.
They told they had seen reports on TV about abandoned dogs in the UK and could not reconcile this so called international reputation of Britain being a nation of animal lovers.
I had no answer to that.

On another trip up the mountain I saw Eagles picking up l;ambs and carrying them away.
There were also some very big and ferrocious wild boars...To say they are frightning when they are close is an understatement....the uncle shot one of these and it took 4 bullets.
We was eating for a week and to be honest I did not feel any guilt at all.
There no supermarkets or even regular electric and gas....they live almost 100% off the land !!