# Rat Problem



## Tirilia (Apr 22, 2008)

Ew.

We have rats in our place. And we rent. Owners wont do anything about it.

We've no idea how the rats are getting in, we think maybe just one has just gotten trapped inside and wont leave for the abundance of food.. or something like that. So we've stopped up the pantry, hidden the fruit bowl.. so its taken to chewing newspaper, delving into the sugar bowl and eating its way through oven mitts 

We don't really want to kill it, just to get it out and stop it getting back in. And no, we have lizards, not snakes XD. 

Any ideas of how to get rid of them/it?


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## mr black (Apr 22, 2008)

You could always get one of those humane rodent traps. I believe the rat gets in then can't escape so you could just let it go somewhere i guess.


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## caustichumor (Apr 22, 2008)

Rats can be very determined, I worked at a Restaurant here in Townsville a few years ago where we had a rat problem. Now the problem was they would chew through the door overnight into the restuarant and then chew through the wall into the kitchen. They actually started eating the live mudcrabs that we had tied up in the pantry! (we had to start untying them before we left at night to give them a fighting chance) We did eventually poison them all off but they can take a lot of poison and plaster repairs first...


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## Slateman (Apr 22, 2008)

Get a cat


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## solar 17 (Apr 22, 2008)

*humane rat trap*

l live in boondall and can lend to you if you are near me a humane rat trap.....cheers solar 17..[Baden]


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## abbott75 (Apr 22, 2008)

mr black said:


> you could just let it go somewhere i guess.



It will just come back.

Most of the rats that colonise people's houses are exotic feral pests. Although you may not want to kill it, it is the best thing.


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## abbott75 (Apr 22, 2008)

Slateman said:


> Get a cat




:shock:

Slatey, remember, this is APS!


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## Jason (Apr 22, 2008)

mr black said:


> You could always get one of those humane rodent traps. I believe the rat gets in then can't escape so you could just let it go somewhere i guess.



i have heard this a few times from different people, evrytime i hear it i wonder where is the logic?
rats are a major pest why would you want to release the pests into another area?
KILL them, you'll be doing australia a favour!


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## inthegrass (Apr 22, 2008)

just set a trap and kill the bloody thing!.
cheers


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## Bourbs (Apr 22, 2008)

...you could catch it in a humane trap .... and then find your nearest colony of hawks to release it near hehe


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## spilota_variegata (Apr 22, 2008)

Many years ago we had a mouse problem in the house. We set mousetraps, had pet cats - you name it - we still had mice. My father bought some sulphur from the local hardware and put small amounts into metal trays. After evacuating the house of people and cats, he lit the sulphur and let it smolder away. After about an hour or so we came back into the house and opened the windows to let the unpleasant odours out. Every mouse in the house was dead and we never had another problem with them. I'm not sure about the properties of sulphur but it killed all the mice from the ceiling to under the house.

Just a thought...


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## bobchic (Apr 22, 2008)

now... imagine if this was a snake... and someone who knew nothing about snakes was saying the same thing about them...

I think you should release to a diffrent area... maybe someone less residential


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## Tirilia (Apr 22, 2008)

*lol* I hate Cats, but its a good plan. We do have a dog.. but he's pretty useless as a ratcatcher.

Interesting ideas everyone.. perhaps we should just set a few traps up where its hiding (behind the liquor cabinet) .. but to be honest I don't really want to find a dead crushed rat after a day at work or a nice nights sleep *shudder*

Any other ideas? are pro rat catcher people good? We also have a million possums living in our roof.


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## Bourbs (Apr 22, 2008)

id imagine a pro rat catchers main aim is to kill anyway....


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## fine_jungles (Apr 22, 2008)

is it true that snake feces get rid of rats and they don't come back (heard of a friend)


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## FAY (Apr 22, 2008)

Get a snakey friend to save you some poo and shedded skins....I did this for a friend..she put it in her roof...no more rats lol


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## wiz-fiz (Apr 22, 2008)

we get mice in our compust we just grab something and try and wack them as hard as we can!
my dad brock a garden fork by tryinmg to hit a mouse near a rock!
just kill them
kill them
kill them
kill them
kill them
kill them


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## alex_c (Apr 22, 2008)

bobchic said:


> now... imagine if this was a snake... and someone who knew nothing about snakes was saying the same thing about them...
> 
> I think you should release to a diffrent area... maybe someone less residential


 snakes are native most rats are not therefore they are a pest


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## cris (Apr 22, 2008)

Get the snap shut ones, they kill rats quick and are cheap and easy to use. Live traps are good, but then you have the hassle of killng the rat or illegally releasing it. Also this way you dont have to worry about a poisoned rat raunning around to get eaten or get into a bad place to rot for a few days before you find it (eg. a basket of clothes lol).


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## pythonmum (Apr 22, 2008)

I live near the bush and people around here always think they have native rats in their yards. They are not natives! They are _Rattus rattus_ - aka sewer rats. (I've set snap traps and keyed out the victims.) _Rattus fuscipes_ (native rat) lives in the bush around here, but never comes near the houses.

Despite 2 dogs, snake poos thrown in the gardens around the house and snap traps in the likely spots, we still had a rat in the house. It chewed through the dishwasher hose and the resultant flood caused thousands of dollars of damage. After that, we got some bait stations from a professional exterminator. The dogs can't get the bait and don't eat dead rats. We have to keep re-filling the baits because the rats re-colonise from neighbouring areas, but this is the most effective way we've found to control the rats.


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## spongebob (Apr 22, 2008)

Strange world. You want to get rid of your rat and many on this site pay good money for theirs
Bob


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Apr 22, 2008)

> Any ideas of how to get rid of them/it?


Go to the local store, ask for a rat trap,,The type that kills, set it, using some peanut butter or bacon rind or both, 
Then empty the dead rat into the bin.
Problem solved tiri..
Humane traps are not that humane when you consider the amount of time and stress that both rat and human go through.
Kill the feral.


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## bredli_lover (Apr 22, 2008)

> ...you could catch it in a humane trap .... and then find your nearest colony of hawks to release it near hehe


 
One of my friends humanely caught a mouse, drove 15 min out of town to release it and a hawk came down and ate it. lol


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## Jason (Apr 22, 2008)

its true, the longer you leave the rat in those 'humane' traps the less humane it is!
the snap shut ones are the most humane and ethical thing to use with out a doubt. im laughing at the thought of releasing the damb things...haha its a crazy idea. pests....KILL them. as mentioned peanut butter is usually good cause they cant grab it an run away therefor not getting snaapped. they stay, they eat....they die (hopefully)

good luck


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## bobchic (Apr 22, 2008)

maybe im stirring a bit... But if the go kill it comment was made by someone in regards to a snake they would be spoken about harshly...

Where is the world is it ok to let the rat live? With out being a pest...

I know they are a pest... But is it the rats fault? I believe its ours for introducing them.. 

I still think the non killing way would be best... but your to you... Killing it without poisen and feeding it to another animal could also work as you would not be wasting its life as much as throwing it in the bin


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## aqua (Apr 22, 2008)

I trapped a 'rat' and it turned out to be a melomy. Lucky I used a humane trap.


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## hawkesbury reptiles (Apr 22, 2008)

Hi Tiri

It could also be a native bush rat or antecinus which also will live in houses if there is a way in and food available and they can be so destructive!! We have them everywhere at work, in the buildings etc but we are close to bushland so unless you have nearby bushland its probably a black rat or similar.

We use elliot traps and them relocate them, at least that way you can ID it before you feed it to your snake...


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Apr 22, 2008)

> So we've stopped up the pantry, hidden the fruit bowl.. so its taken to chewing newspaper, delving into the sugar bowl and eating its way through oven mitts


Is this the work of a melomy...?? dont think so..
Do melomies occur in Brisbane?


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## pythonmum (Apr 22, 2008)

hawkesbury reptiles said:


> Hi Tiri
> 
> It could also be a native bush rat or antecinus which also will live in houses if there is a way in and food available and they can be so destructive!! We have them everywhere at work, in the buildings etc but we are close to bushland so unless you have nearby bushland its probably a black rat or similar.
> 
> We use elliot traps and them relocate them, at least that way you can ID it before you feed it to your snake...


 
I live along the Berowra Valley bushland park (a few ks away from you) and have never found anything but _Rattus rattus_ near the house. The good thing about the baits we use is that they only entice rodents - not _Antechinus_.


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## inthegrass (Apr 22, 2008)

go to bunnings and buy the plastic rat trap, use a tiny bit of peanut butter as already stated. when the rat is caught you do not even have to touch it. just open it over the bin and drop in the dead rat.
it does not get an ymore simple than that.
cheers


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## Miss_Croft (Apr 22, 2008)

pythonmum said:


> They are _Rattus rattus_ - aka sewer rats.



Just to clear up about rats and their names – Sewer rat (Or often called brown rat) is rattus Norvegicus and the Black Rat is Rattus Rattus. You can find some information on them below.

Black rat (Rattus Rattus) is identified by a tail much longer than its body, often lives on its own in the bush – often send climbing trees and sometimes in houses. If you have this rat in your house – it may be a single rat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Rat

Brown Rat (Rattus Norvegicus) or better known as feeder rats is identified by a shorter tail (lighter body build) and is often found in family groups – often found in houses. If you have this rat in your house – chances there are more – lots more. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Rat

Poisoning rats has limited success – a rat will take a small bite (nibble) of a new food and wait for a while – if it does not get sick it will then start to eat. If another rat smells the food on the first rat’s breath – it will go for that food.

The most humane way to rid the house of rats (and may be mice) is to get one of these devices 

http://www.gadgetcentral.com.au/pages/product.asp?ProductID=848

What it does is to simulate a rat distress calls (It is like someone is yelling/crying very loud to the rat). 

*Warning* it may have an impact on other animals in the house.

If you choose to use a trap of some sort try 
Peanut butter 
Fat (They love fat – drip it onto the trap) 
Bread and jam

And to get them take the bate – feed them the bate for a day or two. That way they will not be afraid of the new food. Tellon


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## Tirilia (Apr 25, 2008)

Thank you everyone.

We'll have to get rid of it now.. its found its way upstairs and into the top of my Blue Tongue's tank.. Very lucky it decided not to have a go at my blue tongue.. Very Lucky.

Now Im worried my bluey might have picked up a disease from the rat.. is this possible?

Actually, Ill start a new thread on that.. consider this one closed


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## dude_joel (Apr 25, 2008)

i had to wrap razor wire around the clamp of a rat trap a couple of years ago so it actually killed the rats. worked a treat, i highly recommend it. also, steel wool in the holes they are getting in stops them really well. i havnt had a mouse in the house for years.


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