Is there a humane way to get rid of rats?

[UncleMike101]

In many parts of the World rats are a viable source of protein.
You could make rat kebobs.
Or perhaps smoked rat.
Maybe a nice rat casserole.
The possibilities are endless.

 

[L&Lfan]

Something very similar is happening with my dad's home. His fiance will not let him kill the rats so he keeps trapping and releasing. And they keep coming back. He's convinced that they will have to learn to live with them (gross) or move.

I'd definitely kill the rats and start dating again.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Jack Russell Terrier.

Hahaha....Have you watched vids on You Tube of terriers ratting? If not I recommend it.

 

[lifesavacation]

I'd definitely kill the rats and start dating again.

No kidding. I would never live with a rat problem. Rats carry diseases so it's bizarre to me to spare the rats at the risk of your own health.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Just an update, I went into my backyard and the nest is no longer. So I'm assuming my father did "take care of them" and I won't be asking how. I think it's better I not know. I'll assume it was quick and painless and humane.

ETA: I asked my dad about it. His response: "Their mother came back and I sent them on a Disney cruise"

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

Just an update, I went into my backyard and the nest is no longer. So I'm assuming my father did "take care of them" and I won't be asking how. I think it's better I not know. I'll assume it was quick and painless and humane.

ETA: I asked my dad about it. His response: "Their mother came back and I sent them on a Disney cruise"

Haha! Good luck & I hope they are gone for good!

 

[belleatdisney]

Agree in not using poison. It kills off the hawks who should naturally keep the rodent population in check and also risks poisoning cats, dogs etc.

 

[jt'smom]

Just drive them out into the countryside or woods, far away from anyone's houses.


Make sure your dad doesn't use rat poison if he goes the non-humane route after all. It's bad for other animals which may possibly come upon it or the poisoned rat. Once eaten, the rat really slows down, making it easy prey for a cat or dog. They bite into the poisoned rat and they ingest the poison. Rat poisoning is one of the most horrible, slow ways to die. Basically the kidneys shut down. There is NO antidote or remedy when a pet ingests rat poison.

Also, don't call Terminex. Their specialty is termites & BUGS.
BUGS ≠ RATS.They aren't even the same biological phylum or class of living things.

My former landlady called them and they charged her $70 to put out sticky glue traps that anyone could have bought from Walmart. They didn't even work. The rat did get trapped on it. But, after a few hours, worked his way off. The trap looked like the hairy residue of a hot wax hair removal strip. The rat was probably bald on one side afterward. But, still quite alive.

Since I've been married to a pest control guy forever, and since most of my family is in pest control, I gotta tell you that you are false on the bolded statement. Pest control companies don't just treat for termite and bugs. Rodent control is 100% part of their specialty. It has absolutely nothing to do with what "biological phylum or class of living things" they are. Most pest control companies even handle squirrels, skunks, groundhogs and mammal trappings. Those glue boards you were talking about? That's just one thing that is used. Depending on the problem, and especially inside a house, glue boards will go down along with snap traps or if rats are an issue, you usually get these big old fierce snaps called T-rex traps. They'll snap a fingernail in half though, so pest control techs don't put them where people can easily trip them. Rodenticide is rarely used in a house for obvious reasons. If you ever notice black boxes on the ground outside of apartment buildings, commercial buildings, restaurants and whatever, those are locked bait stations that have rodenticide in them for rodent control. If you don't see them, trust me, you probably don't want to be eating or living around there. And OP, I'm glad your dad sent them on a Disney cruise for you... the very last thing you want running around is a rat family! They reproduce like bunnies!

 

[penn19]

We have some rats in our town. Digging up the earth so I get why they’re coming around. That said,I don’t want the in my yard or running along my fence line at night. So we have a few black boxes like at restaurants. Seems to be keeping the population down.

 

[L&Lfan]

There are rat boxes all over WDW. Once you know what you're looking at, you'll notice them everywhere.

 

[Imzadi]

Since I've been married to a pest control guy forever, and since most of my family is in pest control, I gotta tell you that you are false on the bolded statement. Pest control companies don't just treat for termite and bugs. Rodent control is 100% part of their specialty. It has absolutely nothing to do with what "biological phylum or class of living things" they are. Most pest control companies even handle squirrels, skunks, groundhogs and mammal trappings. Those glue boards you were talking about? That's just one thing that is used.

I go by my own experience, not Internet experts. And our Terminex guy was USELESS. He didn't try any other thing. I stand by what I said. I will continue to not recommend them. $70 for glue traps that can be bought from Walmart for $10, that didn't even work, is a sham.

 

[bcla]

The one thing I don't get is the claim that there are certain rodenticides that make them thirsty, where they theoretically go outside looking for water. Biggest pile of horse pucky. When they die, they die wherever the heck they go, including inside walls.

I don't know about the glue traps though. I remember using them years ago when I was in HS - at my parents' place. I set them and caught one mouse. And it certainly wasn't painless. I basically found the trap stuck to the tail, where it must have died after overexertion trying to get free. I also had some pretty bad luck with snap traps around that time, where the only dead rodent was also caught by the tail.

 

[g00fy!]

Jack Russell Terrier.

the terrier rat patrol in NYC is amazing. So cool to see dogs do what they were bred to do.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=218531172119659

 

[Marchand63]

I snorted so loud that I made the cat jump.

Which would take care of the rats!!!

Seriously rats, seagulls & pigeons, yeah traps & poison.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/8TaotiZ

 

[TipsyTraveler]

They could have been taken to a wildlife sanctuary/rehabber like any other displaced wild animal. Although removing, or cruelly killing, one litter of babies is going to make absolutely no difference in the scheme of things unless you eliminate whatever is attracting them in the first place.

 

[penn19]

The one thing I don't get is the claim that there are certain rodenticides that make them thirsty, where they theoretically go outside looking for water. Biggest pile of horse pucky. When they die, they die wherever the heck they go, including inside walls.

I don't know about the glue traps though. I remember using them years ago when I was in HS - at my parents' place. I set them and caught one mouse. And it certainly wasn't painless. I basically found the trap stuck to the tail, where it must have died after overexertion trying to get free. I also had some pretty bad luck with snap traps around that time, where the only dead rodent was also caught by the tail.

Our exterminator told us this is what the black boxes are. There’s some sort of poison “cake” inside and the rats eat it and then their innards (for lack of better term)start making them dehydrated so they wander looking for liquid. It disorients them. Which would explain why I’ve found a few in my driveway looking a little slow/out of it. Then they just die.

 

[Suger Mag]

We had a rat infestation, it was horrid. out of no where over a period of three years it started and exploded. They came up from the river and just were everywhere, the woods, the barn, attempting to get into the house. we don't like poison because when we did it for mice a long time ago it was so bad, they all died inside the walls and smelled so bad, and if a mouse rotting inside your walls is gross, I could not imagine rats. we used the old fashioned snap traps, my husband trapped 87 over one summer, the mini Schnauzer got two. We were not making much headway until our salvation moved in.. and within a month or two the rats were all TOTALLY gone...I was willing to sacrifice two chickens to the weasel after the rats were eradicated, I improved my coop security, then it ate all the red squirrels before it then moved on to other hunting grounds.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'd definitely kill the rats and start dating again.

I personally think it's time to burn the house down.

 

[NotUrsula]

OK, Google: phone number for Rent-A-Weasel?

(And they are cute, too. Somehow all of those vicious little animals that feast on rodents & snakes manage to be cute as the dickens. SEE ALSO Mongoose or Meerkat.)

[/QUOTE]