Rats in a trap...

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What do people think about killing grey squirrels? They are vermin too, not a native species, and they carry disease that affects our native red squirrels. They look much cuter than rats but can be very destructive. Just wondering.

K
 
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What do people think about killing grey squirrels? They are vermin too, not a native species, and they carry disease that affects our native red squirrels. They look much cuter than rats but can be very destructive. Just wondering.
I have no hesitation in shooting them.
 
If you have rats in the house you need to attend to the house and keep them out. Air rifle won't help they'll just come back. They can only reproduce at speed if they have food and access to nesting places.
All rodents are looking for 3 things …food, harbourage and clean water - take one away and they move on
 
There is no legislation preventing quick dispatch, quite the opposite in fact, it must be carried out quickly and humanely (Animal Welfare Act 2006).

Reportedly there's been a sizeable increase in rat population since Covid with alegedly a 90% increase in London and other urban areas.

Apart from disease and other damage they, (and mice) have a liking for plastic pipes and the insulation around electrical wires with obvious consequences.

They can enter and travel though spaces as small as a 50p and easily climb up the inside of a cavity wall, they can also climb smooth plastic drainage pipes even into a WC bowl. I saw one example where in an unocupied 1st floor flat they had done exactly that, couldn't get out of the bowl as the seat lid was down so chewed through the plastic outlet adapter. In the space of a week they wreaked havoc.

BTW brown rats originated from central asia in the 1700s carried here on ships so naturalised, not strictly native. But then what is? Including humans. :LOL:

...........So.......... I'll continue to shoot the little bu**ers through the head whenever the occasion arises, humanely and perfectly legal. I don't much care what others do with them as long as they release on their own property and they don't pass the problem on to someone else.
A mouse can squeeze through a hole as small as a pencil …and I’ve seen them do it …..if you have mice etc proofing is the only way to stop re infestation
 
In respect of using ‘poison’ to control mice & rats …..it’s very much frowned upon now due to the impact on wildlife - owls etc and if your in an urban area you will kill next doors cat
 
I read online ( so it must be true) that rodents can not fart. So if they ingest something like sodium bicarbonate mixed with a bait such as penut butter, then they will die from a build up of internal gas. The article also said death would be more rpid than death by poison, and of course if the corpse was eaten by another animal then the effect woud not be a danger (unless it was another rodent).

K
 
I’ve not come across that info ….my day job is a senior food safety auditor for major retailers- so pest control is a big focus for us for obvious reasons.
 
I read online ( so it must be true) that rodents can not fart. So if they ingest something like sodium bicarbonate mixed with a bait such as penut butter, then they will die from a build up of internal gas. The article also said death would be more rpid than death by poison, and of course if the corpse was eaten by another animal then the effect woud not be a danger (unless it was another rodent).

K
If you Google "Can rats fart?" that myth is debunked. It would have been quite amusing if true (albeit not a humane way to deal with the problem).
 
What do people think about killing grey squirrels? They are vermin too, not a native species, and they carry disease that affects our native red squirrels. They look much cuter than rats but can be very destructive. Just wondering.

K
Kentucky fried rear legs of grey squirrel is absolutely delicious! I shoot all of them I can, the little blighters do a lot of damage to trees and nesting birds. I dragged one out a nest box that a squirrel had set up home in once, by chewing the entrance hole a lot bigger (the squirrel did the chewing, not me!). After dispatching the parent, I found three half-eaten young inside, which I can only guess had been cannibalised by their mum, so they must agree with me about it being good food...
 
I read online ( so it must be true) that rodents can not fart. So if they ingest something like sodium bicarbonate mixed with a bait such as penut butter, then they will die from a build up of internal gas. The article also said death would be more rpid than death by poison, and of course if the corpse was eaten by another animal then the effect woud not be a danger (unless it was another rodent).

K
An airgun pellet would be much kinder - imagine the agony, nothing deserves that.
 
What do people think about killing grey squirrels? They are vermin too, not a native species, and they carry disease that affects our native red squirrels. They look much cuter than rats but can be very destructive. Just wondering.

K
We don't have many here so only see the occasional grey in our garden or field but I would definitely shoot them if the missus would let me. The same goes for damned pigeons which are like flying rats anyway and are multiplying rapidly around here.
 
Rats have few, if any, natural predators in the UK so the only limitation to numbers is food and shelter. I have nothing against rats per se, but when their numbers grow and their food supply diminishes and they need to find new nests they seek other sources and get closer and closer to humans, sheds, garages, burrowing under the water butt, chewing electric cables, getting into the roof space ....one neighbour puts copious quantities of bird food on tables every day and its like a rat-magnet. So it gets to the point where we, humans have to be the natural predator whether we like it or not.

I did try peaceful means - a few signs that said "no rats" with a picture of a rat with a red line through it, but it was ineffective.

Whether its airgun, poison in a proper bait box, whatever, something must be done or the numbers will continue to rise. Grey squirrels are in the same category.
 
Rats ... chewing electric cables....
Didn't I read somewhere - on here, maybe?! - that much of the cable shielding these days is made with soya? Tastier than plastic, presumably. I know I went through a spell where my garden solar lights were getting blitzed night after night, and that was listed as a possible reason.
 
The same goes for damned pigeons which are like flying rats anyway and are multiplying rapidly around here.

I've got a flock of Doves on my roof that is doing my nut in. They live under the solar panels. It seems to be a common problem as I see other houses with solar panels with resident doves. I hate that damn things. They woke me up at 6am on the wknd with their cooing and scrabling around. my decking is covered in droppings and they are constantly flapping around when i go into the garden.

I've started putting mesh around the panels when i re-did the ridge tiles but I haven't had chance to do all of it yet. it's on my things to do very soon list.
 
I've started putting mesh around the panels when i re-did the ridge tiles but I haven't had chance to do all of it yet. it's on my things to do very soon list

Very very soon perhaps. Depends where you are in the country but first light is about 6am now, you get a 1 hour bonus when the clocks change but around the equinox it's the highest rate of change in day length. So, pigeons at 6, not long before pigeons at 4.30. Such joy.
 
What do people think about killing grey squirrels? They are vermin too, not a native species, and they carry disease that affects our native red squirrels. They look much cuter than rats but can be very destructive. Just wondering.

K
Well grey squirrels have been here since 1876. How long do they need to become native? For humans, it seems to be a few years.
 
Well grey squirrels have been here since 1876. How long do they need to become native? For humans, it seems to be a few years.
I think it depends how they get here - if they make it under their own steam, they can be defined as native (Collared Doves in 1956 for example) whereas if they were introduced my man, they're not considered native.
 
Well grey squirrels have been here since 1876. How long do they need to become native? For humans, it seems to be a few years.
i planted a beech hedge, the local council official came to visit soon after and informed me that it was not a native species, i agreed but said its only been here 1000 years will it ever qualify as native. no answer
 

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