Advice needed, Rats in the rabbittry

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Good luck with catching them....took all summer to get our 13 squirrels.....but problem SOLVED! I only wish I could get these cats to you )only the small matter of catching them and transporting them across the' Pond'!

In case you're wondering about the capabilities of cats....I currently have one cat that I claim ownership of, NO apparent rodent problem....not seen a mouse or rat in ages, and this little lady is a Rodent Exterminator of the First Order. Here she is with yesterday's catch which she prefers to my 'posh' cat food.

View attachment 65992

That's a half-grown rabbit that she has killed, carried back and, after showing it to me with extreme pride, is promptly eating......and, just to say,it looked very fat and healthy. Now, I'm an out-and-out strict vegetarian, but she's strict carnivore, and I respect that.

Wow! Good kitty!! Although I might not want such a fierce huntress near my bunnies...lol

My first cat was a tortoiseshell calico, she was a good hunter when she was younger but she's pushing 17 now and prefers to stalk the fridge and demand whipped cream tributes.

 

[Sheepshape]

Although I might not want such a fierce huntress near my bunnies...lol

This is a bright cat.....she would never attack your babies. She would never touch my tiny chicks....they can run around her, she'd never attack domestic bunnies, she is friends with my dog, and never brings home birds.....I scolded her when she brought a bird home when she was little more than a kitten and she has never touched them since. I sometimes wonder at our phrase 'dumb animals'....the cat (Diva) is super bright! Since keeping lots of animals I have learnt that we almost always underestimate their intelligence. Sheep are really VERY bright....sentient, individual, charming, dog/cat...accepted as bright....but chickens?....oh, they have a lot more going on in their 'bird brains' then I had ever known. I am almost afraid of taking another species on as I think I'll be too attached to their unsung intellect. And rabbits....had quite a few over the years...and don't let anybody say they are stupid. They make wonderful, faithful pets...

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Ok, we are at 14 snap trap and 3 rolling log as of last night. I moved the traps around so they were better arranged around what I think is the entrance to where they are staying (under shipping container) and caught two that way. All of the ones recently are mouse sized, but I keep seeing giant poops so I'm pretty sure there's still some rat sized ones hanging around.

Some kind of good news, rats were spotted at my parents property, so if there's rodents there after we move the shipping container it's not my fault. Clearly the cats at my parent's house should be fired since they actually let one get into the house. Normally they are good hunters so I don't know what their deal is recently.

I also figured out a way to cover the top of the j feeders. I have been looking online with no luck for tops/lids to buy as the feeders that came with my used cages didn't have tops. Is there a site that sells them? I ended up using duct tape, I know the rodents could get through if they are determined but at least then there would be evidence and I'm tired of them getting free meals.

 

[AmberLops]

I've never seen the lids sold separately...are your feeders metal or plastic?
I have a few plastic ones without lids, and I use small bungee cords to hold a piece of wood or plastic on top...the only downside is you won't be able to feed them from the outside.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I've never seen the lids sold separately...are your feeders metal or plastic?
I have a few plastic ones without lids, and I use small bungee cords to hold a piece of wood or plastic on top...the only downside is you won't be able to feed them from the outside.

They are metal. I found there's a few different brands of the feeders but haven't seen the lids sold individually anywhere. I know they are sold with or without lids, so makes no sense to me that the lids aren't available. Maybe I should get my boyfriend to make some in his machine shop, it could be an untapped market, unless the things are trademarked or something.

 

[AmberLops]

They are metal. I found there's a few different brands of the feeders but haven't seen the lids sold individually anywhere. I know they are sold with or without lids, so makes no sense to me that the lids aren't available. Maybe I should get my boyfriend to make some in his machine shop, it could be an untapped market, unless the things are trademarked or something.

That's a great idea! I have just about every rabbit supply catalog you can think of...and I've never seen just the lids for sale. Patent it and make some money

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

15 snap trap 3 rolling log.

Other good news is that one rodent was stunned and caught at my folks house, and then fed to the cat.

 

[Sheepshape]

and then fed to the cat.

Waste not, want not.....but make sure that you're cat is wormed very regularly as a rodent-supplemented diet tends to make them wormy! I worm my cat every 10 weeks (approx) as she is a great lover of eating her prey (field voles and mice in the large part).

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Waste not, want not.....but make sure that you're cat is wormed very regularly as a rodent-supplemented diet tends to make them wormy! I worm my cat every 10 weeks (approx) as she is a great lover of eating her prey (field voles and mice in the large part).

Yep, they get wormed fairly regularly. And they like to shove their butt in your face while being petted, so it becomes noticable when they've gone a bit long without being wormed.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

No rodents this morning, but I had one run right in front of me last night inside the shipping container. It went down a hole in the corner that we thought was solid wood, so I found some bricks to cover that corner. They were undisturbed this morning, so I think that hole was successfully blocked. Dunno how many other holes there are in the container.