# Critter caught Rat or Mice or ?



## Reble (Nov 14, 2008)

Ok great topic for this time of the year.

We have been trying to get rid of either rats or mice or ????? not sure.

Can you tell what would be making these holes. have rat trap, mouse trap electronic Rodent Repeller

and now have a dog catcher bringing over a live trap... do not know, and they also chewed a big whole in our plastic bails... nothing is working, so not sure what it is? Help....






last year had birds in our barn and now this... Yes, still have a neutered cat Nemo...

No birds but what ?????????????






first picture is just outside our barn door, than the other tunnels are in our feed room.

Cannot believe to day, left a big pile of dirt just to say, do not cover in my holes...

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

It is a






Now, I feel sorry for it in the cage.... Wait till my husband gets home....


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## kaykay (Nov 14, 2008)

they look like the holes we get and its gophers and/or ground hogs. They drive me nuts. When we first moved it the barn had sat empty for years and there were tunnels and holes in every stall. When you would walk in the whole stall floor would collapse from the tunnels. We finally got rid of most of them but still have some now and then.


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## lilmiraclesfarm (Nov 14, 2008)

That is a very large rat hole you got there. So far i've cought 2 giant rats and there are more still around. I have a hole like that going in an out of my horses stall as well as underneith my grain, tack area.


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## Relic (Nov 14, 2008)

Try a mole trap....l was also surprised when l thought there were mice in the barn but it turned out to be moles.


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## ChrystalPaths (Nov 14, 2008)

Chipmunks


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## Reble (Nov 15, 2008)

Told hubby what you guys thought and he also is thinking moles now.

I just read that rat, mice and metal live trap do not catch these guys.

So looking into a mole trap?

Do you know of any cheap mole traps you would recommend?

Found this one? $5.99 http://www.wildlife-traps.com/moles.html

left email message to find out if they ship to Ontario Canada.

Thanks again...


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## Vertical Limit (Nov 15, 2008)

I think it's a miniature horse eating Anaconda myself.



At least that sounds more exciting than a rat.


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## Reble (Nov 15, 2008)

Vertical Limit said:


> I think it's a miniature horse eating Anaconda myself.
> 
> 
> 
> At least that sounds more exciting than a rat.


Have to tell my husband that one


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## Marsha Cassada (Nov 15, 2008)

Do not know if it is feasible for you, but you might try running a water hose down the hole and see if you can flush the critter out. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

You probably have different varmints there than we do. Trade you a skunk, opposum, a gopher and a porcupine for it!


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## RockinSMiniature (Nov 15, 2008)

it seem like it is a rats or gophers.. I think only way to get rid of it is get a decker rat terrier or standard rat terrier as that what they are bred for as for their hunting prey as they do hunt for deer, squirrel. Which I have 5 rat terriers (spayed/fixed) and they are good hunter..





As they did kill house mouse and birds..

If doesn't want a dogs and probably will be best to set a biggest trap for rat or gophers.. 

Good Luck...


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## Cara (Nov 15, 2008)

rat for sure, inthe second picture the kindof hole looks to be a rat, have u tried cats? lol old fashion is the best way



good luck


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## Reble (Nov 15, 2008)

Oh yeah, Our male cate Nemo and about 10-30 for dinner when Nemo's food dish is full.

Told our neighbour who does our snowplowing, when he gives us a bill, we have one for him.

Feeding his barn cats that dine & wine.


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## Minimor (Nov 16, 2008)

I would say it's rats or a gopher--definitely something bigger than mice. When we first moved into our barn at Neepawa we had a few rats--we trapped them with gopher traps and did manage to eliminate all of them that way. Luckily it was just a few rats. Cats are often not effective at getting rid of rats, just because many cats cannot handle a full grown rat.

Around here when people have a major rat problem they usually end up getting ferrets--ferrets can go right down the holes after the rats and are usually quite effective. Thankfully it is a problem we haven't had to deal with here.


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## jleonard (Nov 16, 2008)

I say rat too. We had the same problem last year, something was digging HUGE (and I mean huge, was afraid the minis might fall in meet Alice in Wonderland) holes in the corner of one mini stall, under the barrier between the two mini stalls, and in the corner of my arabs stall. Our cats were sitting at the holes 24/7, but they never had any luck, he was a crafty critter!



We were thinking it was a ground squirrel, we thought the holes were much too large for a rat. We tried mothballs, metal mesh balls, traps, everything. One night, I went out late to check on the horses, and saw a MASIVE rat scurry from one end of the barn to the other, and dive into one of his holes. I am actually glad the cats never got ahold of him, because I think he would have won



. Once we knew what it was, my dad put out poison and that finally solved the problem. I'm not a fan of putting poison in the barn, but oh well, it worked! Good luck, it can be so frustrating!


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## Reble (Nov 16, 2008)

Thanks our dog catcher tonight, just dropped off a small live trap, and showed us how to load it and put our grain for the litter critter? He also said rats and usually when you catch one or two the rest stop coming around... Sure hope he is right...

Keep you updated, just hope it is not tooooo big


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## Marnie (Nov 16, 2008)

We had some holes like this last summer up against our one barn and Nate said it was a wood chuck or ground hog and sure enough, it was.


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## Reble (Nov 17, 2008)

update, hubby covered in all the holes he could see, and that darn critter just dug out his holes and did not go in the trap...





Try again to night...


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## Charlotte (Nov 17, 2008)

You need English Jack Russels! Rat killers deluxe! And if they catch the scent of one they won't come in the house to eat, drink or anything till they get 'em!

Good luck. I'm going to keep watching this subject to see what finally works for you.

Charlotte


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## Tatonkas Dream (Nov 17, 2008)

I am not too much help on the holes but was wondering if any other Terrier folks have heard of a Boston going ga ga over mice, rats etc... my Boston (and I am new to Bostons) is a little over a year and he has 'presented' me with about 3 of these wonderful critters in the last 3 weeks or so... rather have it dead and all but its not my idea of a present exactly...

I have had many friends with either Jacks or Rat Terriers and know they LOVE LOVE LOVE this job but never thought my Boston would be so into eraticating these little critters


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## Reble (Nov 17, 2008)

Tatonkas Dream said:


> I am not too much help on the holes but was wondering if any other Terrier folks have heard of a Boston going ga ga over mice, rats etc... my Boston (and I am new to Bostons) is a little over a year and he has 'presented' me with about 3 of these wonderful critters in the last 3 weeks or so... rather have it dead and all but its not my idea of a present exactly...
> I have had many friends with either Jacks or Rat Terriers and know they LOVE LOVE LOVE this job but never thought my Boston would be so into eraticating these little critters


Just wondering if it is in the terrior breeding...


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## CKC (Nov 18, 2008)

My parents have an above ground basement with a dirt floor. Years ago there was a hole like that in there. My cat was scared to even go in there for the longest time. One day we came home and there lay a rat about as big as she was(length wise). She had killed it. I couldn't believe how big it was.

Kim


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## Reble (Nov 18, 2008)

Nothing again today... moved it tonight...


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## Reble (Nov 19, 2008)

It is a ............






I sort of feel sorry for it now, but wait till my husband gets home


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## jleonard (Nov 19, 2008)

Glad you caught him!



He looks like a big guy.


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## topnotchminis (Nov 19, 2008)

Ewwwwww, I hate mice/rats! Glad you caught him.


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## Tatonkas Dream (Nov 19, 2008)

I think thats one of the Norick rats - they are know for being huge--- uck!

Glad you caught him!! yeah


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## Marnie (Nov 20, 2008)

Wow, I never knew they made rats that big, I hope you keep them up their!!!!!!!!!!


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## Reble (Nov 23, 2008)

Cannot believe it, two big ones, in the same trap caught this morning...

Oh my how many do you think there is?





4 and counting...nothing today Nov. 25


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## whitney (Nov 25, 2008)

EEEEEEKS


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## Reble (Nov 26, 2008)

Oh no still catching them todate 5 rats and 1 mouse

This live trap is amazing.... did not know I was feeding so many other critters.


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## HGFarm (Nov 26, 2008)

EW!!!! I just dont 'do' rats- at all!!! When my granddaughter had rats for pets, I would not even go in her room. DISGUSTING!

Had a wild one get IN my house one day.... that's a whole 'nuther story!!


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## Reble (Nov 27, 2008)

Not sure if anyone is still interested, but found this funny.

Twice now have caught 2 in one live trap.

hubby said was just luck the first time..

it is so funny when hubby sets the trap no rat

when I set the trap i have caught 2 again in one trap...

cannot wait till he gets home to see it again.... too funny... I sure know how to catch a rat.. Ha Ha

Picture incase, I have people thinking cannot happen.

Not once but twice....

OK serious thou, how many darn rats are there?

Hubby said for every one u see a dozen more.... Oh no...

He thinks because the neighbour has shut down his pig farm we

have the rats coming over here....


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## HGFarm (Nov 27, 2008)

It is likely that since your neighbor has shut down- they are looking for another home with food and warmth to get into for the winter- and to stay and raise their kids!! Rats do not have a breeding season- they breed year round!!! Soooooo, the ones that move in can be having litters, which are ready to breed and have their own litters in a short time. Depending on what kind of rats they are- there are about 20 species of pack rats... they are able to breed at just a few months old, can have 3 litters per year. Brown rats are more prolific, able to have up to 5 litters a year that may vary from 7 to 14 in a litter!!! So they take over very fast!

Rats, as you know, are very destructive and also carry various diseases, so keep your traps set and keep removing them!! I would store any grain, etc... in metal trash cans or containers with lids. If you have barn cats, put their food out in the morning, but when you feed your horses at night, pick up their food bowls with any uneaten cat food, and put them away in rat proof places. Rats are nocturnal so will want to be out looking for food at night. This will make them easier to trap too since the only really available food will be IN the trap!!

I dont envy you- I cannot stand the things.... they are one thing that freaks me out!


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