Rats

[Peter Reed]

 

No, that's an (urban or rural ) myth created from statistical data on human and estimated rat populations which are then averaged out on a per capita basis according to the area of the country. So one is just as likely to be many hundreds of feet or even hundreds of yards from a rat.

There's a rat in me kitchen,what am I gonna do

[patty-ann]

"My friend's neighbour had a cat. Three weeks ago it delivered a large dead rat to the kitchen door, Next morning the cat was found dead in the kitchen.

 

The cat had caught the dying rat that the neighbour had poisoned"

 

I thought that poisons used on rodents were not secondary, does the above comment mean that if my dog gets a rat that's had poisoned bait she may be poisoned as well.

[comfortably numb]

I very much doubt that the cat died from the poison inside the rat. This is called secondary poisoning and Patty-ann is correct in her statement because whatever species consumes a poisoned rodent the strength isn't sufficient to be fatal. Dead birds of prey and various mammals (usually road-killed ones) have been analysed over the years and although small quantities of poison have been found inside them, there has never been enough to have killed them.

 

More likely this cat has died from direct consumption of the neighbour's poison. There is supposed to be a bittering agent in rodenticides to deter non target species, but it sometimes doesn't deter cats and dogs from eating it. For anybody wishing to undertake a DIY job rather than calling in a professional I can't stress enough the importance of ensuring that the poison is placed responsibly, and inaccessible to non target species such as pets, birds, squirrels etc (and children of course).

 

If you don't want to buy a rat bait box (circa £10) then use bricks or stones to cover it, just leaving a few golf ball size holes so rats can access it - even large rats can easily squeeze through a gap that size. Other materials which can be used are tiles, slates, timber, or a section of plastic drainpipe. If using grain poison, bear in mind that it can spill, and if using the wax block types always secure with wire otherwise rats may move them into the open.

 

Sorry to have harked on a bit. It's just that over the years in my job I have seen countless very sad cases of pets and wildlife needlessly poisoned due to the irresponsible poison placing. The most amazing one was a lady who scattered grain poison on her bird table because that is where she had seen the rats, and then wondered why there were so many dead birds in her garden.

[little duck!]

I like to believe that is was a bird(s) walking along my roof early one morning, can't remember if we were at our home mooring or not but it was fairly loud. We used to own a caravan and I know we used to get seagulls on the roof and this sounded similar. On one occasion we definitely had feathered friends on the roof as they made a right mess of the paintwork! I don't like to think of anything else though I have seen rats near the big bins of our home mooring. Horrible creatures

[comfortably numb]

Sad about the cat. Rats are vermin and a serious health hazard. I no longer feed the birds because it brought rats into the garden . There's too much food lying around for rats to get.

 

You don't have to stop feeding the birds on account of the rats. Instead consider if there is a possibility of doing it differently. Never put food on the ground for the birds. Hanging fat-balls are quite good because there is little spillage, so are those mesh peanut holders. And if you use a bird table put less on it but more often and use a baking tray so as to minimise spillage.

 

With all 3 methods get into the habit of taking them down and bringing them inside at night (when rats are most active). I know it's a ball ache but better this than depriving the birds by not feeding them at all.

I like to believe that is was a bird(s) walking along my roof early one morning, can't remember if we were at our home mooring or not but it was fairly loud. We used to own a caravan and I know we used to get seagulls on the roof and this sounded similar. On one occasion we definitely had feathered friends on the roof as they made a right mess of the paintwork! I don't like to think of anything else though I have seen rats near the big bins of our home mooring. Horrible creatures

They are quite capable of getting onto your roof as they are extremely good climbers, and if you have those 'bus type' windows with the glass that tilts and opens at the top they could quite easily get into your boat .

 

Sorry, that was a little devilment and a bit naughty of me as I wouldn't want to cause anybody sleepless nights. So to put it into perspective, I have those type of windows on my boat and I leave mine open at night.

[Phil Ambrose]

We have a garden mooring and have a bird feeding station and to prevent rats from climbing I fitted a 2ft dia disc which stopped them from getting past it to the food, it is high enough to prevent them jumping onto it from the ground.

Phil

[Nightwatch]

James Herbert studied and wrote a couple of books about Rats.

 

I found them interesting reading.

 

Martyn

[Dyertribe]

Plenty of the two legged kind walking around helping themselves what ever they can grab.

 

Dear Reader, I almost married one.....

[Beaker]

Dear Reader, I almost married one.....

 

Roland?

[Ten]

There are lots of rats in London, specially in the areas of the canal that are bushy. I believe is rare for them to get too close to boats as this end tend to be busy with bikers, joggers, fishermen and dog walkers and they are afraid of noises and poeple although there is always the odd cheeky one... aaarrrggghhh!

[matty40s]

The most rats I have seen in one place in daylight were/are in Penkridge just below Filance Lock, there is a local lady who feeds them on the towpath along with the ducks.

[Nightwatch]

Ever so slightly off topic.

Where we live the houses have open front gardens. There's a bungalow where the owners put out a nice pile of goodies for the local foxes to munch. What's that about? I've seen a fox here and it's a right scruffy looking thing. Just stands in the road staring at you if he spots you.

 

The other day whilst walking George the Staffie he trotted onto their front garden and came back with a mouthful of cooked bones. I presume they were animal bones and not hubby slowly getting rid of his wife.

[Ronniesonic]

A rat walks into a pub & trips over on the wet floor & bangs his head.

After getting back up he told the landlady he was going to sewer.

 

 

COAT................

[RLWP]

When I was a small boy in the early 70's, I remember spending a large part of my life on the local towpaths. One of the things that sticks in the mind is the biscuit tin lids that were often half way up mooring ropes to prevent rats getting aboard.

 

So, as I'm not seeing the tin lids anymore, what happened to the rats? Did they go the way of the white dog poo?

 

Where were the towpaths you walked? Around here, a rat would just jump aboard a boat - climbing mooring line would be too slow

 

I have seen pictures of those anti-rat cones on ships, never on a canal boat

 

Richard

[steelaway]

Sad about the cat. Rats are vermin and a serious health hazard. I no longer feed the birds because it brought rats into the garden . There's too much food lying around for rats to get.

Are you really sure about the health hazard.

It seems to me they are badly tarnished by this old reputation for causing the Black Death.

I have no problem with them, I think they are unjustly maligned.

It seems our 'cute badgers' are more of a risk of being vermin.

 

Alex

Edited January 23, 2014 by steelaway

[DaveC]

Are you really sure about the health hazard.

It seems to me they are badly tarnished by this old reputation for causing the Black Death.

I have no problem with them, I think they are unjustly maligned.

It seems our 'cute badgers' are more of a risk of being vermin.

 

Alex

Weils disease!

 

 

I'm just glad that Roland Rat didn't do the same for rats as Basil Brush did for foxes - also vermin.

 

 

Dave

[Phil Ambrose]

 

No, that's an (urban or rural ) myth created from statistical data on human and estimated rat populations which are then averaged out on a per capita basis according to the area of the country. So one is also likely to be many hundreds of feet or even hundreds of yards from a rat.

As I previously posted the comment is a truism and should not be taken as gospel, likewise the comment I made about seeing rats running around Boston at night may only apply to Boston. I lived in splendid isolation in Lincolnshire for a number of years, kept chickens and ducks, bred budgies and cockies often had over 200 birds so plenty of feed around but rarely saw sign of rats, on that basis the rats had to be somewhere else.

So while I may have been hundreds of yards from a rat some poor bugger had them as neghbours.(In Boston)

Phil

Edited January 23, 2014 by Phil Ambrose

[pquinn]

comfortably numb,

is it true that rats do not like noise?dont ask me where i heard that?

[comfortably numb]

comfortably numb,

is it true that rats do not like noise?dont ask me where i heard that?

 

No not really. They will adapt to any environment even noisy ones if there is food and shelter readily available. Ideally they prefer peace and quiet and as little contact as possible with us and our activities, hence the reason they are predominantly nocturnal. If you see rats in the daytime it usually means that there is either a shortage of food or competition for it so they are prepared to risk foraging for it when it's less quiet. The same applies when they are bold enough to not be bothered by your presence.

 

With regards to the diseases they carry, Leptospirosis (Weil's disease) is the most common which can be transferred to us from their urine either within water such as the canal, or through contact with it even when it has dried (via cuts and abrasions or through the mouth from your fingers when eating or smoking having come into contact with it). I once came across a 10 year old child who had caught Weil's disease from the rats urine that was present on his little sit on tricycle that had been left in the garden. Thankfully he survived it but it wasn't very nice!

 

If ever you fall in and ingest canal water or you have any cuts/abrasions when falling in, always shower (obviously) and take 2 paracetamol. Then if you develop cold/flu like symptoms within 48 hours you must consult a doctor. I know of two boaters who have contracted Weil's disease, one of them died from it and the other was very ill for months.

 

That is why we have to control the rat population. Besides which, as well as them carrying Weil's disease they also can transfer other types of diseases from the places they have been such as sewers.

[RLWP]

What do the paracetamol do?

 

Richard

[DeanS]

[Phil Ambrose]

Yes Comfortably Numb is correct, they are very adaptable, it is well documented that they can survive in large cold storage facilities, doing so by growing long coats. There was even an instance where rats on a barren atoll survived by "fishing" the rats would dangle their tail in the water enticing small crabs to grab it, a flick of the tail and voila....lunch

Phil

[blackrose]

As I previously posted the comment is a truism and should not be taken as gospel

 

How is it a truism? A truism is a self-evident truth, so obvious that it's not worth repeating. The proximity of rats to humans which you quoted is not a truism, it's a myth and a cliche, so preferably it should not be taken at all - and should definitely not be repeated!

Edited January 23, 2014 by blackrose

[Phil Ambrose]

 

How is it a truism? A truism is a self-evident truth, so obvious that it's not worth repeating. The proximity of rats to humans which you quoted is not a truism, it's a myth and a cliche, so preferably it should not be taken at all - and should definitely not be repeated!

It may be a myth and cliche in your world but not in mine, my experience with rats stems from going rat hunting in bombed out houses in London when I was a kid and extended upto the point I was hauling milk around Boston and I still maintain there are plenty of rats around.

Phil

[comfortably numb]

What do the paracetamol do?

 

Richard

 

It just makes you feel better