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Barnyard Buddies:  lesson learned  |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 29 2007 : 09:23:26 AM
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So a few nights ago hubby and I are sitting watching t.v. and we hear a scratching in the wall near the baseboard. This went on for 2 evenings. Morning of the 3rd day, he jumped out of bed and ran over to my side of the bed and peered into the register. Same scratching. Sounded like whatever it was was trying to eat the metal and get in.
Our rat suspicions were confirmed when I went to get some potatoes under the house and discovered some with huge gnaw marks.
SO, I cautiously set a huge rat trap and checked the next a.m. We did get a HUGE warf rat. Yuck. 
So here's the lesson. Earlier this summer, I removed 3 snakes from our chicken coop in 2 days. One of whom was a 6 foot black rat. I should have just let him be, because HE could have tackled this rat. There are 2 other snakes under the house, but I think the rat could have made a snack out of them easily. Happily, most snakes keep a home range of about a mile, so even with taking a happy trip across the creek. Maybe the big guy will come back, and I won't be as quick to relocate.
Yes, we have snakes under the house and I'd rather a snake any day than a destructive rat!
Last year we found the same 3 breeding under there. I think its pretty neat. So long as ALL wildlife stays outside!
Yesterday afternoon I found another snake in w/ the chickens. I had been leaving the poop coverd eggs and left 3 from a few days prior. Happy to know this new snake ate 3. Two of the poopy ones and a good one. So, I put him under the house too, and will try to continue to keep sarcificial eggs.....got to feed the snakes as payment for controling the mice too. Our poor cat can only do so much.
Lesson learned  |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Sep 29 2007 : 9:01:36 PM
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ugh! I am so glad that we only have mice around here and not wild rats. I don't think I would handle rats very well!
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora!
http://home.test-afl.tulix.com/aleeandnora/ |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2007 : 03:14:37 AM
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| We also get what's locally called cotton rats, but these generally stay in the fileds and mostly prefer to gnaw on the vegitation in our gardens. The cat nabs and eats these regularly, but this other rat. i'm not kidding, it was HUGE! I'd guess it weighed maybe a pound to a pound and a half YUCKO! |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2007 : 06:05:23 AM
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Okay- Just picture me doing the yucky dance. Yup that's right. I can handle pretty much anything when it comes to most animals, but hand me a rodent and I am pretty much useless.
My dog is an excellent mouser and I am sure she would go after your rats as well. One day I was up at the lake fishing and I looked down to see all these itty bitty baby mice trying to run past me (more like crawling sortof fast) and I realized my dog was digging up their nest and eatting them. Of course I only found two but I had to "Rescue" them. I raised them for about 4-5 months and then re-released them. I could handle them when they were little, but once they decided they didn't like being touched and tried to bite me...nope...not for me!
However I did used to have pet gerbils when I was little. And you know how gerbils are...they mate before you even realize which ones are male and female. Well we ended up getting a litter and I picked one to be my extra favorite. He was born without one front paw and without a back paw as well. They were on opposite sides and other that the missing paw- his limb was the right size and shape so he got around pretty well. He was all black and stayed very sweet. I would wear hoodie sweatshirts and he would hide out in my pocket or run up my arm and hide in my hair and go to sleep. He was super tame and never tried to so much as nip. I loved that little guy!
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora!
http://home.test-afl.tulix.com/aleeandnora/ |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2007 : 06:35:38 AM
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Huh! Reminds me that a few weeks ago I was ironing in the laundry room and kept hearing scratching coming from the ductwork coming out of the furnace. I told DH about it and he did not seem overly eager to do anything about it.
I had forgotten all about it until I read your post. Reminds me not to turn on the furnace till he opens the ductwork! Yuck!
Thanks for posting this!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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BlueRoseMama
True Blue Farmgirl
51 Posts
Val
51 Posts |
Posted - Sep 30 2007 : 07:38:54 AM
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I have to admit to being in the corner of rather having rats than snakes myself. I couldn't imagine living with those creapy things running around (snakes, not mice)... the idea of a 6 ft snake anywhere near me makes me nearly ill.
Yuck all the way around.
Val
Val ~ I am a whole food cooking, swing pushing, boo-boo kissing, paper crafting, breastfeeding, creative sewing, attachment parenting, woodworking, guitar playing, gardening, constantly reading, artistic and lovely full time, granola lovin' mama to my three sweetlings, Alex (7/20/96), Cyan (7/13/01), and baby Logan (1/22/07).
http://goddesshobbies.blogspot.com/ |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Oct 02 2007 : 04:35:18 AM
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Not much bothers me, but rats this big can inflict a nasty bite to anything...nevermid structural damage too!
We had another such rat in an outbuilding, and it gave me the willies something awful.
It took 4 tries to finally get the trap to spring fast enough. Rats are smart and that doesn't help either!
But this time once was all it took |
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Barnyard Buddies: lesson learned |
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lesson learned
