Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We appear to have a rat living under the cap of the old (no longer used) dug well at our farmhouse.
I live half a mile from my nearest neighbor. And many miles from any real town. I've never seen rats up here before, and neither has my spouse, who grew up in Rangeley. So we were both shocked when the dog discovered it this morning.
It looks to be just the one rat. It's got a nest made of leaves. Anyone with experience - if there's one rat, are there always more? Should I let the dog kill this one, or start setting traps? Could we have a colony?
...if there's one rat, are there always more? Should I let the dog kill this one, or start setting traps? Could we have a colony?
How did it get here !?
Yes, yes, and yes.
Where did you think it came from? If you are in a rural area, there are always rodents around. They don't appear by 'spontaneous generation'. They have mama's and papa's and siblings; usually mates and offspring. So yep, there's always more.
Rodents are attracted by: water, food, trash, human habitation, clutter and places to nest. Rather than setting traps, you need to clean up your property. If you have a well house, you need to rodent-proof it. Practice good garbage discipline. Pick up any clutter or stray leaves around your yard. I think poisons work best, myself. We keep poultry and we need to be extra vigilant to keep rodents away.
I would suggest you use a trap. Using a dog, even a breed know for it, still runs the risk of the dog getting a bite, which can get infected, picking up any bacterial born fleas etc....
Disclaimer: We've had working farm dogs for 18 years so I'm comfortable with letting them do their thing. Trust your feelings with the dog you know better than we do.
Unless you're with the dog all the time it's likely to run into the rat on its own. S/he already knows where it's nesting and is probably going back. Mine would have their noses to the ground following its trail or lay down away from the well house and wait. If you think the dog has a strong kill instinct and can do the job, I'd let it do what dogs do naturally.
For those who may not know, rodents leave tiny drops of urine everywhere they go. Dogs and other rodents easily follow these trails. Dogs are aware of huge amounts of information we will never be aware of. Dogs assume we know a lot more than we do.
I was the first registered Maine guide to guide with a sled dog team.
See, I've always associated rats with urban centers and lots of garbage. But our garbage is all in sealed cans in the garage, our poultry food in sealed bins, etc. We don't have junk laying around the yard. We don't even have bird feeders.
We do have leaves, which will get mowed soon. There are apple trees. There's asparagus beds. We have a small stream. We have chickens, whose coop and run are 100% rodent proof, but we have doled out scratch in the yard while they free range. We'll be stopping that.
The dog dispatched a weasel nicely for us this winter. He's a Plott Hound/Cur, and is definitely interested in doing the same for the rat.
May try snap traps first. I don't like to use poisons - as another poster mentioned, too much bycatch.
We appear to have a rat living under the cap of the old (no longer used) dug well at our farmhouse.
I live half a mile from my nearest neighbor. And many miles from any real town. I've never seen rats up here before, and neither has my spouse, who grew up in Rangeley. So we were both shocked when the dog discovered it this morning.
It looks to be just the one rat. It's got a nest made of leaves. Anyone with experience - if there's one rat, are there always more? Should I let the dog kill this one, or start setting traps? Could we have a colony?
How did it get here !?
Just a couple of questions,is it a rat or maybe field mice,could it be a muskrat buy chance?I do agree with the other,whatever it is there isn't just one.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
