Wild Rats - a warning. *warning: graphic description*

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I, too like undergunfire am an advocate for almost any living animal and I agree that the wild rat is just what it is ..a wild rat behaving like wild animals do.
I do, however, feel that in somecases an animal must be eradicated to save another.
For ex. if their was a poisonous snake around my rabbits I would rather have the snake die than my rabbits, or if an alligator was hiding under my house I wouldn't feel comfortable unless it was removed.
I feel that if it is necessary to remove a wild animal to protect a pet it should be done in as humane a a manner as possible. To do things humanely requires more thought and more work but it is possible.

People can go extremes with protecting life. For ex. when a bot fly is removed from a rabbit we are killing a living unborn creature.
When a rabbitgets flystrike and we remove the maggots we are killing living creatures.

We are killing microorganisms everytime we wash our hands with microbial soap. We are killing bacteria when we take an antibiotic.
it is not possible to live without the sacrifice of some living things.
 
i am so sorry :( bad rat!!!!!! but...it is its natural instinct. i am sorry you had to see that, and i am sorry for that poor lil bunny. but, unfortunately, accidents happen. dont be mad at yourself.
 
Okay, thank you. I will definitly try that. How long will it take for the rat to become used to the 'new' trap? I'm assuming it'll stay away from it from a while.

I do appreciate your advice, hopefully I'll have more of a chance of catching it now. Is there a certian distance I will have to take it to ensure it's not going to find it's way home?

I'm sorry I upset you. I hope we can get a better outcome from this now.

Also, if I do catch it, where would be a good place to release it? Will it survive if I take it out into the countryside?


 
Maybe the rat's not going for the live trap because it is too small? Or maybe it doesn't like the food you have in there. My dad always uses dog cookies dipped in peanut butter, that seems to do the trick.

I'm really sorry about your baby bunny:(but at least it only got one and not the whole litter and the mama.
 
angieluv wrote:
People can go extremes with protecting life. For ex. when a bot fly is removed from a rabbit we are killing a living unborn creature.
When a rabbitgets flystrike and we remove the maggots we are killing living creatures.
Click to expand...

That is a good point. We're always going to have to kill things to save something else.

I will do whatever I can do to deal with it humanely, but if all else fails the bunnies come first.

They're all being kept shut up now, of course. It's a real pain though, because often it's raining pretty heavily here so they can't go outside. I'll have to make them little rain macks.:D

Thanks for that Katie, I'll try meat with peanut butter then. Hopefully it won't be able to resist!
 
Just release the rat as far away as possible. Maybe there is an old run down house/building/barn a little while away from you? If there is a run down place that you can release it...then be sure to sprinkle some sunflower seeds, cereal, crackers, or something around the building....so the rat thinks there is food there all the time. He will naturally learn that by finding the food you leave laying around.....he will find other food.

Peanut butter is a good tempting food for ratties. You could cook up some chicken, then melt some crunchy peanut butter over the top of it...then put it in the live trap while it is still hot. Peanut butter has a strong smell, as does cooked meat.

If the food is tempting enough....the rat will go in. It could be though, that your live trap really is too small, like katie suggested. You could be dealing with a fat rattie, but rats do like small spaces....so I am not sure if a small trap would be a problem?
 
It would have to be a good ten miles away. Personally I'd go twenty...
 
Here's an article about wild Norway rats:

http://cj_whitehound.madasafish.com/Rats_Nest/Norway_Rats/Wild.htm

I didn't have time to read through the whole thing, just skimmed. One thing I would probably challenge in the article might be the distance they suggest for trapping and releasing a wild rat; they suggest at least half a mile. I'd suggest much further myself. My sister used to have wild mice in her cottage and we would trap and release them, and I swear they showed up again almost before we even got back to the cottage...we took them a mile down the road before releasing.

I too love rats, undergunfire. I've never had to deal with a wild one, though. I did have to deal with a raccoon that tried to get at the rabbits once...he showed up in the shed where the outside cages were, and one day I went out there and noticed claw marks gouged all over the plywood of the two sections where Anna and Raph had been housed. Thankfully I'd already moved the two of them into the house at that point, but I can imagine he was still out there at night when they were there, probably scaring them with attempts to get at them. I think if we are keeping rabbits in outdoor housing, then that housing has to be absolutely flawless (no cracks, weak wiring, wood that is thin enough to chew/claw through, etc.) before the bunnies will be completely safe...and even then, the appearance of a predator can be enough to terrify them. It truly can be a challenge to keep outdoor rabbits safe.

Jenson, I hope you are able to resolve your rat problem soon, and I'm sorry for the loss of your little one....:(
 
angieluv wrote:
Sealy is a smart aleck :laugh:
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Agreed. I can't deny it. My toungue has lots of scars on it from trying to keep it's alec-y personality under control over the years. ;)
Although I really didn't mean it maliciously. I was in one of those moods yesterday.
I like Amy and really have alot of respect and admiration for her as an animal lover with a big heart.
 
Sealy wrote:
You can always catch him and ship him to Undergunfire :biggrin2:
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I would build him a HUGE rattie cage outside....like bring the "wild" into a massive cage. Of course, then I might not have a backyard anymore.

He would probably be the fatest rattie ever.

You see, I get so upset because the Norway Rat looks JUST like our domestic. Domestic rats are called "Fancy Rats"....but really they are Norway Rats, but not wild. Do I make sense?



Hehe, thanks Sealy. I almost got myself fired at work last year because we had mice and my manager set death trap. I would walk around the building with a broom and set the live traps off, then collect them and hide them behind the file cabinet.He got extremely angry....and I told him that he should check with his employees before doing something of the sort. He knew I had ratties and pet mice at home, that jerk....lol.
 
I have a French Lop I used to keep in an outdoor hutch. A few times I opened his cage door and right there in front of the door was a mouse squashed flat. And he kept hopping circles around it as if to say ''mom look what I did! It got dead! I made it dead! Look look!'' And he's killed 2 of hte little bugger.

I had another Dutch mix who used to kill mice and eat them. She was.....not the friendliest rabbit I've ever owned.

Maybe you need a french lop.
 
Dude if you lived around here I would HOOK YOU UP!

My husband calls me the rabbit ''dealer'' for the area. And I get everyone hooked on rabbits and everyone comes out to pet or play or get more when they need a rabbit fix.

I do have al ong black leather trenchcoat I wear during the winter....I was thinking about adding some more pockets tot he inside and sticking rabbits in there, and flashing people on the sidewalk and saying stuff like:

"I got your companion right her"
" I'll make you a deal"
" No i'm not naked just look"
 
JAK Rabbitry wrote:
I was thinking about adding some more pockets tot he inside and sticking rabbits in there, and flashing people on the sidewalk and saying stuff like:

"I got your companion right her"
" I'll make you a deal"
" No i'm not naked just look"
Click to expand...

:roflmao:

That is the best thing I've heard all day, you're brilliant!
 
I"m not sure if this has been asked already, but is there any reason why you can't keep your buns indoors? It just seems like that would solve alot of these problems if they were inside.
 
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