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Instead of killing them, why not train them to hunt for those elusive 10mm sockets that roll under the bench or the occasional nut/circlip that drops into the crankcase?

StuartWags wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:52 pm https://www.screwfix.com/p/pest-stop-ps ... lsrc=aw.ds

These work. Just remember to release them in a remote, uninhabited location ...... like a city center at the moment

They are classed as public health pest so it's not legal to re locate them. Did you read the reveiws the last one is priceless...
If you want rid kill them.
Poison but blocks not the grain. Placed in the correct bait station.
Nothing You or any proffesional Pestie can buy is so strong it will kill a dog or a child.
The grain can be spilt so wild birds can eat it & it would kill'em.

Shooting is best as you know they are dead but it means you will have to sit & wait for them to come out.

Snap traps work well but again they could catcth non target animals...

Bout time the professional turned up!!!
Bread with peanut butter bait for a few days then pow. You'll be surprised how long they stick around even after a couple are gone.
Use gloves to pick up.
You can get nasties

Richard wrote: ↑Thu Dec 03, 2020 11:08 pm Bout time the professional turned up!!!
Bread with peanut butter bait for a few days then pow. You'll be surprised how long they stick around even after a couple are gone.
Use gloves to pick up.
You can get nasties

Pay attention I showed up 3 days ago...

viewtopic.php?p=487908#p487908

Rats carry a virus called Leptospirosis which can only be caught if you have a open wound & their urine gets in, normaly via water that they have pee'd in. Flu like symptoms but it can kill you, other than that the normal upset tum type germs is all you gonna get. Yes always ware gloves, double bag & bin or burn the bodies.

I'd still go for the shooting method thats if you have a gun. Get some pest contol pellets they are hollow point & more effective.

https://www.pellpax.co.uk/airguns/airgu ... -x-200/529

Ooooops must have been asleep at the back of the class again.

Decent break barrel, non Chinese, well not the really cheap stuff shouldn't be too bad to buy and once you have it you have it. And those pellets Mac recommends are hardly going to break the bank. Then it's just practice.
Any sprung air rifle, unless really top of the range, will recoil, be heavy and take a bit more practise to shoot than a PCP. Plus side no pumping of fiddling about with divers bottles but your choice

My Air Arms S410 is a PCP & I use a divers bottle. Which is a piece of P iss to use & has a 10 shot mag & is bolt action.

It has a moderator on it & is so quiet to shoot.

Spring brake rifles are fine but are a faff in that you have to reload after every shot.

If cost comes into it then a cheap spring gun will do. But you will need a scope & you'll have to be a great shot with brilliant eye sight as it's gonna be dusk when they start to become active. So add a light source as well.

I think I paid £400 + for my gun & bits.

If your going to buy a Gun try & find a local Gun shop. There are new ish laws about not selling Air Weapons by post but I seem to recall somthing about licenced Gun Shops can sell by mail order...

https://www.pellpax.co.uk/airguns/air-rifles

This what I would go for... Resonable price, full kit. CO2 powerd. https://www.pellpax.co.uk/airguns/air-r ... llet/34321

In fairness to Mac I did have a Co2 set up and it worked fine.

Air rifles can be bought online but they need to be shipped to a Registered Firearm Dealer (RFD). I didn’t get any charge for the service when i got one

PCP is my preference. I started with a springer and a good one, Weihrauch. Best springer i have ever had. But moved onto PCP. First one was a Hatsan AT44-10 which new cost less than the springer. I had a stirrup pump initially. And since moved to a diver cylinder and added 3 more PCP. I have spent a considerable amount. However, I have a lot of rats at any time (100s??) because of the chickens. If unchecked the population get out of control and you know the rats are eat more food than the chickens. I also go after pigeon and pheasants, to eat them (don’t like eating shotgun pellets).

I want clean headshot every time, at 20-30 yards. And to do that means time on targets too. I will not point a gun at live stuff until I can put 10 shots within a 20mm diameter at 25 yards. It’s not humane if you are just wounding stuff.

To collapse a rat population, I will just go after the biggest first because the adult females are always going to drop them as fast as you can shoot them. By the time you are left with the smaller ones, the population will collapse or figure out that they are not welcome.

But to put all this into perspective, I have £X000’s worth of equipment, X00’s of hours practice and live shoot each year.

Guessing this is all a bit too much for Nick’s visitors

PS. Sorry about the thread hijack .... Rats

8541Hawk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:12 pm

Lol. I can't say I ever thought this thread would go this way and last so long.

Not sure what I'm going to do TBH. I've got an old Slavia at my folks place that I had as a kid. My guess is pellets would barely make the end of the barrel now. And I'm not buying something else just for these critters.

I don't really want to go down the poison route and they're not doing much harm. Once the restaurants and pubs open again they'll bugger off to town with the rest. There's woodland at the back of us so it's unlikely they're the first to visit. I guess they've just realised that the birds drop loads of food, hence they're out in daylight.

Just organise the first Operation RatStorm at your house. It'll only cost you a few bacon sandwiches, but you'll be left with more unbranded chocolate biscuits than you can eat in a month.

Unfortunately, you'll probably attract one or two owners with fairingless neglected firestorms hand painted with truck bed liner paint as well, but with all the firepower, you could put them out of their misery.

The bikes, not the owners!

Surprised nobody has suggested dynamite!


Make a ring of explosives, Put down a lot of food as a lure and when you have enough of the big female ones round the bait, then press the red button.

In one simple motion you remove both the infestation, and the source of food

Ratmageddon!!!