[mohs.ayaz]

I have small mice and mayb rats what do i do? Poison them? I cant remove the feed all the times as i get home late most of the week.

Any suggestions?

Mo

[Paul Plots]

Cats and/or dogs can be useful sometimes.

Just a thought.

[Kevin67]

I have both live traps and the sort that snap and kill them. I leave them permanently.

Where are the mice? That might help form a solution?

[Paul Plots]

I have both live traps and the sort that snap and kill them. I leave them permanently.

Where are the mice? That might help form a solution?

Sounds a good place to start to me.

I really do rely on the local cats to help me out. I have an outside aviary for budgies and the local cats do a reasonably good job of patrolling and visiting day and night.

[joyfull]

chickens will eat mice, but rats are a different matter especially if they are fully grown - and if you have baby rats you will have their parents. Get traps that will kill them (you should never let vermin back out into the wild) or buy rat poison. Eradibait is one that is safe for all animals except rodents just in case any birds/dogs etc get the dead rats.

[mohs.ayaz]

Dont think they r rats. 1 mice i saw coming from otherside of the garden lol. Some i saw in the shed but i've cleaned all the shed out didnt see any apart from the droppins.

[Paul Plots]

Dont think they r rats. 1 mice i saw coming from otherside of the garden lol. Some i saw in the shed but i've cleaned all the shed out didnt see any apart from the droppins.

So what colour would you like? Black or white, ginger or tabby? Honestly they can work wonders.

I have about half-a-dozen (not mine personally you understand and they always scamper when I go out in the garden). They clamber over the back fence and wander in from the neighbourhood through the hedges. One sleeps on top of the compost heap. Useful.

Are you sure you don't want a cat? 

My shed is up off the ground on 12" blocks so the kitties can play underneath but the rodents have nowhere to hide. It helps.

[Kevin67]

A couple of years ago, my old cat was chasing a baby mouse for the kill.

It ran behind the wheelie-bin which I then moved to allow it a better escape and set the bin down. I was puzzled that my cat immediately lost interest and I couldn't find the said mouse...

until bin-emptying day - and I'd inadvertently squashed it dead under the bin.

I'm going to have pay for that bit of karma some time.

[8doubles]

A couple of years ago, my old cat was chasing a baby mouse for the kill.

It ran behind the wheelie-bin which I then moved to allow it a better escape and set the bin down. I was puzzled that my cat immediately lost interest and I couldn't find the said mouse...

until bin-emptying day - and I'd inadvertently squashed it dead under the bin.

I'm going to have pay for that bit of karma some time.

Good intentions and a fast death vs slow death by cat = positive karma !

[Kevin67]

You're too kind; it may have lived if I hadn't interfered!

[barley]

try putting some butter on a snapper trap but cover it so the chooks cant get at it with a tile and bricks or something similar

you can buy larger versions of snapper traps for rats

[Kevin67]

I think one problem is that people don't want to use poison for fear of harming other animal life and don't want to touch the rodent when disposing of its dead body - even the sight of it can be quite a stomach-turner.

I've just giggled this for anyone interested - a no-touch trap: http://bit.ly/1xU9Wwe

[grinling]

I found mice love living in the straw bale, so not have any at the mo. I also hang my water and food above jumping height.
Food is kept in a metal dustbin.
Cats will bring live mice into the house with major problems.
I use a bucket trap...bucket with ramp, plastic bottle with hole drilled in base and a cane pushed through, glue corn mix to this, have ramp leading to neck of bottle.

[Paul Plots]

A couple of years ago, my old cat was chasing a baby mouse for the kill.

It ran behind the wheelie-bin which I then moved to allow it a better escape and set the bin down. I was puzzled that my cat immediately lost interest and I couldn't find the said mouse...

until bin-emptying day - and I'd inadvertently squashed it dead under the bin.

I'm going to have pay for that bit of karma some time.

A friend of mine once shut one in the door of her dishwasher... clean but snuffed when she discovered it. 
The joys of living in an old flint cottage in the country-side. 

[birmancats]

I've put a battery operated sonic thing in the coup.  Battery lasts 6 months, looks just like a grey smoke alarm you'd have in the house with a red light that flashes intermittently.  Seems to work a treat.  No problems with any unwanted visitors over the last 4 years.  Do have 2 cats too though although they prefer to sofa to the great outdoors.