Put one in the roof space of my 165 year old house to deter squirrels. Seems to be working as they no longer try to bite through the metal mesh covering the roof vents. Three cats look after the mice……

Get a mongoose.

Martin

. . . . swallowed the spider to catch the fly . . . . etc .. etc

Was it Yorkies they used as ratters in the mills? Jack Russells are feisty too

My wife and I live in a small village and in the twenty nine years we have never had mice or rats but then we've always had a cat in residence, recently I watched a rat run up our bird table for the bread so became wary of more until two days later when our cat started mewing loudly outside and my wife went to look to find a very proud moggy sat with a dead rat at his feet, not seen any more rats since and Cheeky has earned his Bed and Board.

Martin P

There is an electronic pest deterrent advertised in NZ(have not seen it lately), it's said to deter rats, mice, cockroaches etc, but does not affect cats and dogs or other family pets. What worries me about this, how come domestic animals can't hear it. Cat's are the answer.

Ian S C

At this time of year the fields have been harvested and the food source has gone so ratty starts looking for a new B & B.

Here they come off the fields as they are no longer safe as the Raptors are soon onto them. They get under next doors Pergola and dig through into my side. I sit and wait with the PCP Airgun and as the head comes out the hole, 'Pop' no head. I have another way but Neil deleted it so I cannot say, people may get distressed but it certainly works.

It is a an ongoing problem not only in urban areas but in places like shopping malls where there are fast food outlets. You will see the black boxes with the poison in them.

Clive

Friend has a couple of large carpet pythons living in the shed, never has any problems with rats/mice/possums or for that matter cats……. A bit disconcerting for his missus though when going out in the evening to take the rubbish out and finds them draped over the verandah railing next to the stairs.

A few yrs ago my father in law[farmer] kept hens behind our house, I got poison off my uncle BUT it killed a rat but took me ages to find it meanwhile the workshop [old cow byre] absolutely stunk me out till I found it, I then bought a couple of fenn traps [the only legal spring traps] , I put hard chocolate on the platform & taped it tight round & round with electrical tape,I caught over 30 in a year,& for mice I use the old fashioned little nipper & remove the bait pin,"fine tune the sensitivity" & put peanut butter over the mechanism not the platform, never fails, f.i l not with us so no hens or rats.

I experimented with an ultra-sonic rodent device in a milking parlour some years ago (several tons of cattle feed in the loft overhead). It was interesting to watch the cows' reaction when I switched it on, those waiting at the door to enter took a step back and seemed 'puzzled'. Their desire for the feed overcame their anxiety in most cases, but I switched it off during milking because it unsettled them. It was the type that sweeps the ultrasonic range and I could just hear/sense it, presumably at the lowest frequency.

There was no significant decrease in the rodent population during the few months I tried it. Poison seems the only reliable control and we use the local authority pest control service, paid for as we are a business but worth every penny. Some authorities still provide a free service for private houses so might be worth asking.

I still vote cat…