What poo?

[Nippy 1,825]

I found stuff like this on the concrete floor of a shed last year, and I had thought it was slugs that had slid in when it was damp then dried up. I've now found similar stuff outside, and it definitely look like droppings because they are still moist, but they are huge! I don't think it could be even a rat. I've included a 1p piece in the photo for a sense of scale.

[spunko 28,314]

Rats...

Good luck getting rid. They're not as bad as mice though, if you lace the place with poison they'll take it. Make sure to get a mix of poisons - Rentokil do a few different ones.

Or just do live traps and drown them in a bucket, possibly more humane and if you have pets then poison will always be a worry.

(They're one of the few rodents to use a latrine i.e. toilet so it's not hedgehogs if you've found them like that in one cluster)

Prevention is best: in your shed do you have any spilled grass seed lying around? That's what attracted them to mine. Bird seed, fatballs, anything.

Rats ARE huge, here's a squirrel for scale:

[Fully Detached 8,895]

I reckon that's hedgehogs or rats. Eat big, shit big.

Edited September 25, 2020 by Fully Detached

[XswampyX 11,285]

What has a hazelnut in every bite?

[NTB 4,554]

Yep, rats. Definitely not hedgehog.

[Happy Renting 17,865]

On 25/09/2020 at 14:59, Nippy said:

I found stuff like this on the concrete floor of a shed last year, and I had thought it was slugs that had slid in when it was damp then dried up. I've now found similar stuff outside, and it definitely look like droppings because they are still moist, but they are huge! I don't think it could be even a rat. I've included a 1p piece in the photo for a sense of scale.

Rats carry all sorts of diseases.

Wash that 1p before you spend it.

[Nippy 1,825]

Thank you for answers so far. I've had snap traps down for a week and caught nothing.
Then, today, I spotted this. What's going on? A big pile of earth has appeared beside a garden wall and a hole going down and either through the wall or under my wood store. There are quite large stones in the earth that has been moved.

[One percent 55,268]

On 25/09/2020 at 18:15, XswampyX said:

What has a hazelnut in every bite?

Squirrel shit. Or was it a topic?    showing your age there swamps.  

[swiss_democracy_for_all 19,468]

3 hours ago, Nippy said:

Thank you for answers so far. I've had snap traps down for a week and caught nothing.
Then, today, I spotted this. What's going on? A big pile of earth has appeared beside a garden wall and a hole going down and either through the wall or under my wood store. There are quite large stones in the earth that has been moved.

 

With snap traps for rats, you have to know what you're doing. I didn't but followed instructions of an expert - I was astonished to learn they like baking flour as bait, but tried it, and it worked. Mind you the big fucker writhed his way out of the trap and spread blood and piss all round the flat before I finally found him and finished him off with a blunt instrument. He (or she) was bigger than the one in that picture with the squirrel. 

That hole looks like something bigger than a rat, but not big enough for fox. If it's fox you'll be able to smell it- they stink to high heaven.

 

[spunko 28,314]

No that's definitely a rat hole. You can get specialists in to gas them in situ but it's pricey. 

Check for that they're eating, and put the poison there. After a few days check their droppings and see if the poison is in it, that's why they dye the poison bright colours.

If they're not taking that poison try another. It's very unlikely you'll be able to tempt rats to eat anything special as they won't touch any new food lying about for days as a precaution.

[spunko 28,314]

If you know any pikeys with ratter dogs and haven't put poison down yet then don't overlook that option either...

[Nippy 1,825]

I appreciate the confirmed ID of the hole; I didn't want to kill a stoat or similar by accident. I borrowed a mutt this afternoon that was half-terrier, and it sniffed and pawed at the hole for a little while then lost interest. I blocked up one side of the hole, then put the hosepipe down another and left it for twenty minutes whilst I stood by with the a wooden handle, ready for whack a rat. The dog cleared off for a nap. I know rats can hold their breath, but nothing surfaced in all that time. I have some poison, but it is large solid blocks of something red, not the dyed wheat. I suppose I'll be able to see if they've taken it by the teeth marks? I cleared the wood pile and found a large dead rat that had gone all white and inflated, so I've just had a little cremation ceremony and something went pop which made me wonder whether human cavities  are punctured before cremation to prevent distressing bangs being heard.

[AlfredTheLittle 1,341]

Why kill the rats, doesn't sound like they're doing any harm. Very intelligent creatures, love a cuddle.

[Caravan Monster 5,481]

The red blocks conventionally go in baitboxes to prevent non target animals getting at it. Bait and housekeeping ie not having piles of crap everywhere are the standard advice. Not sure about cats, but reasonably confident I'm right in saying rat poison doesn't pose much of a threat to even small dogs because they would have to eat very large quantities of the stuff to get ill. A few rats are going to be fact of life around woodstores.