# Rats and cockapoos



## Goosey (Aug 22, 2014)

Ok so this might be an odd thing to ask and you may ask yourself what's this to do with cockapoos, but my neighbours use to keep chickens up till about 8 months ago. She was really bad at cleaning them out, to the point it was almost a year and she hadn't cleaned them. Enviromental health were contacted and she was visited by them. Anyway she's now got rid, but recently we've had a visitor in our garden coming from hers , yes a rat! I was wondering if the presents of recent chicken food and poo would have attracted theses rats. 
The question I'm asking is it possible that these rats could infect Molly and Sid with anything,also I'm worried about putting anything down that might be toxic to my poos!! 
I have noticed that Sid and Molly are spending a lot of time sniffing around the area the rat has been seen.


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## Datun Walnut (Oct 15, 2013)

I don't want to be alarmist about this but I would imagine there's a chance of Weil's disease coming from the rat's urine. There's also the chance of being bitten by a rat and heaven knows what that could spread.
I'd also be concerned that a dead rat might be full of poison so keep a look out for that.
As I said I don't want to be alarmist: Our last dog (a terrier) was a true ratter and never suffered from any problems but it's always wise to know of risks. 
I think there is a leptospirosis inoculation available if you are very worried.


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## Goosey (Aug 22, 2014)

Thanks Neil, I'm not sure my two are quick enough to catch a rat. The rat does run as soon as it hears us coming. 
I'm quiet relieved that one good thing is my two are vaccinated for leptospirosis. I've check now that you mentioned it


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Is it true that you are never more than 10 foot away from a rat? Or is that one of those not true things like you inhale spiders when you sleep 
Lepto is the one that you would be concerned about and they are covered by that. Poison is more of a worry - but it should be inside covered boxes anyhow.
Our neighbour had a rat problem - she put piles of bird food on the ground - for wild birds, apparently.... my dogs survived the rat man's rat solutions.


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## Datun Walnut (Oct 15, 2013)

Goosey said:


> Thanks Neil, I'm not sure my two are quick enough to catch a rat.


 I wouldn't bank on it. 
It's time I confessed. There's a good reason why I have a bit of knowledge of rats: There's an old corn mill by us that's being renovated and we've seen the odd rat around since the work started. (we live in a semi-rural area so the odd one isn't a surprise). The other morning, as I let her out for her morning wee - one ran past the Popster. Despite me shouting 'No!' at her, she was on it in a flash. Two quick shakes and she dropped the body and walked away. Very pleased with herself. I just stood there stunned. I couldn't believe she'd sorted it without being bitten. I expected it with our terrier (it was in her job description after all) not cute, butter wouldn't melt Poppy. I was very relieved she was safe (and not a little proud of her). She got a spoonful more breakfast that day.
All that shaking toys to pieces has taught her a thing or two.


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## Goosey (Aug 22, 2014)

Datun Walnut said:


> I wouldn't bank on it.
> It's time I confessed. There's a good reason why I have a bit of knowledge of rats: There's an old corn mill by us that's being renovated and we've seen the odd rat around since the work started. (we live in a semi-rural area so the odd one isn't a surprise). The other morning, as I let her out for her morning wee - one ran past the Popster. Despite me shouting 'No!' at her, she was on it in a flash. Two quick shakes and she dropped the body and walked away. Very pleased with herself. I just stood there stunned. I couldn't believe she'd sorted it without being bitten. I expected it with our terrier (it was in her job description after all) not cute, butter wouldn't melt Poppy. I was very relieved she was safe (and not a little proud of her). She got a spoonful more breakfast that day.
> All that shaking toys to pieces has taught her a thing or two.


Good girl poppy, maybe I could borrow her for a week. I think Molly would probably run the opposite way, she tends to do so with cats!


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## Goosey (Aug 22, 2014)

Marzi said:


> Is it true that you are never more than 10 foot away from a rat? Or is that one of those not true things like you inhale spiders when you sleep
> Lepto is the one that you would be concerned about and they are covered by that. Poison is more of a worry - but it should be inside covered boxes anyhow.
> Our neighbour had a rat problem - she put piles of bird food on the ground - for wild birds, apparently.... my dogs survived the rat man's rat solutions.


Yep marzi, I've been told that your only ever 3 metres away from a rat at any time some are closer than that, I sleep next to one every night 
I think the spider thing is a myth. Well there's no chance of me ever inhaling any, apparently I snore so loud it would scare them away! 
So now all that left is to find a local firm who can now deal with the rat or rats in a way to keep my two safe.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Poppy and Molly must never meet 

My friend who has the dogs while I am at work lives in the country and frequently has rats living under the garage floor thanks to next doors chickens right next to the fence. Of all of the many many dogs there have been there at different times there is just one who is totally obsessed with the garage and goes nuts screeching in there every time the door is opened


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## Datun Walnut (Oct 15, 2013)

2ndhandgal said:


> Poppy and Molly must never meet
> 
> My friend who has the dogs while I am at work lives in the country and frequently has rats living under the garage floor thanks to next doors chickens right next to the fence. Of all of the many many dogs there have been there at different times there is just one who is totally obsessed with the garage and goes nuts screeching in there every time the door is opened


Quite where she got all this from, I'll never know. We wanted a cutey pie.


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

You don't have any decking in your garden do you Nicola? Parts are notorious for loving under decking as their habitat  (sheds and chicken coops are just as ideal)
I used to watch a HUGE one scurry about the chicken coop on the farm, it lived under a shed in the coop and used to be in and out of the coop all day long fetching food - no doubt for it's nest of babies! 
We also have a canal very close, in fact I'm surprised I haven't seen more.
Well done poppy!


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## Goosey (Aug 22, 2014)

Tinman said:


> You don't have any decking in your garden do you Nicola? Parts are notorious for loving under decking as their habitat  (sheds and chicken coops are just as ideal)
> I used to watch a HUGE one scurry about the chicken coop on the farm, it lived under a shed in the coop and used to be in and out of the coop all day long fetching food - no doubt for it's nest of babies!
> We also have a canal very close, in fact I'm surprised I haven't seen more.
> Well done poppy!


Yes Tracey the whole garden is decking and we have a large shed. My neighbours garden is decked to. There's a river not far so probably contributes I've just never had rats in the garden until my neighbour had chickens, even though they're now gone I thought they might have what first attracted them ! I don't mind most wild life in the garden,but can't say I'm a lover of these rats


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## Datun Walnut (Oct 15, 2013)

Mittens (Next door's cat) has been dropping injured baby rats in to our garden and leaving them there. I have been lucky and found them before 'The Terminator' found them. It's then down to me to end their misery - Cheers Mittens.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Good grief this thread is depressing. Neglected chickens, eaten spiders, droves of rats, rat traps, poison and now ratting dogs, cats and even people. As I was born a rat and identified fully with Templeton in Charlotte's Web I feel I must take the rat's side in all this. Sadly we have none here, but fear not, you people can KEEP all of yours there.

http://www.onekind.org/be_inspired/animals_a_z/rat/


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## Datun Walnut (Oct 15, 2013)

fairlie said:


> Good grief this thread is depressing. Neglected chickens, eaten spiders, droves of rats, rat traps, poison and now ratting dogs, cats and even people. As I was born a rat and identified fully with Templeton in Charlotte's Web I feel I must take the rat's side in all this. Sadly we have none here, but fear not, you people can KEEP all of yours there.
> 
> http://www.onekind.org/be_inspired/animals_a_z/rat/


It gets easier every time you take a shovel to a rat:
'You've been (Clang!) a very, (Clang!) naughty (Clang!) rat! 
It's how Ed Gein started.

To be serious for a minute though, as distasteful as it seems, sometimes you just have to take responsibility to end it's suffering.


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Datun Walnut said:


> I wouldn't bank on it.
> It's time I confessed. There's a good reason why I have a bit of knowledge of rats: There's an old corn mill by us that's being renovated and we've seen the odd rat around since the work started. (we live in a semi-rural area so the odd one isn't a surprise). The other morning, as I let her out for her morning wee - one ran past the Popster. Despite me shouting 'No!' at her, she was on it in a flash. Two quick shakes and she dropped the body and walked away. Very pleased with herself. I just stood there stunned. I couldn't believe she'd sorted it without being bitten. I expected it with our terrier (it was in her job description after all) not cute, butter wouldn't melt Poppy. I was very relieved she was safe (and not a little proud of her). She got a spoonful more breakfast that day.
> All that shaking toys to pieces has taught her a thing or two.


All that practising with 'dead' bunnies was worth it, then 

Is Mittens the Pop up kitten that was. She looked like trouble from the start


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Could not agree more Datun and I applaud your humanity. My dog Max once injured a baby chipmunk and it turns out there are no rodent rescue outfits here, everyone kept telling me to do it in myself but I was too whimpy. I finally took it to Allison who dispatched it with a needle. As a person who cares for nine cats on a daily basis (five here, four at the farm) I cannot tell you how much I hate these loathesome creatures. Give me an industrious rat any day over these serial killing for sport/hairball producing monsters.


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## Datun Walnut (Oct 15, 2013)

Marzi said:


> All that practising with 'dead' bunnies was worth it, then
> 
> Is Mittens the Pop up kitten that was. She looked like trouble from the start


 Yes, that's Mittens - Poppy's nemesis.


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

I like the sound of "mittens" it's a cool name for a cat - not that I'm a lover of cats, - they make my eyes itch!


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## Walter (May 31, 2015)

We live next door to useless neighbours with a seriously overgrown garden. Rats came through from theirs a while ago and stayed. Someone somewhere is putting poison down because they turn up dead on our grass every so often. 

Up until now I've got rid of them, apart from one time when I saw Walter running round with what looked like an earthworm hanging from his mouth. On closer inspection it was a dead rat. He started to do his usual running round in circles and darting in to the bushes thing that he does when he knows he has something he shouldn't have, but lucklily he needed a wee after a few seconds and dropped the rat. I had to drag him back towards the house mid wee.

He was never ill, and I'm surprised the remaining rats aren't scared of him. They're still taking residence under my shed. I'm going to nuke them with poison before it gets so cold that the house looks like a good idea.


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## Goosey (Aug 22, 2014)

Walter said:


> We live next door to useless neighbours with a seriously overgrown garden. Rats came through from theirs a while ago and stayed. Someone somewhere is putting poison down because they turn up dead on our grass every so often.
> 
> Up until now I've got rid of them, apart from one time when I saw Walter running round with what looked like an earthworm hanging from his mouth. On closer inspection it was a dead rat. He started to do his usual running round in circles and darting in to the bushes thing that he does when he knows he has something he shouldn't have, but lucklily he needed a wee after a few seconds and dropped the rat. I had to drag him back towards the house mid wee.
> 
> He was never ill, and I'm surprised the remaining rats aren't scared of him. They're still taking residence under my shed. I'm going to nuke them with poison before it gets so cold that the house looks like a good idea.


This is my worry that they might find the house more appealing


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## Datun Walnut (Oct 15, 2013)

Tinman said:


> I like the sound of "mittens" it's a cool name for a cat - not that I'm a lover of cats, - they make my eyes itch!


 I'll make him into a pair of mittens if I catch him


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

My ex called all cats "Two Tacos and a fur cap"


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Sounds like the rats were well fed when your neighbour had chickens and now they are having to forage further afield. Both my neighbour and myself have chickens ( she has horses too). Last year we had a huge rat problem in our attic. Took a long while to get rid of them and locate their food source. We used poison and traps to get rid of them. Still kept both my dogs and her cat safe......just the rats got done in!


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