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Old 07-01-2019, 10:19 PM   #11
CherryBrandy
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I’m so sorry, Clare.
thank you Emma, so shocking, but the others were all ok so that's a blessing - apparently there has been a bit of a spate of them listening to some of the societies / vets, but still rare I would say, and I don't understand why this year all of a sudden , as it's not even cold, perhaps their homes have been under attack with new house builds or land is more waterlogged, more decking in areas to live under?? , something is very strange.
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Old 07-01-2019, 10:55 PM   #12
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thank you Emma, so shocking, but the others were all ok so that's a blessing - apparently there has been a bit of a spate of them listening to some of the societies / vets, but still rare I would say, and I don't understand why this year all of a sudden , as it's not even cold, perhaps their homes have been under attack with new house builds or land is more waterlogged, more decking in areas to live under?? , something is very strange.
Maybe, but even so...
Problem is the things are so good at breeding and they’re pretty ruthless. Even with the chickens I have to be vigilant. Rats can get into such small spaces and they cause such devastation.
Thank goodness your other torts were unharmed. x
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Old 08-01-2019, 08:31 AM   #13
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Be careful about rats. Doesn't matter whether it is the country or town. We had one chew through the floorboards, carpet edging strip underlay and carpet. It was eating the parrots' food at night. Not sure how long it had been going on for as was leaving no evidence. Once discovered we screwed a large block of wood over the hole. The next morning it had chewed through the concrete floor of the extension half of the room where it abutted the floorboards of the original half and left a big hole in the carpet in the middle of the room. The parrots were unharmed and never called out.

When the turtles were all outside I saw one run across the wire cover (these are fireguards from Mothercare so tough) of one of the ponds. This was the weekend before they were all due to come back indoors. All ponds are escape proof, but sadly a turtle had gone from her pond.

Nothing is safe from them. The 'Rat Man' told me they travel five miles a night on a set route, and just got lucky here, hence why supermarkets are advised to re-arrange their stockrooms regularly.

CB, so sorry to read what happened.
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Old 08-01-2019, 10:06 AM   #14
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I must be lucky, or careful as I have not had any problems with my tortoises in over 40yrs.:0)
Along with a few other keepers I know.
We do have foxes around, but with common sense things can be avoided.
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Old 08-01-2019, 02:25 PM   #15
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I must be lucky, or careful as I have not had any problems with my tortoises in over 40yrs.:0)
Along with a few other keepers I know.
We do have foxes around, but with common sense things can be avoided.
I think you've been lucky Sandy as rats are a real danger where I am and I make sure that my torts are not only safe in their greenhouse but in a house inside the greenhouse and in the hibernation house there are traps everywhere. It's not only rats but mice as well and also stoats that I need to be aware of so you can never be too careful.

I feel very sorry for you Clare as know how careful you are and what your torts mean to you. x
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Old 08-01-2019, 10:52 PM   #16
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Clare I am gutted for you

We had rats two years ago. They were under my Margie shed! Vile things. I have lived here over thirty years & never seen one before. Next door got a rat man out who said it was due to council cuts. They had stopped baiting & trapping the sewers & this had caused an explosion in numbers.

We all were very careful about not leaving any possible food sources around & I got some lockable bait boxes & put them under conifers on two sides of my garden where the rats were running (I put up fencing to ensure the torts had no access)

I have since stuffed the underside of shed with rat poison blocks & stuffed any gaps with wire wool (wilkos, cheap) I believe they also hate peppermint, so mint teabags, essential oil.

It worries me that I think I heard that rats like to return to where they were born, don't know-how true this is?

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Old 08-01-2019, 10:57 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by ClareandCo View Post
Be careful about rats. Doesn't matter whether it is the country or town. We had one chew through the floorboards, carpet edging strip underlay and carpet. It was eating the parrots' food at night. Not sure how long it had been going on for as was leaving no evidence. Once discovered we screwed a large block of wood over the hole. The next morning it had chewed through the concrete floor of the extension half of the room where it abutted the floorboards of the original half and left a big hole in the carpet in the middle of the room. The parrots were unharmed and never called out.

When the turtles were all outside I saw one run across the wire cover (these are fireguards from Mothercare so tough) of one of the ponds. This was the weekend before they were all due to come back indoors. All ponds are escape proof, but sadly a turtle had gone from her pond.

Nothing is safe from them. The 'Rat Man' told me they travel five miles a night on a set route, and just got lucky here, hence why supermarkets are advised to re-arrange their stockrooms regularly.

CB, so sorry to read what happened.
Clare this is absolutely shocking
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Old 09-01-2019, 10:00 AM   #18
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Clare this is absolutely shocking
Yes, horrendous. When we took the carpet and underlay up we could hear it during the night under the floor. It had also chewed through the floorboards in the understairs cupboard around the gas pipe. Holes are blocked off with wire wool, mesh, traps laid under the floor. Nothing was caught as the smell would have been the clue!

We took down a wooden garden playhouse which we'd had about 20 years. When we took the floor up there was a rat nest. They had one area for sleeping, one for pooing and one for eating absolutely covered with empty snail shells. For the sleeping area they had taken the dead Clematis heads and you could see their body shapes.
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