# rats in my loft



## scarlett (Dec 25, 2007)

i am having trouble with rats in my loft one of my husbands racing pigieons was killed today he is gutted and we atre at wits end every hole has been blocked and they are still getting in floor is concrete has anyone any ideas to get rid of these pests thanks scarlett


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## brotherstwoloft (Jan 25, 2004)

hi, i would watch the feed put down 4 the birds and make sure there is nothing left after feeding the birds. next if there is no snow on the ground take some baking soda and sprinkle it around the loft, maybe about 4in. wide around the loft,and on the landing board to try to find out where they are going to enter the loft. next rat traps not poison, because if they leave your property and die some where else you might get complaints that u are attracting them with the birds. good luck


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Scarlett,
I had a similar problem with rats several years ago when the city was replacing the sewers in my area. It took months to relocate all the rats. I used a live trap and released them in a wild life area down by the river. I bated the trap with peanut butter and jam. Rats seem to find those two ingredients irresistible. In cold rainy weather I wrapped the live trap with a heavy clear plastic, I couldn't bare the thought of the rats left in the weather with no shelter. After all, they were killing to survive. They had no 
malicious intent. 
Once rats start killing the pigeons, they won't stop until they kill them all. Until I was able to trap all the rats, I left a light on in the coop all night long so my pigeons could see to get away from the rats. I didn't lose a one, after I started doing that.
Rats always have two ways in or a front door and a back door. Any hole around the coop needs to be filled daily with pea gravel. When the rats try to tunnel, the gravel falls in on them.Walk around your loft and inspect it carefully and you will find the rat's entry points. Don't delay in in taking care of the problem and call an exterminator if needed. many will live trap. Don't let them talk you into using poison.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Scarlett, could you post a picture of your loft? 

One of the things we did for our aviaries is place 1/4" hardware cloth all around the base of the aviary. My husband staples it to the aviary itself, digs a trench and lays the cloth, probably 12 - 15 inches out from the aviary, in the trench and covers it back up with the soil he took up. Predators can not dig under this.

Welcome to the forum and Merry Christmas to you and your family.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

scarlett said:


> i am having trouble with rats in my loft one of my husbands racing pigieons was killed today he is gutted and we atre at wits end every hole has been blocked and they are still getting in floor is concrete has anyone any ideas to get rid of these pests thanks scarlett


Hi,

What kind of construction do you have? 

We have pigeons (not racers) in eastern England, and our layout is basically an aviary with an open shelter at one end and a shed at the other. The entire aviary and shelter are wired in strong aviary mesh, including the floor. With the shed, which was a later addition along with an extra bit of flight pen, we put in the mesh, including the floor. (Aviary mesh is what our friends across the water call hardware cloth, of course.)

We had one young rat early last year who got in through a very small gap - we think - where the extension meets the shed. That was quickly sealed up. Fortunately for the pigeons, the rat was more interested in the grain.

Any gap which you can put two or three fingers through is likely to be possible for a rat.

We also have a small aviary which has paving slabs for a floor. We decided to have it built with mesh on top of these to be safe. 

We know from observation that rats can eat away at slabs and concrete, but not the strong wire mesh.

Condolences, too, on the loss of your husband's pigeon.

John


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## maranda (Nov 18, 2007)

Wow,I didn't know rats would kill birds.I am very sorry for the loss of your pigeon.


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## Matt D. (May 12, 2007)

I dont think anyone Welcomed you to pigeon-talk so Welcome. Also if you have a room that you dont have pigeons in there are many great traps you can use. Are these Rats or just mice... there is a huge difference... but I think that you have rats if they killed a bird. Seigels and Jedds both have traps. Along with you local farm supply store will have alot of options.


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## KO Loft (Jul 1, 2007)

We had in our old loft a conceret floor and after my grandfather passed away we had to remove the slab. We found rat holes underneath the loft and even with rat traps there were still holes. The unusual warm weather has caused the city to state that there is a citywide rat problem, and we live in an upper scale city. The best you can do is place traps down there and hope to keep the numbers down because even if you do all you can your neighbor and their trash will still attract these animals.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

KO Loft said:


> We had in our old loft a conceret floor and after my grandfather passed away we had to remove the slab. We found rat holes underneath the loft and even with rat traps there were still holes. The unusual warm weather has caused the city to state that there is a citywide rat problem, and we live in an upper scale city. The best you can do is place traps down there and hope to keep the numbers down because even if you do all you can your neighbor and their trash will still attract these animals.


Rats are everywhere and if there is food, they will find it. We just don't often see rats because they are nocturnal. If you see rats during the day there are probably a lot of rats in the area.


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## velo99 (Apr 8, 2007)

*feral cat*

I was having mice problems. Recently a 7-8 month old feral cat has started using under my breeder loft as one of his stops. My dog tolerates him to a certain degree. I haven`t noticed any mice droppings in the recent weeks. The mice probably have changed addresses.
The cat has a dry place to sleep and get a meal... ? 
The dog keeps the cat limited in his access to my buildings. 
Seems a win -win situation for me.

I have a friend whose cat was raised in the loft. The cat thinks of the birds as his friends I guess. No mice in his loft period. Just a thought.

v99


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## luisrolon (Jan 21, 2005)

Here in Puerto Rico we have some issues with rats. What we do is that we buy poisoned pellets to kill the rats. Obviously you have to be sure that your birds can't access the poison.

rats are one of the most difficult plague to control....!!!! If you dont want to use poison, try with one or two 2 months old cats.......they will scare the rats...... I have a cat inside my loft, he never attacks my pigeons.....but he love to catch mice and rats.


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## KO Loft (Jul 1, 2007)

*re cat as rat catcher*

One thing you should take note of is that once the feral cat has finished his mice meals he might still be hungry and not want to leave his new safe home. Pigeon might be next on his diet. just a thought

j


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## markymark (Dec 26, 2007)

i had that i put some plaster down mixed up with sugar it sets in the gut and kills them and its cheeper that buying poison not seen any for a long time now its a old trick my dad tought me and its a good one lol


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello and welcome to Pigeon Talk,

I am sorry to hear about the rats, but they will come if there is food around. They will also repopulate if they have an abundance of seed around. We don't condone killing them.

You need to concentrate on fixing the coop, making sure all the seed is cleaned up and eaten by the birds and never left over night in the coop. IF your birds are leaving seed then they are getting too much. 

My coop is off the ground with plywood floor, we have a few rats in the neighborhoos but they cannot get into the coop. We also remove all feeders & waterers each night and clean and replace each day. That is best way to avoid rat problems.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Trees Gray said:


> Hello and welcome to Pigeon Talk,
> 
> I am sorry to hear about the rats, but they will come if there is food around. They will also repopulate if they have an abundance of seed around. We don't condone killing them.
> 
> ...


Certainly that helps alot but once they have gotten the taste for birds the rats view them as their food source and keep returning for more.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Charis said:


> Certainly that helps alot but once they have gotten the taste for birds the rats view them as their food source and keep returning for more.


REMOVING them and RELOCATING them would be the alternative to killing them, if at all possible.


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## markymark (Dec 26, 2007)

put some poison down or somthing and get rid s,a,p if you dont someone will complain and the local health officers will, and also make you get rid of the birds.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Trees Gray said:


> REMOVING them and RELOCATING them would be the alternative to killing them, if at all possible.


FYI...I do relocate.I always advocate live trapping over poisioning. When relocating, it needs to be far away because they will return.I know from experience. Rats are very smart.
Poison is cruel and dangerous and should be used only in desperate situations and as a last resort.
Leave a light on in the coop at night so the pigeons can see to get away from the rats until all can be relocated. Baby Pigeons that can't get away from the rats need to be removed to keep them safe.


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