C & E wrote:
"HeyBub" wrote in message
...
Robert Allison wrote:
My question is about rats. I have a shop that has been invaded
by rats and I am currently without a cat that catches mice and
rats. My old cat kept them at bay, but the new one just likes to
watch them, apparently.

Anyway, I have set out rat traps and I have shot 2 with my pellet
gun. The first night with the traps I caught 3 rats. After 3
more nights with reset traps and new bait, not a single rat.

I am wondering if rats learn to avoid traps after they see what
they do, or did I get them all the first night? I don't know if
I am just lucky and there were only five rats, or whether they
all left after realizing they weren't welcome, or whether they
have learned to avoid being seen and to avoid the traps.

Anyone know?
Rats are smart. But here's a trick.

Go to pet store and buy one white mouse.

Then go to pet adoptions center (SPCA, Humane Society, etc.). Ask to see
cats.

At each cat cage, put in mouse.

Adopt the cat that shows the most interest.

In many, if not most adoption centers the people there are off-the-hook
about animal love and probably would not let you inflict harm on that mouse,
emotionally and physiically!! No joke. Friends of ours live on a farm and
went to the animal shelter to replace their deceased dog. When signing the
papers they were intensely questioned about where the dog would live, eat
and sleep. When it was revealed that the dog ate and slept in a 10' x 12'
enclosure but during the day would have run of over 100 acres they were
turned down as adoptive parents. They required that the dog live completely
with the family. Running the farm during the day was too dangerous. My
eyes want to bleed!


A shelter that never heard of 'working dogs'? I guess if a dog was
raised as an indoor housepet, it might not be able to make the
transition. But if they have 100 acres, odds are somebody around there
has a source for non-pampered dogs that don't mind having a Really Big
Yard to patrol in exchange for their food. I'm no dog expert, but I
would imagine that unless you adopt a puppy, there would be a learning
curve where you have to walk the dog around the perimeter on a leash for
a few weeks, so it learns where the borders are. And you probably
wouldn't want a dog from close by, because if it got bored or confused,
it would just go 'home'.



--
aem sends...