Welcome to Paris!

[mercalia]

https://www.thelocal.fr/20180122/video-swarm-of-rats-in-paris-dumpster-caught-on-camera-by-garbage-collector

[mjr]

That's bad but rats are also a common hazard on riverside cycle routes in this country.

[661-Pete]

Paris's rat problem has been known about for years and is getting worse - this is just an example. Of course it is not unique to Paris. We have had rats in our back garden in Sussex - they generally go for the bits which birds drop from the bird-feeders, although I have seen them climb the feeder-post itself. Luckily they don't seem to come near the house - yet! A few weeks ago I put out some sachets of rat-poison on the ground near the feeders - hoping that the rats would get them before any birds or domestic pets poisoned themselves! Indeed, within a few minutes, all of them were gone - although I didn't see what took them. I hope it was the rats and not anything else. Whether they put paid to our particular 'problem' remains to be seen. They'll be back!

On the other hand, we have never seen a rat in the little village in France where we have our holiday home. One of our neighbours has, apparently - and the situation has led to some local acrimony. I'm sure they are about but hopefully the house is fairly rat-proof (once on returning to the house, Mrs P was dismayed to see what we thought were rat-droppings on the kitchen floor. Luckily they turned out to be those of a toad that had somehow wormed its way into the house). We have had mice in that house, on the other hand. And there are other rodents to watch out for: one of them is the loir (edible dormouse) which - whilst being a rare and protected species in Britain - is fairly common and a pest in parts of mainland Europe.

[Cyril Haearn]

Rat droppings?
A TOAD had WORMED its way into the house..
+1 for animal metaphors

[pwa]

If you put poison out for the rats, do something to reduce the risk of non-target animals taking it. Hedgehogs, birds or whatever. Put it somewhere that rats can get but other animals can't. I had rats in our shed recently, so put poison in the shed, not outside it. I reasoned that anything in the shed was fair game, but killing animals outside the shed was too indiscriminate.

I did try two types of humane rat trap, that catches them live. But neither worked.

I reckon bird food is the main source of food for rats around gardens.

[661-Pete]

The WORMS mainly inhabit the fruit from our back-garden trees. Especially the quinces. I read somewhere, a claim that quinces are rarely attacked by insect larvae. I wish to set the writer right about that point!

Nevertheless we still manage to make a decent amount of quince-cake and chutney, from our annual harvest...

[661-Pete]

If you put poison out for the rats, do something to reduce the risk of non-target animals taking it. Hedgehogs, birds or whatever. Put it somewhere that rats can get but other animals can't. I had rats in our shed recently, so put poison in the shed, not outside it. I reasoned that anything in the shed was fair game, but killing animals outside the shed was too indiscriminate.

I did try two types of humane rat trap, that catches them live. But neither worked.

I reckon bird food is the main source of food for rats around gardens.

I agree, it was with some misgivings that I threw the bait on the ground (something which, it appears, is illegal in Paris btw). I couldn't think of a better place to put it. But I was intending to watch the bait closely until it was picked up - by the rats. As it turned out, I missed the pick-up - they must have been quick!

It is years since we last saw a hedgehog in our garden or anywhere nearby, sadly. I don't even come across "flatmates" on the roads any more....

[pwa]

If you put poison out for the rats, do something to reduce the risk of non-target animals taking it. Hedgehogs, birds or whatever. Put it somewhere that rats can get but other animals can't. I had rats in our shed recently, so put poison in the shed, not outside it. I reasoned that anything in the shed was fair game, but killing animals outside the shed was too indiscriminate.

I did try two types of humane rat trap, that catches them live. But neither worked.

I reckon bird food is the main source of food for rats around gardens.

I agree, it was with some misgivings that I threw the bait on the ground (something which, it appears, is illegal in Paris btw). I couldn't think of a better place to put it. But I was intending to watch the bait closely until it was picked up - by the rats. As it turned out, I missed the pick-up - they must have been quick!

It is years since we last saw a hedgehog in our garden or anywhere nearby, sadly. I don't even come across "flatmates" on the roads any more....

If you've been seeing rats, the chances are that it is they who took the bait. But you could try housing future bait drops under, say, a stack of bricks with a gap just wide enough for a rat to get in. I doubt birds would go in. Collateral casualties would be limited to small rodents. Though whatever eats small rodents would also be at risk.... It's not an easy one.

[Psamathe]

.....
I agree, it was with some misgivings that I threw the bait on the ground (something which, it appears, is illegal in Paris btw)....

Does not surprise me. Region I used to live (in France) had a massive Ragondin problem. I lived very very rurally on a river (literally "on" as in river ran through the house). Local hunt used to trap/destroy them (they kept the tails in a freezer somewhere and got 1€ per tail payment for their efforts. They used to poison them (bait/poison on floating rafts) but that was made illegal so they now have to trap them with many regulations about how often they must inspect their set traps, etc.

They were a real nuisance (I'd occasionally tread on one in the fields) and some were a risk to the dogs. Local hunt were a good laugh and I got on well with them and learnt a lot as they used traps without any bait atall - so you have to learn their natural history and learn to spot their habits.

Ian

[mercalia]

well that bin seems to be a good trap ? as they didnt seem to be able to get out? I wonder how they were then killed? boiling water?

[francovendee]

.....
I agree, it was with some misgivings that I threw the bait on the ground (something which, it appears, is illegal in Paris btw)....

Does not surprise me. Region I used to live (in France) had a massive Ragondin problem. I lived very very rurally on a river (literally "on" as in river ran through the house). Local hunt used to trap/destroy them (they kept the tails in a freezer somewhere and got 1€ per tail payment for their efforts. They used to poison them (bait/poison on floating rafts) but that was made illegal so they now have to trap them with many regulations about how often they must inspect their set traps, etc.

They were a real nuisance (I'd occasionally tread on one in the fields) and some were a risk to the dogs. Local hunt were a good laugh and I got on well with them and learnt a lot as they used traps without any bait atall - so you have to learn their natural history and learn to spot their habits.

Ian

Have you tried Ragodin Pâté? The French have a way with pests, they eat them

[Cyril Haearn]

Maybe rats have a place in the scheme of things, what would happen if they were exterminated?

Maybe poisons can be made so only the target animal wants to eat them

I read that rat poison makes the beasts sleepy, they go into their holes and die there

[Psamathe]

.....
I agree, it was with some misgivings that I threw the bait on the ground (something which, it appears, is illegal in Paris btw)....

Does not surprise me. Region I used to live (in France) had a massive Ragondin problem. I lived very very rurally on a river (literally "on" as in river ran through the house). Local hunt used to trap/destroy them (they kept the tails in a freezer somewhere and got 1€ per tail payment for their efforts. They used to poison them (bait/poison on floating rafts) but that was made illegal so they now have to trap them with many regulations about how often they must inspect their set traps, etc.

They were a real nuisance (I'd occasionally tread on one in the fields) and some were a risk to the dogs. Local hunt were a good laugh and I got on well with them and learnt a lot as they used traps without any bait atall - so you have to learn their natural history and learn to spot their habits.

Ian

Have you tried Ragodin Pâté? The French have a way with pests, they eat them :D

Never did (and probably wouldn't given the diseases they carry). I did have sanglier pate (local hunt people brought me round a vast lump, several Kg as a gift! - they were a good bunch and regularly I was refusing "bounty" they brought me).

Ian

[Cyril Haearn]

Raw fish can be hazardous, the Guardian reported that someone found a 5ft long tapeworm in his gut after eating it

No idea what is in my gut, but it works fine

[PDQ Mobile]

If you put poison out for the rats, do something to reduce the risk of non-target animals taking it. Hedgehogs, birds or whatever. Put it somewhere that rats can get but other animals can't. I had rats in our shed recently, so put poison in the shed, not outside it. I reasoned that anything in the shed was fair game, but killing animals outside the shed was too indiscriminate.

I did try two types of humane rat trap, that catches them live. But neither worked.

I reckon bird food is the main source of food for rats around gardens.

I agree, it was with some misgivings that I threw the bait on the ground (something which, it appears, is illegal in Paris btw). I couldn't think of a better place to put it. But I was intending to watch the bait closely until it was picked up - by the rats. As it turned out, I missed the pick-up - they must have been quick!

It is years since we last saw a hedgehog in our garden or anywhere nearby, sadly. I don't even come across "flatmates" on the roads any more....

I don't think you should scatter rat bait openly under bird feeders.

If it is a wheat based bait you will kill your birds.
Possibly domestic pets or worse.
That is surely not what you want?

A covered bait with rat/mouse access is what is needed, placed near where they are likely to hide and then emerge.
A wooden box with a cut out or an inverted plastic container similarly cut out and wieghted down. Try to arrange it so the bait is far from the entrance in the dark, that way birds are less endangered.