Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Is that like shotguns and possums?

black dogs are quieter than shotguns

yeh but dogs wreck things they climb just ask EB.
and the sound of a shoty going of keeps people indoors and they go BANG! or BANG BANG!

and then the blue lights appear...

well we saw the boys in blue when I was in fnqld and all they did was drive around and around.

I never said they did anything when they appeared, did I?

no no you didn't but it was funny seeing them burning fuel and time.

EB, shame on you - haven't you grabbed some of that scrunched up chicken wire and wrapped it around the tomato plant (only need about 30metres)

I did wonder about covering it somehow, for about a microsecond. Then realized that it's impossible...

If they are trap-shy, and it sounds like they are, you can try placing a trap into a large shoebox, baiting it with peanut butter (they can't resist that), poking a couple of rat-sized holes in each end, and then filling the shoebox with shredded paper and put the lid on the shoebox.
The rat goes in and can't make out the trap for all the paper, he rustles about until he finds the pb then SNAP. Hopefully. Repeat as required.

Or... I remember my uncle telling me about a method he used on his farm when they had a vermin plague.

Get a bin/bucket, basically anything large enough so that they can't jump out of it, and half fill it with soapy water. Then cover it with a sheet of newspaper (taped to the outside of the bin so it doesn't blow away), make a slit in the paper and smear some peanut butter right in the middle of the paper where the slit is. Place a ramp of some sort so the rats can get up to the top.

Rats can smell the pb and can't resist the urge, they venture towards the middle of the paper and (hopefully) fall through, do their best Ian Thorpe impersonation, then eventually, do their best Jeff Buckley impersonation...

While we're on unusual traps, put a stick out over a bucket of water, have the stick (round dowelling) sloping slightly down and grease it near the PB - same effect (drowned rat[s])

Yeah Ell, now you mention it he also said that a beer bottle with the bottom of it glued to the inside of bin at the top works well, grease the neck of the bottle and whack a dollop of pb on the end.

More than 1 way to skin a cat, or drown a rat, it seems

Then set up a video camera. LOL

Hey, i've got it, how about back dogs with Laaaasers........

the reply from the dog for that one Steve,