AIBU to not know what to do with the rat?!

[TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge]

And to name it Campbell, after UB40?! (May have changed the lyrics and sang 'There's a rat in the garden...'

Currently there is a large rat in a trap in my garden. A humane trap.

I noticed something had been trying to dig in to my quail house, near their feeding area, so had a trap delivered on Saturday and caught the thing last night. Who knew rats scream? Yep, noisy blighter kept me awake. Horrible sound.

Anyway, I've been out to see it this morning, slowly peering round the corner of the quail house, thinking it would be a hideous scream inducing sight. Actually, it looks completely harmless and has a fluffy white belly!

So what do I do with it? I didn't think of that bit. I know I need to get rid but how do I do that
A. Nicely for Campbell
B. Nicely for me and
C. How in hells name am I meant to grab the trap handle when it folds down flat when not being held and therefore,when lifting it, puts your fingers right in biting distance?!?!

Help!!?

or go totally ant-MN and club it to death with a loo brush that you clean in the dishwasher after!

You need to find a friend who keeps snakes and sell it as python food.

I wish you had posted a photo as I suspect that Cambell may have been someones pet with his fluffy white belly.

Also some fucking horrible suggestions on here for what to do with an animal absolutely disgusting just because it's a rat. Rats are cleaner than your cats and probably more intelligent too.

Have a look here these are all examples of markings on pet rats.

It's a rat! These are vermin, dropping them in a bucket of water is perfectly fine. Why do I suspect those realing at the idea of killing a rat are pale faced vegetarians or vegans! For everybody else just remember where the ham in your sandwich comes from. Are we really so helpless in the world that we can't slaughter a rat and not need therapy?

Let the poor thing go and secure your poultry.

Engineer, I am a vegetarian but definitely do not have a pale face, any more than I would assume that anyone related to an engineer is on the spectrum. Live and let live.

We drowned ours. When I say 'we' I mean my dh or adult ds, while I ran away and hid.
Horrible, but an unfortunate side effect of keeping chickens. And rats don't live in isolation, so there were loads.

Could you keep it OP? (pleeease??)

engineer on page one or two of this thread there's a link on how legally and humanely dispose of rats.

My aunt and uncle live in the country and when they had chickens my uncle shot them with an air rifle. Apparently that's the most humane way.

The article goes into different methods and suffering. Seeing as how drowning is supposed to be one of the worst ways for a human being to die, do you really want to inflict that on a rat, just to kill it? For those who have drowned rats, that's fine if you didn't know about suffering. But the article is interesting reading.

Range Campbell is no more.

Vermin or not you don't really want to cause a living thing unnessacary suffering if you can help it.
Snap traps can go just as wrong and cause alot of suffering for whatever gets caught.

I rescue mice/birds from my cat if I can, some survive and some don't.

Putting it in the freezer is a kinder death than drowning.

Not being funny but do people actually do this. I mean i will confess I don't care that much about rat welfare (obviously don't want to be cruel!) but this just seems horribly unhygienic. I'd basically have to buy a new freezer every time I caught a rat!

Tartle its up to you what you do. But the article etc details (in a bit too much detail really) what methods are considered humane or not.

My cats luckily never caught rats! But my childhood cat, Tigger, was a ferocious ratter, dead or alive!

Get an air rifle if you're going to catch any more. Quick death.

If you do please put in a few practice shots so you can use one accurately and humanely.

Is a spade not cheaper and quicker than an air rifle? A .177" pelet penetrates but will take time to kill, .22 much the same but the extra mass may help a little I guess.

Spectrum

I'm shocked at some of the 'humane' suggestions on here

Regardless of what you do or do not eat, a rat is a sentient being who deserves a quick death.

I have raised and eaten sheep, pigs, goats, geese, chickens. I have killed some of these myself.
I have shot vermin such as rats, and others.

To drown a rat because you can't be bothered to dispatch more swiftly is the act of a disrespectful boor.Anyone who does so deserves to come back as a rat in their next life.
To give an animal a slow death because you're squeamish- just not on.

I agree Dancing I was surprised by suggestions to drown it or freeze it :(

Spade is quicker and cheaper. But more hands on and not for everyone.

A .177 takes no longer to kill than .22 when put in the right place. Range (and accurate assessment of it) and power needs to be taken into account. .22 will have a loopier trajectory which needs to be thought about. Hence the need for practice and knowing the limits of what you have.

Drowning and freezing are not humane deaths. Should be bloody obvious why drowning isn't, but freezing will cause crystals to form in the blood and soft tissue causing pain and distress.

I have kept snakes for years, the humane killing of rodents for which has been debated ad nauseum. Upshot - controlled c02 chamber or a swift blow to the head are the best ways.

Just because something is called vermin doesn't mean that it doesn't deserve a clean and quick death.

(I frequently shoot rats and pigeons - so have no problem with doing what has to be done)

Shoot it. Then lay bait for its extended family. Keep doing that until bait no longer gets eaten. It will carry all manner of disease.
Sadly quails or any other caged birds kept outside will also inevitably mean rats.

Commercial rat poisons cause a very slow and painful death. Not to put too fine a point on it, the rat haemorrhages to death.

Scones agreed with you there re commercial rat poisons.

The best thing anyone can do is good housekeeping re grains etc and realise that ground rats (pest control man told my mum this years ago) are more like squirrels so harmless. The black or sewer rat, yes that carries disease. This one doesn't! People may not like them but if they're not harming you leave them alone!