burrowing in shed.. rats?!

[bonbon]

hello, we have a fairly long narrow garden at the bottom of the gerden we have a ridiculosly large shed. behind the shed is an overgrown area which is at the back of all the houses and probably houses a good deal of wildlife. over the last couple of months i have noticed little piles of earth in the shed and today i discovered a whole heap of earth - absolutely loads!. i think something is burrowing from underneath. could this be rats? what should i do? please help. thanks

[leifus]

i think you should find out what it is before doing anything just in case

[bonbon]

yes i should find out first. i have become a bit afraid of the shed and it's strange earth piles but i think i will have to investigate!

[Hedge Witch]

It might be rats, they leave:

Holes 7-12 cm in size with a pile of earth near the entrance.

You can buy sonic devices that eventually deter rats. Is it easy to run a cable down there to power one of these?

[muddyfeet]

I had something similar several years ago, and ended up moving the shed to find out what was going on - and discovered a 'tunnel' system and a mouse nest. I soon moved the shed back into position! They weren't causing any damage.

Also had moles in the past - I bought one of those 'sonic spikes' which you bury into the lawn, every minute or so it emits a buzzing noise, which discourages the moles. And it worked! This is probably the most human method of getting rid of garden pests I think.

Good luck!!

[ron1863]

We had rabbits burrowing under our garden shed a few years ago, but it could be mice or rats. Sadly all the rabbits succumbed to myxomatosis

[Soupdragon]

We had moles which started to make a terrible mess in the garden. My daughter got one of those musical birthday cards that year and I took the musical bit out and buried it inone of the mole holes. We never had any more trouble!

[bonbon]

Thankyou everyone. i believe it is rats. our friend who was doing some work down there said he saw one - this was a couple of months ago though. can you just leave them? my partner doesn't want to do anything. i am not sure. the shed is more of a garage/workshop- it is absolutley massive- about the same size as our 2 bed house. it's kind of like a barn. personally i would like to knock it down and have more garden! i think we may try the sonar device thing. thanks again x

[JoulesH]

I'm sorry but if you are sure it is rats then you are being extremely irresponsible in not eradicating them. All you are doing if you do use a deterrent device is shift the problem onto someone else, who may then end up with them in their house or business premises. Rats are an increasing problem and as well as spreading disease, as many businesses are required by law (eg farms, food premises) then are an expensive problem too. They are a also a cause of fires as they chew through electrical cables.
You can trap or poison. Poison is sold with strict guidance on how to use and handle to minimise the chances of it being consumed by other animals or getting into the food chain.

Alternatively, contact your local council (they will identify the pest if you're still not sure what it is, they can then get rid of them for you it it's rats) or probably the cheapest option - let a good farm cat or Jack Russell loose in there for a few days. !!!

[Pippa]

Hi Bon bon welcome to WAB.

We have lots of molehills here ,more than i have seen in my whole life.

There is a saying that there is a rat within 10 ft of everyone.