Brown rat

[montysmum]

Can anyone help me with a Brown Rat | Wild About Britain

Hiya everyone - first post, but what a fantastic site! I hope you dont mind my first post being a question.

I was sitting in the garden today, hoping to take some photo's with my new camera, when I saw what I think was a brown rat merrily walking across the garden! My garden backs onto several miles of open land and farmers fields so I am asuming it lives there, but the question is - do I need to be worried by it (which I am!).

I have to say that it was a lovely looking creature with a beautiful shiny coat, but the thought of having rats hanging around the house freaks me out a bit. I know that my putting out bird seed to encourage the birds into the garden so I could take the photo's probably hasnt helped, but apart from stopping that, how can I make sure I dont get over run by the flippin' things?

Thanks everyone

[vole-woman]

Hiya, montysmum, and welcome to the site!

You will get the odd rat if you live in the country, but cutting down on bird feed should help - certainly any that you put on the ground. We had a garden rat over the winter, and I think it was attracted in by the fat balls I was leaving around. So I stopped doing that, and then a few weeks later I found the rat dead under a tree, killed I presume by next door's cat.

[montysmum]

Oh thanks vole-woman, I had visions of being over-run with the things! I was thinking of getting some of those sonic deterrants - they are supposed to emit a high frequence noise that the rats dont like, but I dont know how effective they are.

[hobble]

Hi,
I live in fairly close proximity to rats, as I live smack in the middle of their perfect habitat. I tend to monitor their numbers.(of what I see of course) normally just the odd one from time to time. The cat catches a few young ones and I hope in this way the numbers are kept down.
If however they attempt to get into the walls of my wooden chalet I do seek help from the pest control man. This is because none of my walls are inaccessible to use traps.
I have posted a picture of one of our rats on here and he/she was in beautiful condition, although I am aware of the disease they carry.
Therefore am vigilant and wash my hands after being out in the garden.

[shei111]

Hello get rid of it quick poison or 12 bore up its a... usually do the trick bloody dirty rodents. sheila

[montysmum]

Mmmm.........Thanks Sheila, but I'm not exactly a gun toting type

[shei111]

Originally Posted by montysmum

Mmmm.........Thanks Sheila, but I'm not exactly a gun toting type

Ok montysmum then Ill come and do it for you sheila

[demicav]

I love brown Rats, they make me smile. They would only be a problem for me if there were too many hanging around, other than that I don't see anything wrong with some variety in nature. I would always try to eradicate humanly though as poison can get into the food chain. Welcome to WAB by the way.

[montysmum]

Thank demicav I must say, the little fellow was a beautiful creature, he had a lovely shine on his coat which was a sort of russety colour, really beautiful. I took a photo of him he was so nice, but my hands were shaking so much with shock it wasnt any good!!

I am going to try and not feed the birds (which is a shame) and get the sonic deterrent thing, and hopefully that will make him go and find somewhere else to get his breakfast!

[witham]

Although pet rats are said to be one of the cleanest pets you can keep, wild rats are another matter and can carry Salmonella or Weils Disease which they spread through their infected urine which could be almost anywhere in your garden or house if they get inside. I'm not sure how successfull the sonic whatsits are and what other animals or birds, pets or not they affect, I'm not a fan of poison but do admit that we have used it in the past when we had alot of rats about and it seemed to clear them out, The other downside to the sonic wave is that if it works it won't send them very far away and they could soon be back unless you have it on 24/7.