I have rat under my shed

dan-fisher · #1 (**permalink**) 23-02-2009, 03:07 PM

Hi,

I've got a small rat under my garden shed which is running out and feeding from bird food left over.. Now it doesn't bother me but is a rat a good idea with children and rabbits about ???

thanks

dan

Meta menardi · #2 (**permalink**) 23-02-2009, 03:23 PM

One rat is like finding a goalkeeper in a field, there are likely to be other similar about. I don't think children and rats are a good mix either, rats urine, which they sprinkle liberally, very often carries infection (Weils disease).

dan-fisher · #3 (**permalink**) 23-02-2009, 03:29 PM

Hi thanks for the reply.

So is it a good idea to 'relocate' the rat ?? I don't want to kill it but there are no jack russells or cats here to do the deed.

Would killing it be an only unfortunate option ?? It's my fault with the bird feed that it/they are here.

Meta menardi · #4 (**permalink**) 23-02-2009, 04:54 PM

If that's how you want to deal with it, you must take it some distance away, and I don't mean a few hundred yards. If you can remove the food source, the rat and his pals should move on. I you do use a live trap, don't stop when you have caught just one. They are quite sharp animals and quickly get trap shy.

dan-fisher · #5 (**permalink**) 23-02-2009, 04:59 PM

Right gotcha thanks

No more food on the floor for while then.. I'll knock up a 100cmx100cm feeding table tomorrow at work and hopefully the blackbirds, caffinches, etc will take to it while the rats are moving home.

If the above fails then it's trap time and hello new home..

Pippa · #6 (**permalink**) 23-02-2009, 05:28 PM

I haven't seen any here at all Dan but back home we got the odd one come into our garden in really bad weather because it was desperate for food and i ground fed the birds.

We searched the garden and beneath the shed but luckily there were no signs of a nest/droppings or any burrows.

It had come in from the fields.I removed the ground feed for a month and that was that.

They are good climbers though

shirl · #7 (**permalink**) 23-02-2009, 05:35 PM

If you do decide to live trap you need to go at least 10 minutes drive away to relocate it. A good tempting food source to put in the trap is chocolate spread. And yes, rats are extremely good climbers so you might just find your new table will be accessible too. Of course the seed spills off the table so there is another source of easy food.

Good luck

Shirl

dan-fisher · #8 (**permalink**) 23-02-2009, 11:47 PM

thanks for the input guys,

I'll see how it gets on with a cleaner food area, i quite like having it there it's just the health issue with the kids playing. Also they play in the garden alot and the rabbits have free roam also.

What threat to the rabbits and kids are there with the rat(s) there ???

thanks

salukiwhippet · #9 (**permalink**) 27-02-2009, 08:01 PM

They probably don't pose a great deal of risk to the rabbits (unless very young/small/old/ill). The kids are a different matter. We have a few rats on the shoot, taking food from the pheasant hoppers. When the snow was on the ground the other week, the run between the rat holes was stained yellow from their urine

I knew they dribbled it almost constantly but it was a surprise to see it so graphically illustrated. There was a continuous 'stripe' of yellow snow about 2 inches wide on the run. YUK!!

When you consider the number of diseases they carry, I would not have them near any kids of mine if I could help it.

On the matter of relocation, bear in mind that wherever you take it, it's likely to cause problems to someone else! I always reccommend humane dispatch of any trapped rats.

Where in the country are you? I'm a pest controller specialising in non-toxic control, maybe I can help?

James

Phoebe · #10 (**permalink**) 27-02-2009, 08:19 PM

Leptospirosis or Weil's disease (canicola fever) is the first thing I think about when rats are mentioned. It is transmitted from the rat's urine and can infect humans if in contact with open wounds, cuts and scratches and bodily fluids (don't touch your mouth/eyes etc., after contact). It is only transmittable whilst still wet. It could be on the grass for instance, if the grass is wet and you know there are rats about don't go near.

I say this because a few years ago someone I knew very briefly was in contact with canal water and ultimately died as a consequence. This is a rare case and I don't intend to scare you just make you aware of the worst. It is very unlikely this would happen but the risk is there.