Should rats be killed?

[seamusagleann]

i'm a lot less than six feet, i've three pet rats , but just like their wild cousins are still rats,and i ALWAYS wash my hands after handling them, prepaparing their food and cleaning their cages..it makes sense!!!

[brownbread]

Rat's outside should be destroyed at all times, it is a true fact that they carry disease, and of course there is a very common name called Weils Disease, this effects the way contractors go about their business as they have to make sure that they are not in direct contact with the Rats themselves.

So my advise would be to get rentakill in as soon as possible.

[Jenny W]

They do need to be controlled - they aren't native, as well as posing a health risk.

[sometimes]

look up the biology of rats and you'll see the gestation period coupled with the number of litters a year has the potential to give you large numbers very quickly. It is likely that available food sources will help balance this, however with reduced food sources, rats, like other animals, become increasingly 'brave' in their desperation. Rats climb well, they have no problems getting up to loft spaces, especially where some wall plant may add them.
With poison, there's a chance that some of that poison will reach baby/juveniles through thier mother's milk before the mother dies, in which case the youngsters could be poisoned which would be 'better' than starving to death?

If you like rats, keep a pet one, at least that can be kept under some control.
If the rats are nesting on your property, you should be cognizant that you have neighbours and the rats are causing them grief - perhaps they see them more than you too.

[nightshade]

Rats passing through, fine, Rats starting a family not so good . I clean up around my bird feeders in the late afternoon (as a matter of course) and now I have three chickens all food is removed from their run when they are put to bed. No food generally means Rats move on but a lot of people throw bread out for the birds and this can encourage them to hang about.
Rats moved in under my neighbours shed (I completely stopped feeding and removed the feeders) then began breeding, soon we had half a dozen Rats about the place. I shot the more adventurous ones (climbing the house wall) and my neighbour trapped and poisoned the ones under the shed.
I do not dislike Rats, they are fascinating, dexterous animals but breed too fast to be good in an urban environment

[Maccattack1]

Not too many rats in our area since cats introduced , not sure cats improve the biodiversity however-

Malcolm

[RAINBOWRUSSELL]

When we moved in here we had a family of rats obviosly nesting right near the property,we live right out in the country surrounded by woods & fields.
My husband was not happy but understood that I did not want to kill them,so I just kept shooing them away and stamping around for a few minutes everytime I saw them.Then we had many visits from Buzzards & they all disappeared,nature can sometimes sort itself out!
We have only had 1 sighting so far this year,duly chased away,but now on the watch!I have 2 feeding areas & try not to put food down on the ground...the squirrels do that for me!!I always wash my hands when I've been filling up the feeders & always wear gloves when gardening here...I have survived !!!!!!
I have found that they don't seem to like people around so that maybe why they have not been hanging around here so much because we are using the patios more now the good weather is here(!).

[nightshade]

My adopted stray has been very good with birds in the garden, the Chickens gang up on him and drive him away he is having a bit of an identity crisis,
keeps trying to join in with the chickens, absolutely fascinated but rodents
he has no mercy

[RAINBOWRUSSELL]

Originally Posted by nightshade

My adopted stray has been very good with birds in the garden, the Chickens gang up on him and drive him away he is having a bit of an identity crisis,
keeps trying to join in with the chickens, absolutely fascinated but rodents
he has no mercy

That reminded me of a Fred Bassett cartoon in the paper one day where the neighbour had come round to apologise for his chickens chasing fred...who was skulking saying'this is so embarrasing'

[nightshade]

Originally Posted by RAINBOWRUSSELL

When we moved in here we had a family of rats obviosly nesting right near the property,we live right out in the country surrounded by woods & fields.
My husband was not happy but understood that I did not want to kill them,so I just kept shooing them away and stamping around for a few minutes everytime I saw them.Then we had many visits from Buzzards & they all disappeared,nature can sometimes sort itself out!
We have only had 1 sighting so far this year,duly chased away,but now on the watch!I have 2 feeding areas & try not to put food down on the ground...the squirrels do that for me!!I always wash my hands when I've been filling up the feeders & always wear gloves when gardening here...I have survived !!!!!!
I have found that they don't seem to like people around so that maybe why they have not been hanging around here so much because we are using the patios more now the good weather is here(!).

What you say is very true, USE your garden Rats don't like being disturbed
or anything new and potentially lethal