Rats!

[Kicha]

Any advice welcome! I have a bird feeder in my garden (which backs on to open fields) and have loved watching the birds and also squirrels. However, recently I have also been visited regularly during the daytime by a rat (called Norris) who has no trouble climbing the pole and helping himself to whatever is there. I totally accept that there are no doubt lots of rats about and it is quite possible they have been visiting at night for ever and I have no problem with it in principle but obviously don't want them to venture too close to the house - or upset the neighbours! I have just bought a squirrel guard, will see how that goes, but of course it will also prevent the squirrel from climbing and will not solve the problem of food on the ground. I have cats ( who are no deterrent apparently!) so will not use poison, traps seem pointless and sonic devices are not practical. I also heard that rats dislike the smell of catnip so will try that but am somewhat cynical.
So any advice on discouraging Norris PLEASE - anything I have not thought of, or do I just have to grin and bear it and try to reassure my neighbours I am not infested?
I was intending to try and encourage hedgehogs and other wildlife but am now reluctant to leave any other food on the ground.

[shei111]

Hello Kicha Welcome to the site , well if norris was in my garden id definately fire him up his backside with a 12 bore before he starts to bring other family members. Sorry but Im anti rat. Other members have probaly got other ideas of getting SHOT of him . sheila

[Kayleigh]

We had a rat until we caught him in a "little nipper" rat trap..End of rat...

If you don't want to be so drastic get rid of ALL the food on the ground..You could use a humane trap and take him far away.

Enjoy the site Kicha

[nightshade]

We have always cleaned up around our feeders but we still have Rats move in.There are numerous excavations appearing in the garden, even now, and I
will have to resort to trapping or baiting.Breeding Rats produce so many prodigy that a small back garden is no place for them

[relayer901]

Shei, Kayleigh and Nightshade have all given good advice, and it seems to boil down to either removing the rats' food source, or drastic measures!

I sympathise Kicha because a rat appeared in my garden too this weekend. It was a real blow because I only have a small garden and my wife politely requested that I stop feeding the birds, which I can understand.

The irony is that I have been trying to attract the local blue tits, great tits and greenfinches into the garden for ages and they have just started to come into the garden during the last week. I was watching them on the seed feeder when the rat scurried across the lawn and onto the ground feeder.

I have had to get rid of the ground feeders and the seed feeders - I feel terrible because I don't want to leave the regular feeders in the lurch. They have alternative food supplies because a lot of my neighbours also provide food for the birds, but I still feel terrible about this. I have kept the nut feeders because they don't create much mess underneath, but this really has come as a blow!

Good luck with it, and please let us know how it goes!

[Poirot]

Have a look at this thread I started Birds vs Rats

I found the best way was putting a tray under that catches the seed (see my previous thread), dropped from the bird feeder. It works really well, except if the seed gets wet it sometimes starts to sprout lol

The hedgehog problem is a hard one, perhaps it might be possable to lure the rats to the very edge of your garden away from the house with your feeders and put the hedgehog feed the other end in hope the rats will be more attracted to the feed at one end. it doesn't eliminate the rat problem though

I think you may just have to have the rats terminated! But there is plenty about so if you do the rats will probably be back

Poirot

[barquar]

not sure if you can make the tray out but this is what my husband did. He got a plant pot Tray and Screwed it to the Bottom off the feeders he put very small drain holes in the tray. Photo below.y
Barquar

[m1.carson]

Hi,

We, and a lot of other members seem to have a lot of run-ins with rats, if you remove the food from the feeders they then have to look elsewhere for food, with your house being one of the prime targets, and after reading that they have 8 to 10 young every 3 to 4 weeks you end up fighting a rear guard action, we've had to block up every crook and cranny to keep them out, waste pipes, central heating pipes up to the attic etc, anywhere there's the tiniest hole into the house.

I personally think your best bet is to keep feeding them, but, away from the house, AND block up every entry with a sheet of tin [a cut up tin can] or alluminium cut to shape and no nailed over any entry point.

Luck,

Max.

[shei111]

Originally Posted by m1.carson

Hi,

We, and a lot of other members seem to have a lot of run-ins with rats, if you remove the food from the feeders they then have to look elsewhere for food, with your house being one of the prime targets, and after reading that they have 8 to 10 young every 3 to 4 weeks you end up fighting a rear guard action, we've had to block up every crook and cranny to keep them out, waste pipes, central heating pipes up to the attic etc, anywhere there's the tiniest hole into the house.

I personally think your best bet is to keep feeding them, but, away from the house, AND block up every entry with a sheet of tin [a cut up tin can] or alluminium cut to shape and no nailed over any entry point.

Luck,

Max.

Hello max You certaintly have a big problem with rats,Im sorry but I dont agree with you ( saying keep feeding the rats but away from the house,) because its just gives the problem to someone else, surely if everyone feeds them knowing they have rats in their gardens we will have more rats than birdsI dont think it possible to keep them out of anywhere they want to go they will find a way. I say shoot them, if thats not possible poison or call in the local council or rat man they gotta go quick. Ive got good neighbours they check their boundries , sheds fishponds , every week or so , and we do the same on our property so if there was just the one rat about we would soon sort him out. Thats my opinion on rats sorry if I offend anyone . sheila

[nightshade]

What puzzles me is the lioness and I are always looking out at the garden
(because we get such odd things doing flying visits) and rarely miss anything.
The first lot of Rats arrived and lived under my neighbours shed and we spotted them almost immediately,this lot moved in and the first we knew were the mounds of earth from well established tunnels so are they getting more cunning than before