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Clearing a rat nest
Marcs Dad
Posts: 25
I have had to have a rat nest treated with poison and will face the task of doing something with the (hopefully) empty nest.
They have burrowed under a rockery adjacent to my compost which looks like they have been in for warmth - I don't compost any food.
It has been suggested that I clear the compost, and remove the rockery and dig down to destroy any remaining holes. It has also been suggested that I leave this site open and maybe introduce 'mint' as an ongoing deterrent - potted not planted because it is invasive, but has anyone had any experience of this and can give me some guidance as to what my approach should be.
Many thanks
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Posts
We have several rats nesting around, it’s all farmland, never done anything after putting the poison Down, if you can’t see anything just leave it.
they could be back in a while, they’ll just burrow in again, no point in filling holes in, they’ll fill in naturally in time.
Just spoken to OH about it, he says they are best left as the smell of the dead ones will deter more from coming, they smell them and go somewhere else.
He’s well used to rats, born and bred on a farm so knows quite a bit about rat behaviour.
Hi Lyn,
This is really useful and helpful. I appreciate you responding to me and it also seems that you may have saved me quite a bit of work too. I hadn't thought about the scent of the dead ones or indeed the holes filling in naturally.
Best regards
No probs Marc, we are very au fait with all things rat here?
That's good to know Lyn, I'll keep you on 'speed dial' in case our rats don't leave (or die) willingly :-)
The secret of getting rid of them is to make sure there is bait left after you think they’ve gone, if all the bait is gone, they are still there.
I think a lot of people make the mistake of not putting down enough, they are getting resistant to a lot of bait these days, don’t just give them a taster, keep on with it it, when there’s some left, you know they’re dead.
Thank you Lyn, I'm keep that in mind, I did inspect the bait boxes today and although they were empty, there was stray bait sachet's lying around on the ground. I'll clear these and reload my boxes and nest holes.