Laying down poision for rats is incompatible with "wildlife gardening". There's no sugarcoating it. If you have dead rats in holes in your garden/wider environment, your land is inhospitable for wildlife all the way up the food chain. You can't claim to be gardening for wildlife. At least be honest about that.
There are many alternative routes to eliminating rats that doesn't resort to poision left in the environment. If you have a particularly problem best or area, contact an eco exterminator who can use a number of fast acting treatments that do not remain in the environment.
Consider sealing up spaces under sheds before putting poision under them. It's just lazy and environmentally irresponsible. Or continue on how you're doing but don't claim to be "wildlife gardening".
If you are putting up a bird feeder but so bothered by the unwanted "wildlife" you are attracting and feeding by also putting up poision in your garden, that is an entirely different level of irresponsible behavior.
In London you are in a tough spot. But no prudent of poision control by a homeowner there is likely to make an impact in the wider environmental conditions you can't control.
Is there good evidence that animals that eat poisoned vermin become poisoned themselves?
From the poison manufacturers themselves "Most active ingredients have a long residual life inside a dead rodent, making secondary poisoning an issue."
They are clear that it can be safe if put down by professional controllers.
It should be obvious that putting poision in the environment can't be under any claims of "wildlife gardening". There's lots of gardening we do that's not for the benefit of wildlife. It's perfectly fine if you're honest about it.
By definition wildlife gardening is non exclusive...can't quite pick and choose what's good and what's bad wildlife. But we're all hypocritical when claiming to do so. Can't imagine any of us would be delighted with a garden overrun with rats. If it's a major issue worth getting a professional to assess the overall situation and use poison in a proper targeted fashion.
I've settled on using a live catch trap, this year we've only caught 3 rats. I've also been able to release a hedgehog twice and an otter (hardly believe it myself but our village has problems with ornamental fish ponds being devastated by an otter). Also caught an American mink another animal that has caused devastation to the local wildlife. The trap allows me to be totally selective and prevent unwanted deaths. We used poison on the family farm but I now wonder what other animals died as a result of this.
Aside from the potential risk to pets/wildlife, dealing with the rat corpses also worth considering - with traps, you can dispose of the body appropriately (or release, like @Wilderbeast describes). Poison means they can go off somewhere and die and the first you know of it is when the smell hits you.
Having had experience of the stench of dead rats, that alone is reason to not use poison. Traps also allow you to monitor the situation better IMHO.
I'm using bait boxes that are weighted and locked. Animals other than mice and rats can't get into them but after reading this discussion I am considering another method. I love my owls and don't want to harm them even though they ate all my cats. I got the cats to get rid of the mice. It seems that warfarin is safer than some of the other poisons but maybe I should try cats again? Has anyone tried the electrocution traps?
Lovely photo @jamesholt. We haven't seen owls for a long time here, although our local organic farmer has owl boxes up in his trees. Didn't know they ate cats, they must be bigger owls than our native ones. Perhaps you need a tiger!
Posts
If you have dead rats in holes in your garden/wider environment, your land is inhospitable for wildlife all the way up the food chain. You can't claim to be gardening for wildlife. At least be honest about that.
There are many alternative routes to eliminating rats that doesn't resort to poision left in the environment. If you have a particularly problem best or area, contact an eco exterminator who can use a number of fast acting treatments that do not remain in the environment.
Consider sealing up spaces under sheds before putting poision under them. It's just lazy and environmentally irresponsible. Or continue on how you're doing but don't claim to be "wildlife gardening".
If you are putting up a bird feeder but so bothered by the unwanted "wildlife" you are attracting and feeding by also putting up poision in your garden, that is an entirely different level of irresponsible behavior.
In London you are in a tough spot. But no prudent of poision control by a homeowner there is likely to make an impact in the wider environmental conditions you can't control.
They are clear that it can be safe if put down by professional controllers.
https://www.environmentalscience.bayer.com.au/pest-management/news-and-advice/expert-advice/primary-and-secondary-rodent-poisoning
It should be obvious that putting poision in the environment can't be under any claims of "wildlife gardening". There's lots of gardening we do that's not for the benefit of wildlife. It's perfectly fine if you're honest about it.