It was only when we had the snow that I noticed rats coming to feed as well. I had hanging birdfeeders and was putting food out in trays for the birds but the rats were getting it too. I saw a tunnel through the snow to the compost bin and was dreading opening up to get some compost out after the snow had melted. Luckily there wasn't a rats nest in there and I haven't seen the rats since. They weren't bothering the birds and I knew they couldn't get in the house so I wasn't too bothered. I'm still feeding the birds.
I got a private pest controller to get rid of my rats.
He was nervous as hell and left it to me to pull up the plastic sheeting where we thought they were nesting and then charged me £260 for 15 minutes work,
Moral of this story....It takes a rat to get rid of a rat.
Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
Well its spring moving into summer. I have stopped feeding the birds for 3 weeks not seen any sign of the rat in over 3 weeks. So today put some more bird seed out in the feeders to give them a helping hand - easy access to food for themselves in feeding their young. Looking forward to a happy rat free spring, summer and autumn season.
Have a good one everyone. Thanks to all who replied here. Enjoy the garden in 2021. Image from my garden last year....
I too used to keep pet rats and quite enjoy watching wild ones, they don't go in my compost bin but scavenge around bird feeders. Years ago when we had some under the shed I put a hose under to fill up their holes, they seemed to go away for some years, so may have to try that again. I really want to get rid of them without killing them.
Despite what other comments say, rats are vermin and should be annihilated on sight. Do you all want Weils disease, not very nice I can assure you? Far from cute, the damage they can cause has to be seen to be believed. Don't bother with expensive extermination companies or poison. Get some meal, barley, wheat etc. and mix either cement or hardwall plaster in with it and leave a bowl of water close to it, cover the bait so as birds cannot access it. Rats problem over with very quickly.
We can also catch toxoplasmosis from cats and dogs, but I doubt you'd advocate annihilating them on sight, @Tagwex... or suggest killing anyone suspected of infection with Covid, in case they infect us! Just wear gloves when gardening, wash your hands when you come in, and clean cuts etc with care. Rats have been around us for ever, and we just have to learn to cope with their presence; obviously we don't want them in our houses, and will take steps to stop them eating bird food or nesting in the compost heap, but they have as developed a nervous system as a dog - so slow poisoning will cause them intense suffering. I don't think we have the right to inflict such suffering on another living thing.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Despite what other comments say, rats are vermin and should be annihilated on sight. Do you all want Weils disease, not very nice I can assure you? Far from cute, the damage they can cause has to be seen to be believed. Don't bother with expensive extermination companies or poison. Get some meal, barley, wheat etc. and mix either cement or hardwall plaster in with it and leave a bowl of water close to it, cover the bait so as birds cannot access it. Rats problem over with very quickly.
All wild animals carry some disease and/or parasites. That's why we don't go around handling them or licking them!
Despite what other comments say, rats are vermin and should be annihilated on sight. Do you all want Weils disease, not very nice I can assure you? Far from cute, the damage they can cause has to be seen to be believed. Don't bother with expensive extermination companies or poison. Get some meal, barley, wheat etc. and mix either cement or hardwall plaster in with it and leave a bowl of water close to it, cover the bait so as birds cannot access it. Rats problem over with very quickly.
All wild animals carry some disease and/or parasites. That's why we don't go around handling them or licking them!
But we do handle things they may have wee'd on ... my schoolfriend's seven year old brother died from Weils disease caught while playing in the family garden ... the ditch along the roadside had rats living there.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Despite what other comments say, rats are vermin and should be annihilated on sight. Do you all want Weils disease, not very nice I can assure you? Far from cute, the damage they can cause has to be seen to be believed. Don't bother with expensive extermination companies or poison. Get some meal, barley, wheat etc. and mix either cement or hardwall plaster in with it and leave a bowl of water close to it, cover the bait so as birds cannot access it. Rats problem over with very quickly.
All wild animals carry some disease and/or parasites. That's why we don't go around handling them or licking them!
But we do handle things they may have wee'd on ... my schoolfriend's seven year old brother died from Weils disease caught while playing in the family garden ... the ditch along the roadside had rats living there.
Despite what other comments say, rats are vermin and should be annihilated on sight. Do you all want Weils disease, not very nice I can assure you? Far from cute, the damage they can cause has to be seen to be believed. Don't bother with expensive extermination companies or poison. Get some meal, barley, wheat etc. and mix either cement or hardwall plaster in with it and leave a bowl of water close to it, cover the bait so as birds cannot access it. Rats problem over with very quickly.
All wild animals carry some disease and/or parasites. That's why we don't go around handling them or licking them!
But we do handle things they may have wee'd on ... my schoolfriend's seven year old brother died from Weils disease caught while playing in the family garden ... the ditch along the roadside had rats living there.
That's very sad but incredibly rare.
It's rare because of the way rat populations have been controlled over the years.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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He was nervous as hell and left it to me to pull up the plastic sheeting where we thought they were nesting and then charged me £260 for 15 minutes work,
Moral of this story....It takes a rat to get rid of a rat.
Have a good one everyone. Thanks to all who replied here. Enjoy the garden in 2021. Image from my garden last year....
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.