@Fairygirl Thanks again! I'm not deliberately ground feeding - the larger birds manage to get into my domed feeders okay - it's the feed that's dropped from the feeders. Will look into the feeders people have recommended and see if it helps. I've never seen the rat until today, and I've been here a year. Apparently scarers can deter rats, but only in the short term, as they adjust to the sound.
That's where the problem is - the dropped food. That's what I meant when I said the bases of my cages are quite solid. Virtually nothing gets chucked out Maybe a tray of some kind, attached, would help?
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
What sort of mix are you feeding? Some of the cheaper ones contain a lot of barley which is cheaper and is used as a ‘padded’ but mist of the smaller birds don’t like it and discard it onto the ground where it attracts pigeons and rats.
Sunflower hearts and seed mixes especially designed for small birds may be more expensive by volume, but we find they work out to be more economical because the birds don’t discard any so it lasts longer and also there’s less on the ground to attract vermin.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
@pansyface As said, I don't want to stop feeding the birds as it's nesting season.
As long as there is a continuous food supply the rat will keep coming to dinner. It's virtually impossible to prevent some food getting on the floor so regular and thorough cleaning is the only other option. That will have to be done at least once a day in the evening, preferably more often.
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Maybe a tray of some kind, attached, would help?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As long as there is a continuous food supply the rat will keep coming to dinner. It's virtually impossible to prevent some food getting on the floor so regular and thorough cleaning is the only other option. That will have to be done at least once a day in the evening, preferably more often.