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Rat in my veg patch

DwrgiDwrgi Posts: 35
in Problem solving
Hello, 
I just saw a rat (definitely an adult) in my veg patch, cheeky thing was hiding in the leaves while i worked on my ne winter veg patch. 
Dog didn't know it was there either. I think I would have missed it if i didn't happen to look up an see rustling (thinking it was a bird - i love looking at them). 
I saw it run towards the stone wall at the bottom of my garden, and i set the dog after it (well i threw a ball in that direction, dog didn't even look at the rat). Then it hid in a large hole in it, looking at me, so i thew a stone near it to scare it off.

Im curious how other gardeners deal with rats. 
Since seeing it, ive done the following:
Cleared the weeds
Filled the hole best i can with rolled up chicken wire
Moved things around so there are no hiding places. 
Set 2 traps near the house (my greatest fear is a rat in the house) and ordered more. 

What else can I do? 

Posts

  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Use the Search Facility to have a look at some of the recent threads dealing with tats in gardens.
    The latest one is titled "slightly different rat issue " - 
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    I'd have put the trap(s) by the hole, as that's a known route it takes but, to prevent birds getting caught, I always cut the bottom off a 5-litre plastic container and place the trap inside it with the open side facing the hole.  As an extra precaution, if the container has a screw top, I drill a hole in the trap and run a string from it out through the opening before screwing the top back in to hold the string.  I once found a trap 20 yards away with an injured rat still in it - and I don't wish that on even a rat. 
  • DwrgiDwrgi Posts: 35
    Thanks, as much as i hate rats i dont really want to kill them unless I have to (hence blocking the hole and moving things - rats are neophobic). The traps are more for my peace of mind than anything. 
    I will definitely have a look on the threads what other people have done. 
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    The bit about your dog made me laugh, bless him. 🥰
    Yes, I've been moving things around lots too. Not much I can do about the food source because we've got a huge cherry tree, which the birds love, and so there's tons of dropped fruit everywhere. I've sprayed garlic and mint on half the garden. No idea if that's made a difference as the scent doesn't last long. I'm going to put cut cloves of garlic around. 
    Apparently 'scenting' works - cat, dog, human pee. I'd do it in a jar first though, or the neighbours might start to avoid you, hehe!
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