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Rat problem

lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5 Posts: 11
in Problem solving
Hi everyone just wondering if anyone's having a problem with rats?
I have a wildlife garden,with the view of making a safe haven for insects birds and hopefully hedgehogs. But all I seem to have done is encourage a rat family, I'm wondering if it might have anything to do with the extreme heat we're suffering this summer. I've removed all my bird feeders,has anyone ideas of how to rid my garden of these unwelcome guests,without using toxins.
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  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Hello @lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5 - welcome!  :)

    Removing anything the rats might be using for food is one of the best ways of encouraging them to move on; yes, bird food, but also fallen fruit, if you grow apples etc.  And make sure they're not nesting under your shed or decking.  However, humans are said to outnumber rats only 6:1 in the UK so there are a lot of them about - and to be honest, although they do carry disease (and you certainly don't want them in your house), many of us with wildlife areas, log piles, dry stone walls etc are learning to live with them to some extent.  

    There will be other people on this forum who will disagree, and advise you to use poison or traps.  People have different views...
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5 Posts: 11
    Thankyou for that,I do agree and we do have a crab apple tree which we have started to collect fallen apple where ever we find them. I don't intend to use toxins at anytime,that to me is defeating the whole object of the exercise.


  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Most Pest Control people will advise you to remove all the bird feeders until you no longer see any sign of rats. You've already made a start.
    Unfortunately, all it tends to do, particularly in an urban setting, is to ensure that the rats move on to look for a food source and annoy someone else. That person may not worry about how to deal with them safely re other wildlife.
    There really is only 2 options - you can either learn to live with them or you bite the bullet and use a safely baited trap.
    I have been unfortunate enough to have them indoors - running around in the space between floors and I did use a baited snap trap.  Not pleasant but, touch wood, no signs since.
    Best to have a think and decide which is the most responsible action for your situation.  Good luck anyway :)

  • lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5 Posts: 11
    That's lovely thankyou for your advice,I think I may have to check some traps out if the problem doesn't resolve itself.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    If raticide isn't for you, you could buy a cage trap, duly baited, and transport any offenders a suitable distance from home before releasing them.
  • lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5 Posts: 11
    Thankyou for that good idea,just wondering if rats are like snails and can find their way back home.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I've stopped feeding the birds for now. I used to feed them well away from the house and sometimes left bits of bread. I saw a small rat carrying a bit of bread back towards the house. That was enough for me! 
    I leave water but no food. I will feed again in the winter.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5lesleycann17Elx2Tqs5 Posts: 11
    Like you I love to see the birds in the garden,I felt sad when I took the feeders down. But yes I was pleased to see them still coming in for a drink,wash and brush up.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Releasing brown rats onto land you do not own could land you in all sorts of trouble re Public Health and Antisocial behaviour just for starters. I can also imagine a private prosecution if a landowner were to find out what you were doing.  And rats are social animals that live in colonies and family groups … the RSPCA might even have a view on removing them from their own group and putting them somewhere else where the resident rats may well fight them. 

    Much better to kill them humanely if they don’t leave when the source of food dries up. 

    At this time of year there’s loads of wild food out there in the woods, hedgerows and fields.  The birds that use our garden in the winter and spring have all headed out to the harvest fields a mile or two away. 

    It’s the best time to stop feeding the birds for a bit and give the feeders a jolly good scrub clean and leave them out in the sun to dry and get clear of any disease carrying bacteria, before the cold weather comes and the birds come back to our gardens looking for food and shelter.  

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Probably, Dove, but there are one or two pluses about living in the middle of nowhere.  We tend to use the little 'blue tea cakes' and watch for a rat to pop out and scurry off with it, but that's not for everyone.
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