I agree with @pansyface. It's almost impossible to get rid of rats completely especially you live in a rural situation and feed other creatures. We recently noticed they had pitched up around our banks, rockery and had made holes under some the larger rocks so it resembled Tracey Island. We have persisted with spraying Peppermint Oil around, changing things around and running out and shouting at them when we see one. It has helped drive them away from the house at least.
I have one big, bold rat in my garden. He's there because I feed the birds, and it would break my heart to stop. He comes out in broad daylight and climbs up the pole to the feeders (I've just tried putting a thick coat of Vaseline round the pole - will see if it stops him) and today he was drinking from my wildlife pond. I always use gloves when I garden as I know they carry disease, and I have called pest control who would come with a baited trap, but I HATE the thought of killing anything, even a *** rat. Do any of you have a 'live and let live' approach to rats?
I live in a very rural location with my neighbour's chickens running free as well as me feeding the wild birds so I inevitbly have rats. I eventually bought a squirrel baffle from online for around £15.00 to put on the feeding station which works a treat. They are easy to fit and stop the rats from climbing the post.
Sometimes, in a more suburban setting, they can be disturbed by any works going on - ie building etc. That can cause a major problem to householders, as a friend discovered some years ago when work was being done in a nearby wooded plot and the colony had to find a new route back and forth - which was through all their gardens. Pest control came in and sorted it though. I know we have plenty of rats nearby as we're near farmland and all sorts of suitable, varying habitats, but they rarely, if ever, bother us, until a couple of years ago when a nearby garden was being altered and I assume they were dispersed by that. I had no choice but to get some poison and position it under the shed where it was coming and going from it's original home. Fortunately, it was only one and there's been no sign since. Certainly, leaving any excess bird food out is a nice free meal for them, so it's always better to either stop feeding for a while, or at least remove any uneaten food later in the day. I have feeders in cages for the small birds which are used all year round, but they can't get in those. The mice can, but at least that means they don't eat my sweet pea seeds...
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We got one in the garden a few weeks ago, it's only the second one we have seen in 10 years. As long as we don't see them in the house, or clearly nesting in a part of the house, then we ignore them.
If we started to see them regularly, or in larger numbers, then we would probably take action, but otherwise they pose no problem to us. Same scenario re mice.
We will still keep feeding the birds. If we stopped that it would make no difference, as all of our neighbours feed the birds, and rats/mice just go from garden to garden to find food. Cats sh***ing in our garden annoys me more than rats.
@CatDouch - thank you so much, and yes, we seem to be in a very similar position - I too have a wildlife pond which the rat drinks from. And I moved the feeders into a more central postion, but the rat is very bold and climbs in daylight. So then I put vaseline up the pole and will see if that deters him. All my feeders have trays. I'm so glad that the methods you used deterred the rat in the end! Fingers crossed mine will too.
Thanks so much everyone - seems like rats are a very common problem! I have a triple thing going on - the rat, a seagull which continually attacks the feeders and tries to bring them down, and the man opposite has 5 cats which poo in my garden and try and catch the birds. ARGH!
Clear up all the food which as fallen to the ground, and stop feeding the birds for a couple of weeks. The rat will move on to a more readily available food source. I would never willingly accept a rat in the garden if I had ways to prevent it being there. Although other animals can spread disease, most aren't incontinent and leave a trail of urine everwhere they go. I'f I'd seen a rat in the garden I wouldn't touch anything out there without gloves.
Yeah, @KT53, I always wear gloves. Looks like the overall best idea is to stop feeding for a while and hope it moves on. There isn't much food on the ground as the birdseed is in trays.
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We recently noticed they had pitched up around our banks, rockery and had made holes under some the larger rocks so it resembled Tracey Island.
We have persisted with spraying Peppermint Oil around, changing things around and running out and shouting at them when we see one. It has helped drive them away from the house at least.
I eventually bought a squirrel baffle from online for around £15.00 to put on the feeding station which works a treat. They are easy to fit and stop the rats from climbing the post.
I know we have plenty of rats nearby as we're near farmland and all sorts of suitable, varying habitats, but they rarely, if ever, bother us, until a couple of years ago when a nearby garden was being altered and I assume they were dispersed by that. I had no choice but to get some poison and position it under the shed where it was coming and going from it's original home. Fortunately, it was only one and there's been no sign since.
Certainly, leaving any excess bird food out is a nice free meal for them, so it's always better to either stop feeding for a while, or at least remove any uneaten food later in the day. I have feeders in cages for the small birds which are used all year round, but they can't get in those. The mice can, but at least that means they don't eat my sweet pea seeds...
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If we started to see them regularly, or in larger numbers, then we would probably take action, but otherwise they pose no problem to us. Same scenario re mice.
We will still keep feeding the birds. If we stopped that it would make no difference, as all of our neighbours feed the birds, and rats/mice just go from garden to garden to find food. Cats sh***ing in our garden annoys me more than rats.