Rat or mouse?

Posts

• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  May 2023

  That’s a rat. Looks like a youngish one. 

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

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• Escapetothegarden Posts: 188

  May 2023

  Oh dear.

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• Escapetothegarden Posts: 188

  May 2023

  I leave the plate so I can watch the robins ☹️

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• Sheps Posts: 2,236

  May 2023

  Agreed...young rat 🐀

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• Fairygirl Posts: 55,117

  May 2023

  I think you'll need to remove the plate- and the food....

  It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
  
  
  
  I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  May 2023

  I would stop feeding the birds for a period. Or at the very least use this sort of feeder so that you’re not feeding the rats on the ground too https://www.amazon.co.uk/SEICOSY-Squirrel-Waterproof-Decoration-Watching/dp/B01MF9TF8T/ref=sxin_21_pa_sp_phone_search_thematic_sspa?adgrpid=1148990415510923&content-id=amzn1.sym.7dc751f0-2efc-4704-b221-91b845645643%3Aamzn1.sym.7dc751f0-2efc-4704-b221-91b845645643&cv_ct_cx=rat+guard+for+bird+feeder&hvadid=71812028720479&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=41510&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-71812456310074%3Aloc-188&hydadcr=17317_2133246&keywords=rat+guard+for+bird+feeder&pd_rd_i=B01MF9TF8T&pd_rd_r=eaf53398-a2d5-4909-a6ae-e42dc14e8576&pd_rd_w=66OnF&pd_rd_wg=JimrV&pf_rd_p=7dc751f0-2efc-4704-b221-91b845645643&pf_rd_r=KE0HKD93MV2KY1Z7RF9N&qid=1685186704&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=1-16-6b4e6f58-b7c8-49cf-b378-c33ed82e3b01-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1 
  
  ‘Our’ robins soon learned to use bird feeders that have somewhere big enough for them to perch. 

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

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• Escapetothegarden Posts: 188

  May 2023

  @Dovefromabove thank you for the recommendation 💐 

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• war garden 572 Posts: 664

  May 2023

  do you want the rat dead or gone?

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• Escapetothegarden Posts: 188

  May 2023 edited May 2023

  @war garden 572  I would like to see them gone/dead. Anything.
  
  The two I have seen are the same size as the ones in the photo.  They come up to the seed plate bold as brass, when we are sitting but a few metres away, and happily eat away.
  
  My concern is that we once saw one in our kitchen.  A large one.  Maybe mum/dad 🤢
  
  I’ve seen it square up to the crow.  Which is big!
  
  

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  May 2023

  I would get a proper pest controller in to deal with the problem if at all possible.  There’s a saying, for every rat you see there’s 50 that you don’t. Those are young rats old enough to breed  … their mother will already have another nest full. One pair of rats can have up to 2,000 descendants after a year
  
  

  https://bpca.org.uk/a-z-of-pest-advice/rat-control-how-to-get-rid-of-and-prevent-rats-bpca-a-z-of-pests/188991
  

  
  

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

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