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Talkback: Rats in the garden

Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
in Talkback
Keeping hens I naturally have to bear in mind the presence of our little mammalian friends. I've often discovered a little nest of baby mice under the nestbox where their mother has carefulyl constructed a nest of straw. I don't mind them, they're quite sweet, and they really can't eat that much grain.

However, I have unfortunately had an influx of rats lately, much to mine and my neighbours distress. Country rats I can handle, urban rats...I tend to think of slightly more disease ridden. All I can hope is that my vicious hens will turn on this ratty army and keep them away once and for all!
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  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Another reasons for the increase in the rat population is the proliferation of backyard poultry keepers (I am one). The advice, which if followed will minimise any rat problems, is similar viz - clear away uneaten food at the end of the day. Also ensure poultry food is stored in rat proof continers i.e. strong metal.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I`m lucky, the only rats I encounter are brought in dead by my cat!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I don't like rats full stop!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I had a rat in my compost bin a few years ago which got evacuated when I turned the heap as you suggest. I then put galvanized wire mesh under all my bins (I have 9 on my allotment and 2 at home) and it didn't return. I'm sure it just went to somewhere a little easier to get into.

    The shock when I first saw one in my bin means I always give any bin a hefty set of knocks before I take the lid off, just to make sure any rat present gets a headache and leaves!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Rats can be good at cleaning up rubbish too - think how much good they do - I once saw a VERY big rat at a highway services, obviously living a good life on scraps of fast food discarded by the passing motorists. Mice do more damage to a garden than rats. We are just conditioned the think of them as vermin. BUT it is a good idea not to leave bird food out on the ground and they breed so very fast.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    We have a rat living and eating off the fat of the land in our garden. He's a delight and has given us much pleasure as we've waited, cameras at the ready, to catch him hanging from our neighbours bird feeders or being fought off the pasta/porridge/bird seed spread on the lawn in our garden, by our most territorial robin. Yes, you may, if you're terribly unlucky catch a fairly rare disease - but then every time we come into contact with other human beings the same can be said. Please, lighten up people, ratty is far more fearful of us (for good reason) than we should ever be of him!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I frequently have rats in my garden as we live in a built up area. I have had them in my plastic compost bin and the solution has been to put the bin on paving slabs, we have left a tiny gap between the slabs for worms and it has been very successful for a number of years. I'm afraid we have had to resort to rat poison when the problem got too much and the rats were playing on the lawn in the middle of the day. The advice to clear bird food away before 4 is useless as rats dont tell the time and in my experience come out all through the day. At the end of the day we have to accept tht if you live in a built up area you will always be close to rats
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    2 rat stories:
    - We keep chickens - had to buy a new corn bin recently as rats had eaten right through the heavy duty plastic lid in one night.

    I set mouse traps in the potting shed a couple of weeks ago. Came back next morning to find activated traps with just heads inside. Can only assume rats ate the dead bodies. Truly gross.

    Really no way of living rat free in country or town. They don't really trouble us.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    The bird feeding area at Westonbirt Arboretum is also a prime spot for watching the resident rat population. Safely behind glass thank goodness.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    No rats - 3 cats! Well I don't know about rats but the local mouse population has gone down rapidly in the last month or so prior to the snow!

    Some ladies and myself used to garden for the elderly and one of my companions found a rats nest in an open compost heap. She screamed and ran away and the household dog chased the big rats away. I ended breaking up the nest and killing the 10 or so baby rats with a spade. Cruel? Maybe but as far as I'm concerned better 10 dead baby rats than 10 more fully grown rats.
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