Hi Jpop. Do keep your guinea pigs well away from any rats. We lost all ours to a really nasty parasite which they caught from a rat which had got into the summer house where they were kept. It was years ago though so hopefully there are better treatments available now.
Decking provides an ideal home for rats - I wouldn't have it in my garden. Get professionals in to get rid of them and get them to come back on a regular basis until you and they are sure the problem is dealt with.
Clean the playhouse and toys with Dettol solution or similar - don't leave them out at night. Teach grandson to wash his hands properly after playing in the garden and not to put his fingers in his mouth, eyes etc. make sure wounds have a plaster on them.
Make sure guinea pig food etc is in rat proof containers.
And then, don't worry too much
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Just keep an eye on it for a couple of days and if it does seem poorly phone the vet and ask for advice (they'll want to know the brand of rat poison if possible).
But honestly, I'm 99.9% certain the cat should be fine - try not to worry
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Ironically iv'e had to deal with 3 rat invasions in the last 3 months one at my house one at my mothers and another at my grandparents. I've found each time that one of the main causes for them to shack up is food, my mother and grandparents problem was bags of birdseed being in there garage or just inside the conservatory, my problem was i was putting to much birdseed out so the first step, would be to make sure there are no food sources available to them that will help a tremendous amount.
Secondly my grandparents used rat poison but me and my mother refuse to use it because of dogs, but the method is still similar, try and fill in the rat holes with dirt and really compact it down afterwards try and get some mesh (obviously steel is better) but anything tough will do and lay that on top of where you filled in the rat holes. After that you can lay slabs etc or something heavy just to put some weight on it. Now of course they are going to burrow out of there but if u make it difficult for them to live there and deprive them of food they may go away, you'll never stop them coming in the garden of course but they may nest somewhere else. (you can buy the poison sachets and just use a stick and stuff them down the hole as far as they'll go then fill with dirt and continue the process).
One thing that i have found a lot of people do which is the main cause of rats is put way way way to much bird seed down, only put enough so that the birds will polish it off before nightfall, and don't feel stingy or bad they dont mind Other than that there are rat traps or exterminators but Ive never been down that route so i cant comment on it.
But honestly if they are a real persistent problem you may have to bully them out with poison or a professional, try the nice approach but be prepared for a fight if it doesn't work.
Hope this helps and i hope you get the rats out of the garden !
"You don't need a gun permit in the UK for a .22 which is ideal and more than adequate for dispatching rats."
This may soon not be true for all of the UK.
Scotland is due to introduce a requirement for a license for all air rifles later this year which will require owners to have a good reason to own them.
Pest control will be a good enough reason, but it seems that location has to be considered and that pest control in small or urban gardens will not be considered a good reason, indeed it seems that use in small gardens will banned altogether even if you have another good reason for a license. Anyone buying an air rifle in Scotland now for garden pest control may find they have to give it up in a few months if the garden is considered too small or urban for them to be given a license....
I was searching to the solution of my rat problem. Every night rats move around my house. It is very irritating for me. However, at last i have gotten some useful information about it form this thread. Thanks
We have a few rats visiting the garden - they come through from our neighbour's gardens either side, whether they nest there or further afield I dont know.
Our bird food is up high on a pole - they climb the pole during the day! Today I watched one get inside the"basket" used for fat balls!
Blocking up where they burrow under the fence helps to some extent - but isnt practical on one boundary.
I shall attempt some of the possible solutions listed here and elsewhere - catmint for example as well as ordinary garden mint.
I have fed the birds for years at my previous house with problems only once, and I dont see why I should stop responsible bird feeding because people elsewhere dont get rid of nesting rats! But I really dont want rats as a permanent feature in the garden.
Can anyone tell me if this is rats... for 4mths i have stored my motorbike in the shed with big cover over,when i came to get the bike out the floor was covered in rubble, with big rocks and morter like a building site! My bike had had the seat nibbled and wires eaten .. drawers had been opened where a small amoubt of bird food was left, high up. Some have said squirrels, ive not seen a rat and there are lots of cats n dogs in the area, there are no bins and no ponds .. im bemused ..what is it? Shed picture below..this is on the boards....help!
We have a few rats visiting the garden - they come through from our neighbour's gardens either side, whether they nest there or further afield I dont know.
Our bird food is up high on a pole - they climb the pole during the day! Today I watched one get inside the"basket" used for fat balls!
Blocking up where they burrow under the fence helps to some extent - but isnt practical on one boundary.
I shall attempt some of the possible solutions listed here and elsewhere - catmint for example as well as ordinary garden mint.
I have fed the birds for years at my previous house with problems only once, and I dont see why I should stop responsible bird feeding because people elsewhere dont get rid of nesting rats! But I really dont want rats as a permanent feature in the garden.
Posts
Hi Jpop. Do keep your guinea pigs well away from any rats. We lost all ours to a really nasty parasite which they caught from a rat which had got into the summer house where they were kept. It was years ago though so hopefully there are better treatments available now.
Decking provides an ideal home for rats - I wouldn't have it in my garden. Get professionals in to get rid of them and get them to come back on a regular basis until you and they are sure the problem is dealt with.
Clean the playhouse and toys with Dettol solution or similar - don't leave them out at night. Teach grandson to wash his hands properly after playing in the garden and not to put his fingers in his mouth, eyes etc. make sure wounds have a plaster on them.
Make sure guinea pig food etc is in rat proof containers.
And then, don't worry too much
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If a cat kills a rat that has eaten poison but doesn't eat it will the cat be ok??
If it doesn't eat the rat the cat should be fine.
Just keep an eye on it for a couple of days and if it does seem poorly phone the vet and ask for advice (they'll want to know the brand of rat poison if possible).
But honestly, I'm 99.9% certain the cat should be fine - try not to worry
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Ironically iv'e had to deal with 3 rat invasions in the last 3 months one at my house one at my mothers and another at my grandparents. I've found each time that one of the main causes for them to shack up is food, my mother and grandparents problem was bags of birdseed being in there garage or just inside the conservatory, my problem was i was putting to much birdseed out so the first step, would be to make sure there are no food sources available to them that will help a tremendous amount.
Secondly my grandparents used rat poison but me and my mother refuse to use it because of dogs, but the method is still similar, try and fill in the rat holes with dirt and really compact it down afterwards try and get some mesh (obviously steel is better) but anything tough will do and lay that on top of where you filled in the rat holes. After that you can lay slabs etc or something heavy just to put some weight on it. Now of course they are going to burrow out of there but if u make it difficult for them to live there and deprive them of food they may go away, you'll never stop them coming in the garden of course but they may nest somewhere else. (you can buy the poison sachets and just use a stick and stuff them down the hole as far as they'll go then fill with dirt and continue the process).
One thing that i have found a lot of people do which is the main cause of rats is put way way way to much bird seed down, only put enough so that the birds will polish it off before nightfall, and don't feel stingy or bad they dont mind
Other than that there are rat traps or exterminators but Ive never been down that route so i cant comment on it.
But honestly if they are a real persistent problem you may have to bully them out with poison or a professional, try the nice approach but be prepared for a fight if it doesn't work.
Hope this helps and i hope you get the rats out of the garden !
Forum quote isn't working for me:
GemmaJF wrote:
"You don't need a gun permit in the UK for a .22 which is ideal and more than adequate for dispatching rats."
This may soon not be true for all of the UK.
Scotland is due to introduce a requirement for a license for all air rifles later this year which will require owners to have a good reason to own them.
Pest control will be a good enough reason, but it seems that location has to be considered and that pest control in small or urban gardens will not be considered a good reason, indeed it seems that use in small gardens will banned altogether even if you have another good reason for a license. Anyone buying an air rifle in Scotland now for garden pest control may find they have to give it up in a few months if the garden is considered too small or urban for them to be given a license....
http://basc.org.uk/basc-scotland/airguns-in-scotland/airgun-licensing-in-scotland-frequently-asked-questions/
I was searching to the solution of my rat problem. Every night rats move around my house. It is very irritating for me. However, at last i have gotten some useful information about it form this thread. Thanks
We have a few rats visiting the garden - they come through from our neighbour's gardens either side, whether they nest there or further afield I dont know.
Our bird food is up high on a pole - they climb the pole during the day! Today I watched one get inside the"basket" used for fat balls!
Blocking up where they burrow under the fence helps to some extent - but isnt practical on one boundary.
I shall attempt some of the possible solutions listed here and elsewhere - catmint for example as well as ordinary garden mint.
I have fed the birds for years at my previous house with problems only once, and I dont see why I should stop responsible bird feeding because people elsewhere dont get rid of nesting rats! But I really dont want rats as a permanent feature in the garden.
Hi
Can anyone tell me if this is rats... for 4mths i have stored my motorbike in the shed with big cover over,when i came to get the bike out the floor was covered in rubble, with big rocks and morter like a building site! My bike had had the seat nibbled and wires eaten .. drawers had been opened where a small amoubt of bird food was left, high up. Some have said squirrels, ive not seen a rat and there are lots of cats n dogs in the area, there are no bins and no ponds .. im bemused ..what is it? Shed picture below..this is on the boards....help!
Last edited: 27 March 2017 21:47:41
Talk about being in denial. You're not feeding the birds 'responsibly' - you're feeding both birds and rats.
Availability of nesting places isn't the main requirement for rats - availability of food is.