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Friend or foe

I until recently had a 5* restaurant in our garden for the birds. However we now have some uninvited guests RATS I cry. The birds have stopped visiting,so I stopped putting food out but the rats are still coming and eating the grass. Yes the grass. I am at the end of my tether. Can anyone advise.Missing the birds and the garden.
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  • Help
  • Beaus MumBeaus Mum Posts: 3,554

    Oh Zara I just tried googling to help find an answer for you and all I could find was yes they do eat, well chew on grass and pull tufts outs for fun and all they suggested was putting down rat killer bait but I'm not sure If this could harm other wildlife too?

    hope someone can help image

     

  • Wish I could send some pics of the rat pack and what they have done. Getting a new bird feeding station put up,alot higher and hopefully rat proof. What are you views on a couple of feral cats? Anyway thanks for the advice earlier.
  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    If you want outdoor cats, just pop down to your local vet's surgery and they will know where you can get them or there may even be a notice on the wall. The cats will need feeding and shelter, but they need not come in the house.



    Rats are very fine climbers, by the way.
  • I cut the bottom off plastic 2litre bottles and slot them over the poles of the feeders. You may have to cut up the side too, to get it to fit. Then you need two overlapping, with the splits offset. The rats can't bypass the bottles so can't get up the poles. Looks a bit weird but it works.

  • Sorry about late reply and I am genuinely overwhelmed with all the help and advice. Thankyou. I will let you all know the outcome.
  • If you do end up getting cats please be very careful about not letting them into the house. Where will they go if t gets cold?



    My cat is my solution to the rat problem caused by dense overgrowth at the back f my house
  • artjakartjak Posts: 4,167

    A Jack Russell is very good at this tooimage But, as above, don't get one just to deal with rats; they need walks, vet visits, affection, food, fun, lots of games...rather like having a child, but you don't have to help them with homework.image

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190

    If you want to use rat bait, and its ok if you place it in discreet places so nothing else can get to it, you need Neosorexa Gold, they are immune to most others. 

    If you have a breeding pair they will become 100 in a couple of months, they breed very quickly.

    The council used to come out for free, I am not sure if they do that anymore, they left us some green hard jelly type cubes, they were useless, I dont know what they use now, but on the farm they only one that works quickly is the one I mentioned here..

     

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

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