Rats in the garden

[Hicky]

We had rats for a short while in lockdown, possibly due to me being very active in the garden and having plenty of food out for the birds/insects.
I stopped feeding for a while and the visible evidence of them went.
I must admit I'd of left them apart from my Ms being very keen on getting rid of them. I found them amusing, they'd climb to the bird feeders and jump into the bush close by if you approached. If you backed off a few meters out they'd pop and carry on eating. Necky buggers

 

[T4tomo]

The problem with the poisons is that they kill hedgehogs and other predators such as Owls and Kestrels.

not if you use one of these.....

Bachmann Turner Overdrive certainly seem to be branching out these days.

You ain't seen nothing yet....

 

[simongt]

Just remembered a novel way to kill rats. Squash them flat.

Back in the day, we used a Webley Mk. 1 Senior. Very effective - !

 

[oldwheels]

Back in the day, we used a Webley Mk. 1 Senior. Very effective - !

On a couple of occasions I had hundreds or perhaps thousands to deal with. I used an Anschutz rifle for domestic pests but the ones I mention were on an industrial scale in grain stores.

 

[simongt]

I had hundreds or perhaps thousands to deal with

Would a pack of hungry Jack Russels have done better - ?

 

[oldwheels]

Would a pack of hungry Jack Russels have done better - ?

Terriers were certainly used on farms I worked on but not available in a semi urban situation.
We once owned a Jack Russel but it's favourite meal were ankles particularly of postmen and the police who came in response to the postmans complaint.
I saw it once tear the ear from a Bull Terrier owned by a surgeon who sewed the ear back on remaking that it was the first time he ever had to do that with his own dog.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Thread resurrection here , my neighbour and I have got the furry blighters in our garden . We just watched one tonight under our bird feeder. So the foods now been removed . It’s under my deck by looks of things .
So weekend job is to remove some boards, might throw some more bait in as well . Sort out the gaping gaps have !! Managed to get one at the weekend in a snap trap , however the one I saw tonight was bigger !
We bought bait stations as well at the weekend so they have been deployed.
Apparently peppermint oil is good for dissuading them from hanging around ?
Quite cheesed off as we have a plethora of birds coming into our garden . The Wood pecker has nearly setup shop here !

 

[Electric_Andy]

Check everywhere outside and make sure they can't get into the house. We had some get in the cellar and they chewed their way into the wall cavity. Wire wool is good for plugging gaps

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Thread resurrection here , my neighbour and I have got the furry blighters in our garden . We just watched one tonight under our bird feeder. So the foods now been removed . It’s under my deck by looks of things .
So weekend job is to remove some boards, might throw some more bait in as well . Sort out the gaping gaps have !! Managed to get one at the weekend in a snap trap , however the one I saw tonight was bigger !
We bought bait stations as well at the weekend so they have been deployed.
Apparently peppermint oil is good for dissuading them from hanging around ?
Quite cheesed off as we have a plethora of birds coming into our garden . The Wood pecker has nearly setup shop here !

Been there. Where there's food so there will be rats, sadly. Wife went batsh1t when she saw one sitting on the feeding tree, bold as. Chemical warfare and no more bird-bothering sorted it. Decking retains its unique character holes...

 

[Gillstay]

Just shot 4 with an air rifle. Saves a lot of fuss and poisoning other wildlife.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Just shot 4 with an air rifle. Saves a lot of fuss and poisoning other wildlife.

I’m actually thinking of going down this route myself . We have just seen another walk along the garden and under the other deck . It’s absolutely chucking it down . So maybe just looking for dry shelter . Anyway from tomorrow weather is to get much better and a skip has been ordered. The f….kers are getting napalmed . Old shed and my crap attempt at a deck is getting dismantled. Need to make my garden a rat free zone . SWMBO is not happy !!

 

[simongt]

Decking is very popular - as a shelter for rats - !
But as we don't have decking but several cats, rats aren't an issue here despite there being a large set of allotments on t'other side of our fence - !
Grey squirrels abound along with several species of birds, hedgehogs and the occasional muntjac and the odd fox, so life certainly isn't dull in our garden - !

 

[Gillstay]

The gas powered traps are good, but quite expensive.

 

[Profpointy]

There are always rodents outside. Just leave them be. In any case their numbers are constrained by available food and space, rather than how many people kill. If you poison them, they'll likely get eaten by cats, dogs, foxes etc and they'll get poisoned too

Fair enough not leaving scraps out, making sure bins are secure, and not having holes into the house

We live in the city so naturally we see rats from time to time. The only ones in the house are those the bloody cat brings in to chase around at night

 

[oldwheels]

Where I currently live if there are rats visible around they will be dealt with by the local council but only in a domestic situation.
I had them in my workshop destroying large cones of wool yarn but I had to get rid of them myself as it was industrial and not domestic.