17-10-2019, 10:58 AM
1
Rats in The Garden!
Don't know if it's down to the bird feeders (dropping seed on the floor beneath), or the very strange smelling plants my neighbour has in his Shed (don't ask), but I'm starting to see rats in the garden during the day.I managed to kill one off, last year, with a poisoned rat trap, but this year not so lucky.
I think the rats are not very big, but they are Strong - I found a dead rat in a trap that had been dragged 5 yards across the patio & under the chairs.
This week a trap has, totally, vanished.
I had 6 traps out there - now there are five.
Didn't have the problem when I had my cat, but I'm a bit old, now, to take on another animal friend.
17-10-2019, 11:35 AM
2
Re: Rats in The Garden!
I stopped feeding the birds in my garden for 6 months due to rats. A pair turned up in daylight any time of day & usually just after I'd fed the birds. They were watching me to see when I put the food out.
So I stopped. Started feeding the birds again & no sign of rats yet. Fingers crossed!Hopefully they have moved on to other peoples gardens.
You can't really ever get rid of them.
17-10-2019, 01:07 PM
5
Re: Rats in The Garden!
I think you will find that it is illegal to release trapped rats back into the wild.I do know that it is illegal to return trapped grey squirrels back into the wild.
They have to be humanely destroyed. I am almost certain this also applies to rats.
I live in the New Forest and the squirrel thing is one of the by-laws.
17-10-2019, 01:41 PM
6
Re: Rats in The Garden!
Because l keep hens, l get rats now and again. Luckily, my Local Authority offers Pest Control to get rid of the rats, for free.I used to have a bird station and the Pest Control man told me to remove it, as this also was attracting rats. I used to see about three rats at a time at the bottom of it. He also told me to pick up the apples from my Apple trees that were on the ground as they attracted the rats.
Ted, What if you fix the trap to a heavy piece of wood? The trap missing might only have caught part of the rat and it was able to get away with the trap still attached? Or even a fox might have dragged it away to eat the rat?
17-10-2019, 02:13 PM
7
Re: Rats in The Garden!
Originally Posted by big ben
->
I think you will find that it is illegal to release trapped rats back into the wild. I do know that it is illegal to return trapped grey squirrels back into the wild.
They have to be humanely destroyed. I am almost certain this also applies to rats.
I live in the New Forest and the squirrel thing is one of the by-laws.
17-10-2019, 02:29 PM
8
Re: Rats in The Garden!
Originally Posted by Artangel
->
Because l keep hens, l get rats now and again. Luckily, my Local Authority offers Pest Control to get rid of the rats, for free. I used to have a bird station and the Pest Control man told me to remove it, as this also was attracting rats. I used to see about three rats at a time at the bottom of it. He also told me to pick up the apples from my Apple trees that were on the ground as they attracted the rats.
Ted, What if you fix the trap to a heavy piece of wood? The trap missing might only have caught part of the rat and it was able to get away with the trap still attached? Or even a fox might have dragged it away to eat the rat?
That frightens me as it might mean that my poison could end up in a fox, a deer. a Hedgehog, or whatever.
Won't be putting poison out any more!
17-10-2019, 02:37 PM
9
Re: Rats in The Garden!
Oh good lord. No rats where we live but we had mice and our biggest contribution to why we had them was the fact that we fed the birds. We had bird feeders everywhere and when birds feed from human feeders they stash food in places for later. This attracts rodents since it’s a permanent food source so they happily move in. Getting rid of the feeders was our biggest mouse deterrent. I would freak if these were rats.
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