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17-10-2019, 03:24 PM
11

Re: Rats in The Garden!

Originally Posted by Longdogs ->
I did it under the cover of darkness
Naughty, Naughty but good on you.
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17-10-2019, 04:35 PM
12

Re: Rats in The Garden!

Originally Posted by Meg ->
I had the same problem with my neighbours lavish bird table and rats going through my garden to get there.
They have stopped feeding the birds , I guess they noticed the rats.
I feed the birds on a sawn off tree trunk down the lane away from the house.
Problem with that is you don't get to see the birds from your home, I love watching them & taking photo's.


Most of my neighbours feed the birds too, but they didn't stop when I did, though they had seen rats about when I asked them. Now I use the bird table & make sure all the food I put out is eaten by the birds before I put more out, I also clean up any left on the ground. It doesn't always work, but as long as I don't see the rats I'll carry on feeding the birds.
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17-10-2019, 10:53 PM
13

Re: Rats in The Garden!

Originally Posted by Longdogs ->
I did it under the cover of darkness


Actually, Ben was right, Dongles.
I must admit I never knew that. See here:


" Rat Cages are designed to capture rats without causing any threat to other animals that may venture in accidentally, as they use no poisons or 'snap traps'. As it is illegal to release captured live ship rats back into the wild, the captured rat will need to be humanely killed."
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17-10-2019, 10:59 PM
14

Re: Rats in The Garden!

Originally Posted by Tiffany ->
Problem with that is you don't get to see the birds from your home, I love watching them & taking photo's.


Most of my neighbours feed the birds too, but they didn't stop when I did, though they had seen rats about when I asked them. Now I use the bird table & make sure all the food I put out is eaten by the birds before I put more out, I also clean up any left on the ground. It doesn't always work, but as long as I don't see the rats I'll carry on feeding the birds.


I stopped feeding the birds for the same reason Tiff - Rats.
I can't abide the things.
Apart from that, I don't want my dogs getting Lepto off them either.

I never use hanging feeders because of the mess that drops onto the floor. A rats paradise.

I always did what you do, and only put enough out on my bird tables to eat quickly. Food was never left out over night, that is just asking for trouble.

I might try feeding again now it's getting colder, I do miss seeing the birds and they need a bit of help in winter too.

Squirrels here are a nightmare too.
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18-10-2019, 10:35 AM
15

Re: Rats in The Garden!

Peppermint oil,is a good deterrent ,soaked in cotton wool balls,leave them at the entry points,if you know where they are.

I have bird feeders/stations all over my garden...mice and rats...can come,with feeding the birds.

I used to care for an elderly lady..she had feeding stations etc....

We used to watch the mice climbing up the bird table,I had the same problem.

No matter,IMO..how ever you feed birds..you are at risk of enticing mice/rats.
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18-10-2019, 11:55 AM
16

Re: Rats in The Garden!

Originally Posted by Mups ->
I stopped feeding the birds for the same reason Tiff - Rats.
I can't abide the things.
Apart from that, I don't want my dogs getting Lepto off them either.

I never use hanging feeders because of the mess that drops onto the floor. A rats paradise.

I always did what you do, and only put enough out on my bird tables to eat quickly. Food was never left out over night, that is just asking for trouble.

I might try feeding again now it's getting colder, I do miss seeing the birds and they need a bit of help in winter too.

Squirrels here are a nightmare too.

Squirrels don't seem to be a problem here, but those would be better than rats. I too have stopped putting out the hanging feeders, for now anyway, might change if we get a bad winter.

Originally Posted by pauline3 ->
Peppermint oil,is a good deterrent ,soaked in cotton wool balls,leave them at the entry points,if you know where they are.

I have bird feeders/stations all over my garden...mice and rats...can come,with feeding the birds.

I used to care for an elderly lady..she had feeding stations etc....

We used to watch the mice climbing up the bird table,I had the same problem.

No matter,IMO..how ever you feed birds..you are at risk of enticing mice/rats.
Yes, doesn't matter where you live, if you feed the birds or have pets like rabbits in the garden, the rats are always there. It's fine if I don't see them though.
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19-10-2019, 10:23 PM
17

Re: Rats in The Garden!

Originally Posted by Tiffany ->
Squirrels don't seem to be a problem here, but those would be better than rats. I too have stopped putting out the hanging feeders, for now anyway, might change if we get a bad winter.



Yes, doesn't matter where you live, if you feed the birds or have pets like rabbits in the garden, the rats are always there. It's fine if I don't see them though.

I agree with you, Tiff.
Keeping poultry is another rat attraction unfortunately.

As for the squirrels, they are a nuisance because they tend to scatter the food everywhere while they sort out the bits they want.
When the garden behind mine had a large Walnut tree, it was a nightmare. The squirrels were here all the time pinching the nuts, then digging all my tubs out to bury them! Compost thrown everywhere every morning when I got up.
I'd sweep it all up and re-cover my plant roots, only to find the little blighters had done it again next day . . . and the next . .
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19-10-2019, 10:37 PM
18

Re: Rats in The Garden!

Originally Posted by Mups ->
I agree with you, Tiff.
Keeping poultry is another rat attraction unfortunately.

As for the squirrels, they are a nuisance because they tend to scatter the food everywhere while they sort out the bits they want.
When the garden behind mine had a large Walnut tree, it was a nightmare. The squirrels were here all the time pinching the nuts, then digging all my tubs out to bury them! Compost thrown everywhere every morning when I got up.
I'd sweep it all up and re-cover my plant roots, only to find the little blighters had done it again next day . . . and the next . .
Actually the Blackbird does that here, not to bury nuts obviously, but he's discovered a source of insects & worms live in the tubs. Clever bird really.
 
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