I smell a rat!

[Shanker45]

Need some sensible advice please.

I have noticed on the last two evenings that our garden appears to be home to at least one rat. Looks like it's visiting next door as well as I spotted it trying to eat the bird feed they had put out.
We have a shed and plenty of other suitable homes for rats but wanted to know the best way to try and get rid of our friend(s).
We have 2 young boys so need to be careful about posion etc..

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Get a cat.

 

[Kazenga <3]

I once threw a mini kids-set metal gardening fork at a rat as it ran across our patio. Missed by mere inches and embedded in the wooden garage back door like a dart to a dartboard. Looked well cool.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dominoid]

These things have worked for me in the past:
The Big Cheese - Rat Trap Cage - Poison Free Live Catch: Amazon.co.uk: Garden Outdoors

 

[fire&skill]

I once threw a mini kids-set metal gardening fork at a rat as it ran across our patio. Missed by mere inches and embedded in the wooden garage back door like a dart to a dartboard. Looked well cool.

Hope this helps.

Did it twang like the arrow in the 'Strongbow' advert?

 

[Hornblower]

The main reason that rats set up shop in your garden is because they have found a source of food. It could be that your neighbours are being a bit to free and easy with the bird food. If there is no food the rats will go elsewhere but if you want to get rid of them you can get sealed poison traps (child proof) from places like Robert Dyas. I keep chickens and take their food out every night to deter the rats but have had to put poison down a couple of times to get rid of them.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Have you thought of calling the Pied Piper?

I hear he's very effective, though I'd keep an eye on the kids while he's in town.

 

[Kazenga <3]

Did it twang like the arrow in the 'Strongbow' advert?

Not a twang as such but it shuddered violently before slowly coming to a stop. Definitely up there with the best moments of my life.

 

[Shanker45]

Have you thought of calling the Pied Piper?

I hear he's very effective, though I'd keep an eye on the kids while he's in town.

I think the wife would be quite pleased especially as Easter hols just started!

 

[Shanker45]

The main reason that rats set up shop in your garden is because they have found a source of food. It could be that your neighbours are being a bit to free and easy with the bird food. If there is no food the rats will go elsewhere but if you want to get rid of them you can get sealed poison traps (child proof) from places like Robert Dyas. I keep chickens and take their food out every night to deter the rats but have had to put poison down a couple of times to get rid of them.

Will try the traps. Cheers.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Putting meat/bones in a composting barrel is going to attract rats. I would have a word with your neighbours to see if they do this. You probably won't get rid of the resident rats, so I would try a rat trap to start off with, as opposed to openly poisoned food so as not to kill a local cat or your boys!

I had rats in my flat in London. The nextdoor neighbours kindly put all their foodwaste in plastic bags and left them on the floor, as opposed to using the supplied food waste bins

The landlord used poison, but then there was no inherent danger of kids in the area. One of the rats died in the drain, which muggins here had to clean out as the stench was wafting up into our flat and the landlord was being a prick.

 

[porkypie]

Ring the council mate, they will send the pest control around. You can then have a talk with them about method used ie traps or posion!

 

[Art Vs Science]

Agent Orange? Just an idea

 

[Sausage]

Like Edna said. Get a cat.

 

[H2O]

Need some sensible advice please.

I have noticed on the last two evenings that our garden appears to be home to at least one rat. Looks like it's visiting next door as well as I spotted it trying to eat the bird feed they had put out.
We have a shed and plenty of other suitable homes for rats but wanted to know the best way to try and get rid of our friend(s).
We have 2 young boys so need to be careful about posion etc..

i have 2 bits of advice a mate told me a story once of how he grew up on a farm in Ireland and they had a rat problem. To solve it whenever they came a cross a rat they would catch it and put it in a big barrel. Eventually the rats in there would turn on each other in there desperation to eat what you were ultimately left with was a King RAT who killed all the other Rats so when it was set free it had a real taste for rat and killed all the other rats on the farm!!!!


Or if this is not practical you could PM Hola Gus for his advice its his game!

 

[gullshark]

Don't poison them as the rat will find a quiet corner to die which is usually somewhere you can't access and you're left with a rotting corpse...

 

[ripper]

Ring the council mate, they will send the pest control around. You can then have a talk with them about method used ie traps or posion!

This.

I found a dead rat under our house (cellar) recently so we phoned environmental health. They sent someone round, have left a trap and are coming back to see if there is any further evidence.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

I had rats in my flat in London.

Was it in your kitchen?

I bet your first thought was "What am I gonna do?".

 

[Superphil]

Beretta AL 391 Teknys Sporting

 

[Bold Seagull]

The advent of domestic composters has without a doubt contributed to the growing rat population. The average garden composter is incredibly warm, and a great source of food. After several problems with rats in ours I now encase the composter in chicken wire which seems to have stopped them. The council got rid of our rats with safe boxes of poison (i.e. kids can't get access). I wouldn't worry too much about 'rotting corpses', given their size, and the fact they'll go off some where safe and dark like behind the shed will mean all your other garden insects, bugs etc. will make short work of it before you ever notice it was there.