Rats digging in the garden

[Deleted User]

Some of my neighbours have been having issues with rats, due mainly to leaving bags of rubbish in the open which has attracted the !!!!!!s.

Unfortunately, the rodents seem to have now migrated into my garden and I've found several areas excavated which I've tried to prevent continuing by placing heavy rockery stones on them. This has only slowed their progress. Every morning I find fresh evidence on the path of their digging. The worst affected is under a large tree in the corner of the garden.

I'm actually afraid to disturb the soil too much in case there is a nest of them and I inadvertently corner them. However what I have tried is raking over the area and piling back the soil they disturb, all of which just seems to make them more determined.

I've called the local Council exterminator but they are only in my area once a week and I have to wait for several days for them to arrive.

I'm not confident setting poison or traps myself, but is there anything else I should be doing to deter this vermin?
I've informed my neighbours, but their gardens are paved patio areas unlike mine and so they are not suffering in the same manner.

I'll be so disappointed if all of this means I'll have to remove trees and plants which we've enjoyed comfortably for many years...

sgun

You wont get rid of the rats until you get rid of the food source. Rats actually like digging under slabs and stones so placing them over the holes wont help, its like putting up a big welcome sign. The paved areas of your neighbours are a dream come true for rats, there will be nests under them! Waiting several days for the council doesn't seem like too much of a hardship. Please don't use poison yourself. If you get it wrong then the rats could be eaten by owls or other wildlife (and cats, dogs).

Rats need food, water and shelter. Take away one of these and they will move on (removing the food source is easiest, get the council environmental health involved if it really is the bin bags) Rats love bird food too.

Gloomendoom

We have this problem. As said, they love living under paved area and rockeries. I'm in the process of removing mine.

In the meantime, neighbours' cats are regularly leaving corpses on the path.

[Deleted User]

sgun wrote: »

You wont get rid of the rats until you get rid of the food source. Rats actually like digging under slabs and stones so placing them over the holes wont help, its like putting up a big welcome sign.

Well, I actually put about 40 Kilos of white cobbles on top of one area and had to remove a Hydrangea to do so. As I said, it did slow their progress.

sgun wrote: »

The paved areas of your neighbours are a dream come true for rats, there will be nests under them!

The problem is that their attitude is therefore "Out of sight out of mind" and they are not as concerned as I.

sgun wrote: »

Waiting several days for the council doesn't seem like too much of a hardship.

Yes, but I posted here in case there were any suggestions for what to do in the meantime.

sgun wrote: »

Please don't use poison yourself. If you get it wrong then the rats could be eaten by owls or other wildlife (and cats, dogs).

Yes, that was already my concern.

sgun wrote: »

Rats need food, water and shelter. Take away one of these and they will move on (removing the food source is easiest, get the council environmental health involved if it really is the bin bags) Rats love bird food too.

The problem is that we have an alleyway at the rear of our property which is continually populated by wheeliebins. With the move to fortnightly collection the bins are often overfull and, as stated in my earlier post neighbours leave bin bags out which the rats can easily get into.

naf123

placing lots of Dry ice pellets in their burrows will kill them all

PasturesNew

Re confidence about your own traps, I am a scaredy-cat sort of person but had to call the rat catchers - so I asked to see. There's the plastic box and pellets. You open the lid of the box and there are two sides, you put the pellets in the side that doesn't have the entrance holes in it.

You half fill it with pellets then don't touch it for a week.

Then you refill it and leave it a week.

Then you refill it and hopefully you'll see there's no need to do it any more.

At first you'll see MORE rats, as they think it's a party of free food.... then they stop.

It's always good to feel able to do it yourself.

I asked the rat person "what are the chances of finding a dead one inside there when I open it?" and she said "I've never seen one yet, so practically zero". They go in, eat and run off.

[Deleted User]

naf123 wrote: »

placing lots of Dry ice pellets in their burrows will kill them all

I've read about this being used in American cities. I'll look into this more closely after the Council has attended..

sgun

Rats absolutely hate peppermint essential oil. Soak cotton wool.in it and poke it down the holes. Beware, I did have a rat run out once over my arm whilst doing this. I don't mind rats though. They cant chew through wire wool so that is also something to try. Personally I wouldn't kill them, if the alley is as bad as it sounds get the council involved ( who will bait them but should also be able to look at enforcement).

keith969

Rats only respond to industrial strength poison, forget the rubbish that Rentokil sells in a e,g, Robert Dyas, they will gobble it up and come back to eat more the next day. Basically there are 2 different rat/mouse poisons. Rats are immune to one of them.

Cant recall the name of the stuff, was in closed sachets and was blue. I can probably find the name if interested

It's the only way I got ride if mine.

J_B

keith969 wrote: »

Rats only respond to industrial strength poison, forget the rubbish that Rentokil sells in a e,g, Robert Dyas, they will gobble it up and come back to eat more the next day. Basically there are 2 different rat/mouse poisons. Rats are immune to one of them.

Try this


https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/sis.html?_nkw=TOMCAT+2+RAT+POISON+BLOX+Rodent+Bait+Mouse+784g+Tub+Ready+to+Use+Blocks+&_id=183747614656&&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l46251

snowcat75

keith969 wrote: »

Rats only respond to industrial strength poison, forget the rubbish that Rentokil sells in a e,g, Robert Dyas, they will gobble it up and come back to eat more the next day. Basically there are 2 different rat/mouse poisons. Rats are immune to one of them.

Cant recall the name of the stuff, was in closed sachets and was blue. I can probably find the name if interested

It's the only way I got ride if mine.

Baits are now controlled, You need to be registered as a professional to buy anything other than small quantity's.

There are around 40 actives legal in the UK for rodenticides.

Rats have the potential on any site to become resistant to any of these, the most common cause of site pacific resistance is poor baiting, and people will put down baits in insufficient quantys to kill the rat, if it doesn't become resistant it will become bait shy, as there intelligent enough to realise that its the bait making them ill.


Really unless you wish to take the training so you can buy the correct baits, then the only alternative is to get someone in. A single rat needs 18g+ of bait to kill.


If the OPs spotting rats then the infestation is large, there normally shy nontonal creatures, and there only about in daylight if there's a large number of them and there short of food, or they've been baited and disorientated.

I despise rats.... Your want them gone..... there one step away from moving indoors and now as the weather is about to turn there natural instinct will be signalling them to head into buildings... dispatch them before cold weather sets in.