2 Rats in the garden

Grenage

Poison will kill rats, but it generally doesn't get rid of them all (outside, at least).  Removal of what attracts then, or access is your best bet.

In this case, the drain.

Section62

lr1277 said:

My mum had rats in her garden. She also saw something chewed up inside one of her floor level kitchen cupboards. If that was a rat how it got in there I don't know. But then I don't know what else might have done the chewing.

Could be mice - they do that sort of thing and are more likely than rats to be inside the house.  A hole where a pipe enters a cupboard is probably enough for a mouse to get in, possibly with a bit of chewing to enlarge the hole.

lr1277 said:

Edited to add: The rats were taking food from the bird table. She used to enjoy watching the birds at the table. Once the rats appeared, she stopped feeding the birds. She was sad that she no longer enjoyed the birds at the table.

I'd keep of feeding and enjoying the birds.  And if enjoying the rat's acrobatics wasn't her thing then try to rat-proof the bird table.  We've used wire netting in an inverted-bucket shape around the support post... they haven't worked out how to get past that, although they figured out they could climb a nearby tree and jump from the tree to the bird table.  So there's now similar wire netting around the tree trunk.

They also happily use the lavender and mint plants as 'cover' as they run between the wasteland where they live and the bit of garden where the bird table is... so our ones don't seem to have got the memo about hating these plants.

Section62

FreeBear said:

Put a sign up saying something like "Rats will be eviscerated". Won't do much good, but neither will poison.

My cat has caught, killed, and then brought in a small rat in the past. So a clear sign that they are present in the garden. As long as they stay out there, I don't consider them to be a problem.

That's more or less my view too... although when they started sitting on the windowsills peering inside to look at me I decided they'd crossed a line.

Mistral001

If you have a compost heap or container, make sure that you do not put any food waste in it, and that goes for ALL food waste including vegetables.  Also, ensure that your bins have secure lids.  If you think they are secure, I would still put bricks on the lids to make sure that there is not a hint of a food smell coming from them. 

Mistral001

Do not use rat poison.  It is a danger to have it in the house, it is a danger to pet cats and dogs and probably to all wildlife that comes into your garden, and also it produces dead rats, the location of which you cannot control.

happysellerbuyer

Someone suggested to call the water company as could be a break in sewer pipes. Do they come even though it's on my property.

Albermarle

The rats were taking food from the bird table. She used to enjoy watching the birds at the table. Once the rats appeared, she stopped feeding the birds. 

When my OH saw rats climbing the tree, to get to the bird feeder, it was removed permanently !

If you have a compost heap or container, make sure that you do not put any food waste in it, and that goes for ALL food waste including vegetables.  Also, ensure that your bins have secure lids.  If you think they are secure, I would still put bricks on the lids to make sure that there is not a hint of a food smell coming from them. 

You see a lot of promotion of compost heaps as sustainable, recycling etc but they never mention that they attract rats if you put any kitchen waste in them. 
We have a food waste bin in the garden ( collected once a week by the council) It has a lockable lid and then we put a large plastic crate over the top of it and two bricks on that. It is to stop foxes, but presumably stops rats as well.
Also I have learnt to wrap my fishing bait in numerous plastic bags, and a in a sealable box before storing it in the shed, due to past experience with rats eating it. 

Section62

happysellerbuyer said:

Someone suggested to call the water company as could be a break in sewer pipes. Do they come even though it's on my property.

Rats will use drain pipes as convenient tunnels to get from A to B, which is why manholes/inspection chambers should have a secure cover, and drains/gullies should have a grid on them which is small enough to keep vermin in/out.

If the water company is responsible for the drain/sewer then they may come out if there is a missing cover/grid as this may also be a safety issue.  But on the whole they are unlikely to provide much response to reports of sightings of rats - they are more likely to point you to the council's Environmental Health department, who in turn will probably point you to a pest control service.

It is unlikely a collapsed or broken underground drain/sewer will be involved, unless you have other problems like flooding from a manhole or water only draining away slowly.

chrisw

I've seen them coming out of the road gully and running round the gardens before disappearing back down them again. I think it would be impossible to get rid of them, I just make sure there's nothing around to keep them here.

Bigphil1474

I work for Environmental Health and we would just advise you to make sure drains are properly covered, and waste is properly secured. Don't know anyone who would put rat traps outdoors. They aren't a pest if they are outside, they are a pest if they can get in your property. Not 100% sure, but I reckon it's probably illegal to put rat poison out in outdoor spaces.