There's a rat in the garden, what am I going to do?

[magpie215]

Ayahuasca said:

so called said:

I haven't seen a rat for a few weeks now but my garage stinks of rat piss.

Careful with that. Leptospirosis is no fun at all.

Aka Weils disease.....was a worry when I used to go ratting on a pig farm.

[so called]

magpie215 said:

Ayahuasca said:

so called said:

I haven't seen a rat for a few weeks now but my garage stinks of rat piss.

Careful with that. Leptospirosis is no fun at all.

Aka Weils disease.....was a worry when I used to go ratting on a pig farm.

Thanks very much for this advice.
I better have a look on google about that.

My wife spotted a rat again yesterday traversing the garden from the garage to the neighbours garden.

Again thanks.

[so called]

I have resorted to violence.
So Called 1 - Rats 0

[Falconer]

I called the council who did a good job for£78. Stopped feeding the birds fir a month and bought a cat. No sign of rats but we seem to have a number of mice now.

[so called]

My neighbour has a new cat that is now old enough to have started taking an interest but one of my dogs keeps chasing it off.
Don't want to use Council/poison because of the dogs and cats.

[BoggoStump]

The amount of cruelty in this thread it should be closed.

[so called]

BoggoStump said:

The amount of cruelty in this thread it should be closed.

I've done a lot to avoid killing and its all failed.
My garage now stinks and I'm warned to be careful of disease.

If using a trap is cruel then Last week I was cruel.
I didn't celebrate my 'success' and to be honest I think it has made a jot of difference to the issue.
My neigbour's cat has taken up the challenge but then, one of our dogs keeps chasing it off.

Any words of advice are welcome.

[EggsBenedict]

Search the 'Homes, Gardens and DIY' Forum for rat threads. There was a recent one that was pretty popular.

[Dr Jekyll]

so called said:

That's why I've volunteered my daughter.
She used to have pet rats so thinks there all cute, lovely and cuddly.

How is that any way for a young girl to be

[so called]

Dr Jekyll said:

so called said:

That's why I've volunteered my daughter.
She used to have pet rats so thinks there all cute, lovely and cuddly.

How is that any way for a young girl to be

???

Anyway, the rats are back.
The neighbour has relocated his chickens which may have stirred interest fro the local rat pack.
Our bird feeding station has been relocated nearer the house now so they're now in range.
My daughter still says

[popeyewhite]

so called said:

My daughter still says

Little chat about whose the boss?

[so called]

popeyewhite said:

so called said:

My daughter still says

Little chat about whose the boss?

She's bigger than me.

[Who me ?]

so called said:

I've done a lot to avoid killing and its all failed.
My garage now stinks and I'm warned to be careful of disease.

If using a trap is cruel then Last week I was cruel.
I didn't celebrate my 'success' and to be honest I think it has made a jot of difference to the issue.
My neigbour's cat has taken up the challenge but then, one of our dogs keeps chasing it off.

Any words of advice are welcome.

Wrong breed of dog. You need either a JRT or an X JRT. My last two dogs were pure Cairns and in the park they would chase rats, but present one id JRT X (possibly) Cairn or Westie, and she senses rats before they know she is there. But be careful as a bite could cause a dog a problem, and if dog decides to chomp on a poisoned rat then it could end up with problems.
And the rat -is it Cumming or going ?

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

55palfers said:

I have one of these.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/pest-stop-electronic-ro...

Very effective.

Bait with peanut butter.

That'd be no good for me. I love peanut butter. My wife would likely find my still twitching body in the morning after coming home drunk and realising we'd run out of peanut butter in the kitchen... Probably half eaten by rats to add insult to injury.

[so called]

Wrong breed of dog, you can say that again.
In between sleeping he argues with you.

Goby - "I came to help you in the Office but I'll just take a nap".


Me - "I've just found a burrow in one of the borders near my neighbours chicken coup, I think its rats again, can you go and sort that out please".
Goby - "Not sure I want to".


Me - "Go on you said you'd help".
Goby - "OK but I just take a nap first".


Me - " Goby, go and sort out the rats"
Goby - "Nooooooo"


Me - "Don't argue, just do it".

Goby - "I'll just have a quick nap under here, he wont find me"


"or I could hide here".


"anyway, its lunch time so I'll just had a bite to eattttzzzzzzzzzzzz".


Me - "Goby, RATS, NOW".
Goby - "I DONT WANT TO".


"if all else fails, play dead".

Edited by so called on Friday 28th May 08:30

[Pastie Bloater]

Goby is my spirit animal

[Ronstein]

From all the research I've done, it seems we're divided into those that know they have rats and those that don't know. Fortunately the house and garage is stone, but they've moved in under an old shed, so that's going.

We have started using humane traps and transporting them a mile down the road. Score so far in two weeks is three rats, three magpies, a blackbird and a jackdaw (all released unharmed). We back onto farmland, so there's no way we'll ever be rid of them, so we'll try not to provide them will accommodation and moderate the bird food while it's plentiful in the wild.

[so called]

Pastie Bloater said:

Goby is my spirit animal

He sleeps as much as my daughter.

And argues like my daughter,

[so called]

Ronstein said:

From all the research I've done, it seems we're divided into those that know they have rats and those that don't know. Fortunately the house and garage is stone, but they've moved in under an old shed, so that's going.

We have started using humane traps and transporting them a mile down the road. Score so far in two weeks is three rats, three magpies, a blackbird and a jackdaw (all released unharmed). We back onto farmland, so there's no way we'll ever be rid of them, so we'll try not to provide them will accommodation and moderate the bird food while it's plentiful in the wild.

Can you give me any details of your trap please.

[Ronstein]

so called said:

Can you give me any details of your trap please.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000QVSCH6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I always handle it with gardening gloves (so it doesn't stink of humans) and use birdseed (especially sunflower hearts) and peanut butter as bait.