Rats in the garden

[stuckinthemud]

There are rats in my garden, clever ones that ignore traps in their runs baited with chocolate. Can't use poison (domestic pets). Tidying up, cutting grass short, removing water, not effective. They are nesting in and beneath a wall so digging them out is not an option. Any suggestions?

 

[MARK.B.]

Air rifle and a bit of patience might do the job

 

[recipio]

Peanut butter in the traps is a better option. Otherwise do you know anybody with an air rifle equipped with a night vision scope ?

 

[SVB]

Search for Shaun woods on YouTube - loads of suggestions

 

[Adam W.]

I use grapes or banana in traps, they can't resist.

 

[gog64]

Sorry if I’m missing the point here, but poison MUST be used in a tamper proof bait station, NO exceptions. Unless your pets are also rodents, they cannot access the poisoned bait. I always also put a heavy weight on bait stations to prevent them being disturbed.

I live on a farm and rat control is a routine chore, but one we have to carry out to the current standards (and quite right too). You are doing the right things, i.e. making sure there is no shelter or sources of food or water. If you have clearly identified a rat infestation then a good quality rodenticide, applied competently is usually the best solution. It may be better to get a qualified person in to do it.

A lot of rodenticide is rubbish I’m afraid, especially the cheap stuff. This one works OK:

https://www.pestcontrolsupermarket....--professional-strength---30-x-100g-228-p.asp

 

[Ollie78]

Hire a Jack Russell.

 

[Spectric]

Find their holes and pour petrol down them, stand back and light.

 

[D_W]

There are rats in my garden, clever ones that ignore traps in their runs baited with chocolate. Can't use poison (domestic pets). Tidying up, cutting grass short, removing water, not effective. They are nesting in and beneath a wall so digging them out is not an option. Any suggestions?

terrier or really bold cat.

 

[thetyreman]

make a crossbow to shoot them? could be a fun project.

 

[stuckinthemud]

Re Poison, my last experience was 20 years ago when a qualified person from the Council liberally spread some kind of white powder all over my allotment, including all over my strawberries ...
I actually have several crossbows but ducking when the quarrel hits a wall and comes right back at you ain't my idea of fun!
Checked my workshop and the little xxxxs have had 4 of the 8 backstraps hanging to dry in the rafters. No idea how they got up there but the remaining sinew is now in a locked steel box

 

[Jameshow]

Find their holes and pour petrol down them, stand back and light.

Did that under our garage but wasn't happy doing it user the house..

So filled a wallpaper stripper with water and bleech and stuck that down their hole - not heard anything since....

Cheers James

 

[Jacob]

Have had the in the garden a few times they seem to come and go. Unless they are a prob and getting into the house perhaps just ignore them. Or find out what the attraction is and deal with it- compost heap, other animals being fed etc

 

[Stigmorgan]

Sorry if I’m missing the point here, but poison MUST be used in a tamper proof bait station, NO exceptions. Unless your pets are also rodents, they cannot access the poisoned bait. I always also put a heavy weight on bait stations to prevent them being disturbed.

I live on a farm and rat control is a routine chore, but one we have to carry out to the current standards (and quite right too). You are doing the right things, i.e. making sure there is no shelter or sources of food or water. If you have clearly identified a rat infestation then a good quality rodenticide, applied competently is usually the best solution. It may be better to get a qualified person in to do it.

A lot of rodenticide is rubbish I’m afraid, especially the cheap stuff. This one works OK:

https://www.pestcontrolsupermarket....--professional-strength---30-x-100g-228-p.asp

Tamper proof boxes are not 100% effective, I live and work in a school, we have 10 boxes around site and several times I've found bait outside the boxes from the rats dropping it as they carry it to their nest, once I found an empty packet in my garden from the bait boxes, I asked the pest control company and my vet what to do if my dogs get hold of it, they told me the amount of poison in the bait packets wouldn't be enough to harm my 2 spaniels or my anatolian shepherd beyond making them throw up.

 

[Allen Quay]

Tamper proof bait stations used with Formula B+ as blocks rather than loose pellets. The blocks slide onto metal rods which are securely fixed into position inside the bait station. The rats gnaw on the blocks inside the bait station. This combination worked well for me during spring this year.
Pest Expert Formula B+ Advanced Rat & Mouse Killer Poison Bait Blocks Strong Single Feed 600g + 2 x Professional Rat Bait Boxes : Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

 

[mikej460]

We've got them in our wormery. I put thick mess under it and that kept them out... until this year, now there are rat sized tunnels in the compost. My wife breeds and shows maine **** cats but the only one allowed out (the others have a large run) and is now too old to care. In her younger years her record was 10 field voles in a day, rats, pigeons with a live squirrel and a water rail let loose in the house. In earlier days we had a moggie that we found tucking into a rat under our bed FFS.

Some 15 years ago I had what I thought was rats in my allotment compost bin until one day I opened it and there sat a water vole staring up at me!

 

[Suffolkboy]

Persevere with the trapping. Often they can take a while to get used to something new.

Airgunning them might work, bait them somewhere that's safe to shoot, peanut butter or something similar that they can't pick up and move and have to eat in situ.

Then, get you a coffee, lie in wait and... Kapow!!

 

[Lazurus]

Eliminate all of your burrowing pests, vermin and rodent problems | Rodenator

 

[gog64]

Yes, you can get a small amount of bait carried out of the bait station. The fact remains that it is far better to use one. My last recertification training was 2019, so it may have changed, but we were told to ideally inspect daily & clean up. We inspect daily, but I accept that a commercial pest control might find that difficult.

We use loose grain bait. I’m surprised that a certified pest control would use sealed bags, but again I’m not in that business. Personally I would insist they use loose grain, a rat can easily move a bag. I’m not convinced that wouldn’t harm a domestic pet. Of more concern to me is wildlife eating carcasses. We check daily to mitigate this, but I don’t believe we find them all. Certainly there are no carcasses on our land on my watch.

Last year, the wife ordered new bait & stations for the chicken housing. The new bait was blocks (she got the order wrong). Chicken housing is a nightmare for rats, so of course we eventually noticed sign and set the boxes. Of the 4 external bait stations, 3 were blocks, one was loose grain from old stock. 24 hours later the blocks were nibbled, but the grain was gone. Grain restocked & infestation dealt with within 72 hours. YMMV, but I’m sticking to grain.

 

[Adam W.]

I use great big spring loaded traps, so they can't move when they take the banana. I won't use poison because of the dog, it eats anything.