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Original poster

Eeeek. Rat in my garden

43 replies

LightandFruity · 09/04/2022 09:46

There’s a bloody big rat running round my garden like he owns the place.
I’m terrified to go out there now. I want rid of it, or at least don’t want to see it any more.
Any tips?

OP posts:
ballsdeep · 09/04/2022 09:47

Poison. Is it there constantly? Do you know where its nest is or is it just passing?

Hoppinggreen · 09/04/2022 09:48

It will be RatS not Rat
They probably won’t bother you

Annabelle69 · 09/04/2022 09:48

Make sure you remove any potential sources of food, I.e. bird feeders, food bins, rubbish etc. It won't be around if there's no food source. Leave it alone, it's not going to leap out and attack you, it's just going about it's business.

Original poster
LightandFruity · 09/04/2022 09:49

I’ve no idea where it’s come from. Just running around all over the place and I’m too scared to investigate.
Is it unusual to see them in daylight?

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 09/04/2022 09:50

I'd burn the house down!

chisanunian · 09/04/2022 09:50

Why are you terrified? It won't attack you.

Annabelle69 · 09/04/2022 09:50

And please don't poison as posters are suggesting. It's a slow cruel agonising death and completely unnecessary. Use humane traps if you have to or employ pest control to do the same.

SusanDey · 09/04/2022 09:50

What you don't want is the rat getting into your house (where there is one rat there will be many others - sorry). Make sure you don't have things in the garden that might attract them. Get an extermination service to check your house for possible rentry points and get them blocked. Speaking from bitter experience here.

Original poster
LightandFruity · 09/04/2022 09:51

I do think it’s going to leap out and attack me. RATS? Don’t tell me that 😳

OP posts:
Llamapolice · 09/04/2022 09:53

We had this. Running all over the bloody lawn, half the size of a cat. Just a single rat.

We had pest control come but the nest was not on our property so they advised nothing they can really do. Unless you have a possible site for them to be nesting, you can assume it's come from elsewhere. We were told that unless there's an obvious draw ie dirty house with food lying around, they will usually stay outside. We just had to cross our fingers and although we saw it a couple more times outside, that was the end of it.

Mumwithapub · 09/04/2022 09:54

Rats! One of my major fears I feel they may attack, they put the fear of God into me. Get a big cat or small ratter dog.

Original poster
LightandFruity · 09/04/2022 10:06

Big fat cat lives next door. She just sits there and does nothing though.
We had one (many?) a few years ago and put ammonia in little trays round about and it seemed to disappear. Might try that.
And burn the decking down.

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 09/04/2022 10:51

It’s just a rat, their everywhere. They don’t leap out at humans, Londoners would never make to the shops and back if they did.

HoundHound · 09/04/2022 11:05

Just pretend you didn't see it. It's probably passing through if you have no food or rubbish in your garden.

Polyanthus2 · 09/04/2022 11:08

They aren't usually out in daylight when there are people about. So has the cat brought it? Has it been poisoned so is acting wierdly?

ImJustNotMeAnymore · 09/04/2022 11:10

Reminds me of when my teens found a dead day in the garden and put it in the wheelie bin without saying anything. I got a hell of a shock when I put the rubbish out and saw the pair of eyes in the bin 😱😱

Antarcticant · 09/04/2022 11:11

There are rats in or near most gardens, you just don't always see them. It won't hurt you, though I appreciate they aren't a welcome sight.

Original poster
LightandFruity · 09/04/2022 11:14

Lol I wish I hadn’t seen it. Made Dh hang the washing out this morning.
Didn’t seem to be acting weirdly. Just scuttling around but I wondered why it’s out in daylight. We’ve got quite big gardens and it might live in any of them, hopefully not mine.

OP posts:
Knittedfairies · 09/04/2022 11:18

What you don't want is for Ratty and his friends to get into the roof space of your extension and then die... The smell is truly atrocious. We had two to deal with ; I say 'we' but I kept out of the way. It's apparently quite common for rats to get in using old pipe work that isn't capped off when a new extension is built with new pipes. It cost a fortune to sort it all out.

JemimaTiggywinkle · 09/04/2022 11:21

Just to reassure you. I saw a rat running through my garden once, about a year ago.
I was so stressed about it. We were just about to have the kitchen done and I thought it would sneak it when the doors were left open.

We got a rat trap box thing and put it in the garden.

Anyway, I haven’t seen one since, so I guess it was just passing by.

Ifailed · 09/04/2022 11:22

If it gets into the kitchen you could write a song about it.

EdnaMole · 09/04/2022 11:25

We have had a nightmare with rats in our place - spotted them in the garden helping themselves to the bird seed and running under the decking!! Also had them scrabbling about in the loft which is just horrific in the middle of the night. Local pest control company know us well!!

dudsville · 09/04/2022 11:25

I second the multiple calls to stand down. I have seen two in daylight; one in London near the Palace and one in my back garden. They're really unlikely to harm you or jump out at you and they're most likely to hide or run away from you. We have an old deep seated fear of them, but we're not vulnerable to them here nowadays.

Cluelessasacucumber · 09/04/2022 11:28

Rats are everywhere and you should expect to see them from time to time. You can help deter them from you garden by 1. Only use no mess bird food and dont allow seed together on the ground 2. Keep your compost heap wet 3. Plant heavily scented species like lavender and mint, they dont like these 3. Move things around e.g. plant pots - they will around new things and changing spaces

Cluelessasacucumber · 09/04/2022 11:30

*to gather
*avoid