RATS RATS AND RATS

[HJWT]

So my neighbour has noticed RATS living under her shed 🤢 not even told me but has told the neighbour at the other side (terraced houses) and she has informed me THANK GOD because today I was sat in the garden with DD and one ran through my garden back into hers! I nearly had heart attack

We have lived here for 2.5 years and never seen a rat before but we do live next to water were they will live!!

SO how do I get rid of them, and what should I put down to make sure they don't keep coming back!

@BillywilliamV rats carry leptospirosis in their urine, which you can catch by handling items they've peed on, or from water which they may have been using, such as canals.
Also some of the smaller rivers have rat introduced leptospirosis in the water.

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get a couple of these boxes & put bait inside replace when it gets eaten - place these boxes as close to entrance hole as possible - maybe get 2 boxes -these boxes keep bait away from birds- don't let dc touch the bait (obviously) but the bait doesn't look like something dc would want to eat. I will witness they work

Thanks to everyone that has given advice!! DH came home early and witnessed another rat and said it was as BIG AS A CAT so he has been and got some wood filled the hole in the fence! Defo won't be letting DD out there alone if you honestly think rats aren't a risk then you play with them 🤣

as big as a cat? Yeah, right.

And what on earth makes you think a rat is going to stick around waiting to be played with by a small child?

You and your DH are in lalaland!

It really isn't a big deal. Ever take your daughter to a park? There'll be rats there too.

Per a pp, the risks associated with having a rat in your garden are substantially the same as a squirrel being there. No need for drama.

OFGS...

Give your head a wobble.

Wild rats won't approach a human unless cornered, simply supervise your child outside.

Speak to both neighbours, arrange pest control TOGETHER, so that everyone is working toward the same goal the same way.

Tidy your garden, block off holes, (being aware you may trap rats IN as well as out), remove any shelter you can (logpiles, overgrown planting, rubbish).

Ensure your pest controller is aware that there are children and pets (between you and your neighbours) and they must NOT use the packets of bait designed for rats to pick up and carry to their nest, as they can drop these out in the open...

Ensure they use lockable bait stations placed out of the reach of children, and poison that contains Bitrex and blue dye as this makes it far less likely a child will consume any and bloody obvious if they do.

They should do the above anyway but I know a friends dog nearly died when the pest controller used packets and the rat dropped the packet in the open and the dog ate it.

For the anti-poisoners - sorry but this is realistically the only way to deal with an outdoor rat population.

The reason you are seeing rats in the daytime is that they have had a population explosion and they are struggling for food and willing to take greater risks to get it.

This may be natural, or it could be that one of your neighbours has a food source that has allowed the population to increase beyond the norm.

You are never more than 10ft from a rat, the fact you know this now doesn't change matters, you didn't die from it before you won't die of it now, just deal with it sensibly!

The you're never more than 6m (or 10m) away from a rat thing is a myth, but obviously they are very common and, particularly outdoors, not very dangerous at all.

I actually think they're lovely little animals, so long as they keep out of my house

As big as a cat 🤦

Honestly, she's hardly likely to play with a rat. They're quick, she's not likely to catch one!

I can't believe some of the replies. They may be widespread but it's NOT ok for them to be running around your garden. They carry disease. They could eventually end up in your house. We had one running around our garden, probably because our neighbours had chickens. One summer day I saw one little bastard climbing up our wall, obviously hoping to find a way in. I called another neighbour who was a pest controller and he helped sort the problem in our garden. He also dealt with our neighbours which I was grateful for. Get a professional in.

Neighbours keeping chickens or having an aviary encourages rats. They are not ok in your garden and can be the size of cats.

@WiddlinDiddlin why don't you give your head a wobble! God same some people on her are so rude and entitled its unbelievable!!!

My DD picks the stones up in the garden and then puts her hands near her mouth! The stones all the way along the fence next to the woman's shed so no I cant leave her in the garden because rats carry disease and then pee & poo it everywhere.

Like I said I am NOT an idiot, I know there are rats everywhere! We live next to a brook ffs they literally live next door with all the wild rabbits ducks swans the lot! But they have never come into our gardens before until now, hence why I have asked for advice about how to get rid of them.

And as for everyone saying I am being dramatic, the end of my garden is 10-15 foot away from my back door and I am guessing its going to be hot again this summer ID LIKE TO LEAVE IT OPEN THANKS.....

also seem to get more cat visits when that starts to happen

From a cat's viewpoint, rats building a nest under the neighbour's shed is like you finding your favourite takeaway has opened a branch in the house next door.

Get yourself plug in rodent deterrent, it emits a noise they can’t tolerate.

Then report to the council, just tell them that you have seen multiple rats coming from the neighbours garden.

Also, I'm sure this has been said but please don't allow your dog to catch rats, the rats will make them very poorly. Professional ratters treat their dogs very carefully and have a lot of them as a bite or scratch can make a dog very ill.

Get the poison out in a bait box. Refill it every single day. There are things you can do to kill them with edibles that are not hazardous to other wildlife however they are seen as in humane and possibly illegal but easily found on google.

We lived for many years next door but one to a farm. Next door kept hens.
Rats were an on going problem. We would eliminate them, then there would be a population explosion at the farm and they would be back.

Phone the council pest control department, they will come out and put down poison or traps safely- they also have access to more efficient poisons.
If they think the problem is next door, they will visit them too.
This used to be free, not sure if it still is.

But don't panic, apparently you are never more than 6 feet from a rat in the UK.

@Barbie222 as long as the dog is vaccinated against leptospirosis it will be fine, although obviously one cleans thoroughly after any rat bites on a dog. Our jrt got bitten quite a few times and I queried this with my vet, he said the precautions I was taking were okay.

Oh, and he was never ill, just ridiculously pleased with himself after dispatching a few!

I had a bbq out there yesterday

You do realise you're probably contributing to the problem? If you live somewhere prone to rats, you have to be sensible. You can argue about the unfairness of it all and insist on your daughter's right to put stones in her mouth etc, but it doesn't solve the problem. As pp have said, get pest control in and communicate with your neighbours. Have regard to the accessibility of bins, composters and other food waste and calm down ffs.

OP - just because you’ve only just seen a rat doesn’t mean that rats haven’t been peeing and pooing in your garden for - well, for ever really. Along with any other wildlife that fancies it.

And if the source of food or shelter isn’t removed, the council will simply kill one lot of rats and a month late another lot will move in. So anywhere they can nest needs to be blocked and rubbish must be disposed of properly and no food left around in the garden, that kind of thing.

Sorry @MattFreisWeatherReport have I said Im going to set the house on fire? no? Why do I need to calm down then! I didn't know there was rats otherwise I wouldn't of had a BBQ!! I don't have food,compost or Bins in my garden, I even have fake bloody plants!! But I cant exactly tell my neighbours to stop over filling there bins can I?

I live in the country. We just tell ourselves that any days we see are nice country rats, not horrible city rats and continue on with our day 😂

I can't believe some of the replies. They may be widespread but it's NOT ok for them to be running around your garden. They carry disease. They could eventually end up in your house.
Ditto squirrels, but most people wouldn't bat an eyelid about a squirrel in the garden.

I’m with you OP. I am absolutely phobic about rats and when i bumped into one in my basement last year I screamed so loud and long that my teen son three floors up from me thought I was being attacked. Pest control came and said it was a lone wolf, ie no nests or pals, just probably got in through an open window in the basement. I still have flashbacks when I go down there 12 months on. I was told too that they never usually come out during the daytime, but are doing so more and more because they are getting used to being around humans. And they will attack if they feel threatened.

@Livelovebehappy thanks for that 😂 defo won't be going near them now!!