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!

I think if there’s a demonstrable issue with rats then yes, you can tell your neighbours to stop overfilling their bin.

I had loads of rats when I moved here as it's in the country and near the river. My cats over the years killed them all or they moved on because of the cats. I haven't seen one in several years now.

But they have never come into our gardens before until now

You mean you've never seen them come into your garden until now. I'm pretty sure they've been in there before.

But I cant exactly tell my neighbours to stop over filling there bins can I?

Why not? If there's a problem with vermin I'd have thought that would be an obvious place to start. If you don't tell them, pest control will.

Why do I need to calm down then!

You sound a bit hysterical. Perhaps it's all the capitals and exclamation marks that gave me that impression...

A pest controller told us rodent cannot drink so they absorb water through food and a soggy piece of bread, pasta etc that was washed down the plug and stuck in the drain is ideal food.

That’s ridiculous; of course they can drink. I’ve kept many rodents over many years (mice especially), and I can assure you they absolutely do, and need, to drink. Perhaps he meant that they can absorb water through food (as can we all!) so will go without a water source if they get enough water from food, like cats are supposed to? Giving cats dry food is a big cause if kidney issues in cats as they are not designed to drink the amount of water they need to from eating just dry cat food. Sorry, a bit off topic there.

It’s not uncommon to see rats in the daytime. It doesn’t take them long to get used to you and once they do, you will see them anytime and they will not runaway from you anymore. They are incredibly clever, and will soon learn you aren’t a threat. I had them at my old stables and they would run towards me, past me and around my feet without a care in the world. Even the threat of a pitchfork didn’t work. The rat just sat and stared at me!

Ditto squirrels My dad was an EHO and he always said the only difference between rats and squirrels was that squirrels were much more attractive therefore the public were more tolerant. What worries me most about rats is they will invade your home, unlike squirrels. I've never heard of a squirrel in someone's kitchen cupboards!

I couldn’t poison them as my stables were very rural and the threat to other wildlife was too high. I moved out eventually.

I live in a terrace where we had a serious infestation because of one of the residents who overfilled her bin and left unprotected bin bags propped up next to it. There were rats all over the place, nesting under sheds and decking, even seen climbing up the creeper over someone's front door.

We called environmental health, who came and didn't charge because it was a communal problem. They sorted out the rats - and the neighbour.

It may be all right to live and let live in rural areas, but there aren't enough predators in cities - and plenty of food from take-aways and chippies. It doesn't take long to have a serious problem on your hands. If they can get into your house, they will, especially in the winter. I know someone who had to have the house rewired because of rats in the loft. My son found one in the cupboard under his sink in a second floor flat. It had come in from under the floorboards.

I don't think Op is being hysterical. I wouldn't be wanting to be using any garden furniture till it's been given a good scrub or pressure wash if I knew rats were around.

OP, have you thought about installing an insect screen on your backdoor? Just because you mentioned about wanting to leave the door open in the summer. You don't have to get a horrible trailer park style one, some of them look very slick.

I'd never considered them in the UK but now I live in a very hot country with lots of scary venomous critters flying/crawling around and every single house here has insect screens on the door and windows. They are wonderful! When it's hot you just open the doors and windows and you get a lovely breeze but nothing gets in or out. I know there's nothing venomous/deadly in the UK but I do look back on the flies and spiders and mice etc that came into my house during the summers in the UK and kick myself for not just having had a screen installed on my backdoor.

Obviously this doesn't get the rats out of your garden right now but just thought I'd mention it for the hot summer you're supposed to be having over there this year...

We had a mild winter. This is probably contributing to the increased numbers this year.

I wonder how many poor neighborhood cats, birds and foxes were killed by the rat poison

@HBStowe - certainly in my garden, the way I bait would only cause harm to the intended victim, and possibly mice. The bait is a block about 1 inch by 2 inches, which is concealed in a very narrow rat run behind a shed. In addition, the bait is in a wrapper. Rats like to take these 'prizes' of food back to their nests, where hopefully all the other little buggers will have a good feed. It is inaccessible to other animals (not that we have foxes; we live in the countryside, I think all the foxes live in towns now!). I also have sealed bait boxes in more open positions which will only be accessed by rats or mice.
I won't use grain based bait because it can be spread around and would obviously be of interest to birds. Yes, there has to be some thought given to where bait is placed - a friend lost her dog after it ate rat poison just left in a heap near a rat nest.
As far as I'm concerned the only good rat is a dead rat - well, apart from fancy rats of course.

What worries me most about rats is they will invade your home, unlike squirrels. I've never heard of a squirrel in someone's kitchen cupboards!
A squirrel did get into a pub once.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-33541502

HJWT

Wow, you think sensible, practical advice is 'rude and entitled'... DFOD!

Talk to your neighbours.
Engage a pest control service.
Supervise your daughter so she doesnt eat pebbles (one would think you'd do that anyway really!)..

Which bit of that is rude and entitled exactly?

@WiddlinDiddlin when did I say my daughter eats pebbles or puts them in her mouth?

I said she plays with the stones then puts her hands near her mouth.

@SerenDippitty LOL