Rat with broken leg in my garden

[HgnncaNameMy]

There's a grassy area behind my house full of rats and mice. I moved here in February and the neighbours said theres a massive rat problem

I have 4 cats so don't have many issues

Theres currently a rat hiding under the kids garden toy and its leg is definetly broken, 3 of its legs seem fine but it's dragging one behind it

Who can i ring about this? Will someone come out and take it?

I know people class them as vermin but it's still a living creature that must be in absolute agony right now

@HgnncaNameMy

There's a grassy area behind my house full of rats and mice. I moved here in February and the neighbours said theres a massive rat problem

I have 4 cats so don't have many issues

Theres currently a rat hiding under the kids garden toy and its leg is definetly broken, 3 of its legs seem fine but it's dragging one behind it

Who can i ring about this? Will someone come out and take it?

I know people class them as vermin but it's still a living creature that must be in absolute agony right now

Unfortunately having cats will not protect you from the issues rats bring to your area rats may carry the following diseases:-

Arenavirus
Bartonellosis (Trench fever)
Capillariasis
Echinococcosis
Hantavirus
Leptospirosis
Rat bite fever
Rat tapeworm
Salmonellosis
The Plague
Toxoplasmosis
Trichinellosis
Tularemia
Weil’s disease

You can catch these through the following ways:-

inhalation or direct contact with rodent excreta (urine, faeces, saliva);
handling or inhaling microorganism particles aerosolized from hay, woodpiles or other materials contaminated with infectious rodent urine;
particles aerosolized by sweeping rodent infested spaces;
handling of infected rodents by hunters or other people;
bites from rodents — microorganisms carried in saliva can infect both humans and other rodents;
scratches from rodents;
drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated food;
rodents acting as sources for infecting ectoparasites (ticks, fleas, mites, lice) with various pathogens;
dogs, cats and foxes (especially urban) eating rodents and then catching parasites such as tapeworms that can be passed on to humans by them; and
rodents can also act as reservoirs for various flying-insect-borne diseases.

Also you have a duty under law to report infestations, so either look up a local pest control company or contact the council (Look it up on their web pages or phone for advice)

Move house.

I too used to think they are entitled to live freely and always used to humanely catch mice and let them free. Then on my way to work one day lost control of my car, crossed the carriage way and ended up on a bank facing the other way. I was very lucky to walk away. The cause was a mouse or rat had chewed through my fuel pipe causing diesel to pump out onto my tyres making them incredibly slippery, 6 months later my sons fuel poured out while he was filling up, turned out this had been chewed through too. My advice would be to get pest control in. Not worth risking your life.

Hi, At the bottom of this page it says the RSPCA will come out for injured wild rats (It is free.) www.rspca.org.uk/documents/1494939/7712578/Living+with+Rats+and+Mice+%2813.06.2017%29.pdf/aee9490c-669d-9053-d248-77ac5c38d32a?t=1553271443232&download=true

You are a lovely person to be worried about this little creature x

If I were brave enough, I would whack it on head with a shovel. Phobic about rodents.

I can't believe people were saying hit it with a shovel.

Kill the bastard. Yukkkkk

Yes halftermhalfterm yes i am charming, its a fucking rat

We had a baby rabbit in the house, brought in by our cat. A local wildlife place took it in and released it back into the wild. So I would recommend that or your local vet might be able to treat it? It might just need a splint and a place of safety.

OMG the things people are suggesting on here!! I wouldn't sleep for weeks if I did any of those 🙈🙈🙈

I would kill it myself and quick, save the time of someone else. Had to kill rats, birds and mice many a time due to my cat. Normally spade or hammer unfortunately.

Get a rock and break the fucker's neck.

Little bastard is full of nasties. How would you like it if it made your kids sick?

Sterelise your outdoor equipment regularly. So glad I don't have a garden.

Just seen this...

So as others have said a shovel to the head is much Kinder then slowly poisoning...

We had a rat problem briefly at our horses yard... A mixture of rat poison, traps, cats bought to live on the yard plus a few peoples terriers had a field day if they came across them...

Bizarrely our horse at the time killed several... Stamped on a few, laid on a few and dropped a few in water buckets.. Those injured not dead were killed with a shovel to the head put them out of their misery.

More then happy with this as i definately didn't enjoy the ones running up walls, or down walls in the dark or mucking out stables and them jumping up out of straw... Eugh horrible diseased things make me shudder thinking about them

Take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

I can’t believe someone came to your house, took a half dead rat to their house and then gave it infant nurophen by syringe until it died. This is by far the maddest thing I have read on here in years

I definetly think an overdose of Iburofen was better than a shovel to the head

I know you did the best you could, OP. But a faster death would have been kinder in this case. A shovel would have been pretty much instantaneous.

I couldn't whack it or anything over the head, feel guilty if I kill a spider, only thing I don't worry about, flies and clothes moths, O, and headlice too! Dog & cat fleas.
I would have to outsource. Had council in once to kill rat in utility room. It looked at us through kitchen windows... ate so much poison, nothing, then one day it staggered out on to lawn, I am pulling a face even as I write this... it was awful poor poor thing..... husband lobbed it over the fence in the end. I also still have horrible memories about the baby squirrel I hit with car, it just ran out. Kids said it was squirming on side of road, but I was at traffic lights and couldn't stop. Feel so bad..

Mind you I can think of some people who I could whack over head, happily. Boris to name just one!

Rats do chew, I found one in the cooking oil, those bit bottles you get. It couldn't get out, disgusting, I grabbed it and chucked the whole thing down the garden, but I don't want to kill them, I know about the diseases etc, but still its horrible to kill and animal.

Then there was the crispy mouse I found in the toaster when cleaning it out, Its tail was separate and really crispy. I cover the toaster with a breadboard at night now. It must have been in there for a while and we were eating the toast!!!!!!!!!!!! We have cats too. All old houses have mice especially if you have a cellar, and there is soil under the floorboards. Mice can get through the tiniest of spaces. I do hope you sort out your problem how you feel best about it.

Did I actually just read that someone gave a rat with two broken legs some Ibuprofen?!? MN has really outdone itself this time.

They'll be giving it a Cream Egg next.

I love animals generally and I know rats are God's creatures too (have no issue with pet rats- my friend had soem and they were so cute) and it is sad that it has broken leg but am afraid I would not be so tender hearted as the OP- I do not want wild rats on my property. They cannot help being rats but they carry nasty diseases and I would not want my pets to catch anything or be bitten.

Having said that, poor thing must be in agony and better get someone experienced in wildife to sort it lest OP gets bitten. A rat in pain is likely to feel scared and bite.

@BadLad

Did I actually just read that someone gave a rat with two broken legs some Ibuprofen?!? MN has really outdone itself this time.

They'll be giving it a Cream Egg next.

Ibuprofen? soluble dispirin left in a saucer (a big big dose) might be a better idea....no wait, that's seagulls!

I can't believe that there are so many posts about a bloody rat. They are disgusting vermin who carry diseases and should always be killed but humanely.

@BadLad I hadn't read that post but that would be me complete sucker for any injured animal. Even vermin. I couldn't kill it but equally would sure tear me up the thought of it suffering. What did you do OP?