Just saw a rat in my garden

[Kayrel]

God I struggle to even type the word. Phobia isn’t the half of it

So our house does back up onto countryside so I’m realistic in that they must exist somewhat close to me. Neighbours also compost and 5 or so years we had to block an entrance said animals were using into our garden.

im worried cause my dog is very interested in a side garage which we do not use. (Direction it ran)

We do not leave rubbish out due to my phobia. I make extra dump runs to avoid this. All access points are sealed.

Please tell me what to do. Money is tight (had to fork out for car issues)

Someone sensible please tell me what to do. I have broken my phone before by chucking it when I unexpectedly saw a pic of said animal. Phobia is terrible. This will cause an issue with dh cause I am blowing up issue

With a dog you don't want to put out poison. But on the other hand a dog will help deter them, what breed is your dog? A terrier might be a good idea.

When and why did the phobia start?

We had a rat problem, dog was driven mad by them. Got new neighbours with three cats. No more rats.

Get yourself a poison box, and keep topping it up. We had a problem, vile things.

Always had it. I genuinely think it may be linked to learning about the Black Death. My dad taught me about it very young (history buff)

They don’t like things being moved, so maybe have a sort out in the garage

Absolutely this.

What a sterling idea, put a great snappy trap some near to where your dog’s nose is going to go.
Alternatively leave the poor thing alone, it’s a wild animal living in your garden, it’s presumably not living on fast food rubbish and sewage to its as clean as any other wild animal.
There are lots of rat videos on YouTube, educate yourself a bit and deal with your phobia.

Rat traps are in boxes so should be dog proof

We have a German Shepherd. To be honest I would be freaked out knowing he had one in his mouth

This too. A rat in your garden is doing you no harm at all - it's just getting on with its life. I agree, there are some lovely rat videos on YouTube - try learning about them - they are intelligent and loving and value their life as much as you value yours.

Traps are pointless. You’ll only have to deal with the dead/dying rat anyway, and there are probably way more rats around than you want to have to deal with in this way.

The absolute best thing you can do is to make your garden utterly pointless for them to remain in. No water sources, no food source (don’t feed birds etc), no shelter (decking is like a hotel for them) and keep the garden very neat and tidy - they like to have ‘rat runs’ along the edges of fences, buildings etc so keep these places totally free of clutter/hushes/long grass so there are no hiding places for them. And use your garden a lot - all of it - be in and out all the time and move things a round (garden furniture for example) as they hate new/unfamiliar things. They may still use your garden cut through to other more desirable areas but there will be reason for them to stay there.

I would put in the garage where dog can’t reach

I hope that in your next life, someone decapitates you with a great steel spring. Or maybe feeds you poison, that you can take back to your babies so they all die in agony.

So there's a bit of your mind that formed a belief that rats are a disproportion danger to health and life, as they were in the Middle Ages, and that part is now wildly overreacting to any real or perceived threat. A quick course (2 or 3 sessions) of hypnotherapy should solve the issue.

fuck my garden is overgrown right now. Our lawn mower broke and I convinced myself I was doing something nice for the bees my giving them wildflowers. It was perfect 2 months ago.

we have a big square lawn with thick hedges on both sides separating neighbours’ garden (both sides)

I’m with you OP. Dirty, vile creatures, can’t stand them. Not sure if you have them in UK but we have traps inside box things with handles. Put peanut butter in traps as they love it, they are sealed and black so you don’t need to look at a dead/half dead rat that’s been snapped and is trapped in the box and you can throw the whole box in your outdoor bin. I like animals and wouldn’t want to see any suffer but not those little fuckers. As far as I’m concerned they can wipe out most of mankind with plague so I’m happy to get in first and have them dispatched.

I often see a rat sneaking out to get some fallen bird seed. As long as he stays in the garden, he's welcome :)

And if you think they’re accessing your sheds then find the entry point and plug the gaps with thick rodent proof mesh then fill in with soil/shingle. Yes to clearing out and decluttering sheds though

thanks to everyone posting. No one would engage with me irl.

I was about to have a cheat day dieting (have been very strict for 2 weeks) but don’t think I can eat now.

Never thought my phobia was bad enough for therapy. Something to think about. I just can’t imagine being able to even look at multiple pictures of them without breaking a bone (running, flailing etc)