Rats in garden - help!!

[Myhairisturninggrey]

We've seen a rat in the garden for a few weeks so likely there are more around. Im not going to feed the birds any more but what to do?
They are likely living under the decking or the summer house as I've seen it running from one to the other but there is no way I can do anything about the Sumner house and don't want to rip up my lovely decking. And I know rats love decking, the little bastards.
So I am terrified. Help me please.
We can put down traps or poison the buggers but if we poison them they might die under decking or summer house and won't the stink be horrendous?
Alternatively, I've heard that they don't like smells and that they hate ammonia so I thought maybe soaking some rags in ammonia ( if you can even get it) and shoving them underneath decking/shed might chase them away. Or is that stupid?
Next door have got a cat and she is quite often in our garden but it hasn't deterred them.
We've lived here over 20 years and had decking/summerhouse for a long time and this is the first time I've ever seen a rat.
What should I do?

I would ring the council pest control and seek advice - we've found them to be very helpful and effective. Although there's been a small charge, they've done weekly visits/re-baited until the problem has improved (ours was a drain issue though rather than decking, and yes the smell from decomposing rats is not great!)

Thanks. But I think the council just put poison down and that doesn't solve the problem of dead rats in inaccessible places.
Traps might have to be the answer.

I 've just bought a sonic pest repeller - I couldn't say for certain that it works but it might be worth considering.

Would that work outside Lolly?
I wonder if I could somehow smokebomb them out or something.
I really am scared of them and don't want to go in the garden in case they come scuttling out.

This is the one I've bought it is for outdoors - in my case the rats are nesting under my neighbour's garage but have dug a route under the fence into my garden so I've pointed it towards the fence in the hope they stay in their garden as they won't pay for pest control to come out.

[http://www.coopersofstortford.co.uk/coopers-of-stortford-solar-powered-pest-reach-ultrasonic-clear-deluxe-prodst09398i/

I hope it works for you Lolly.
I will update if we have any success here. Dh wants to sort it out himself so first of all we are going to try encouraging them to leave by stinking them out with various strong smelling things that they don't like. We might end up getting pest control in but dh doesn't want to just yet. He's all calm about it and I'm freaking out .

Oh dear, deep breath required.
Seeing rats during the day does not mean you are infested with them, its a myth that they only come out at night. They live in social groups, so one adult rat indicates there are probably more, and now that it is warmer they will be breeding.
I hate to say this, but you will not get rid of them, unless you live in an isolated spot and are prepared to kill the whole colony.
Don't leave out food for wildlife/pets etc. that will attract them to your property, but I'm afraid you are going to have to live with them, they are more scared of you than you are of them, accept them like you would any other type of wildlife - birds , bees, etc.

Thank you I failed. I did assume we are infested with them seeing a rat during the day and I panic about everything anyway. No more food out in our garden ever again! I just want them to leave and if it was up to me I'd rip up the decking and concrete the area (it does look nice though). I'd be no good living in the country!

I saw one in my garden today and I'm panicking now too so I sympathise. I've been out checking round the shed and compost heap and I can't see any signs of them so hoping it was just cutting through our garden.
We have a toddler who loves digging in the garden, collecting rocks etc but now I'm worried about what germs might be there. Also I don't want to put down poison incase she got hold of it somehow.
Would a sonic repeller also repel all my lovely birds?

Get a Jack Russell.

purple the sonic repeller claims to have different settings for different animals. I am still getting birds in my garden

That might be worth a try then, thank you.

Sonic repellers are useless. As are your smelly rags. Ammonia is nasty stuff.

Get a bait box and fill it with decent rat poison, then leave it alongside a wall where you have seen rats.

Failing that, then traps, but make sure they're in a proper cage so they don't catch anything they shouldn't. You can (deservedly) be prosecuted if you do.

The poison is best but also the cruellest.

Well haven't seen any sign of rats for two weeks and I have been on constant rat watch. Stopped feeding the birds and put ammonia on rags in plastic containers ( household ammonia so its not so strong). Whether thats helping or not i dont know but if they appear again it will have to be poison.

When next doors were doing some building work they disturb a rat run.
I urge you to get a rat catcher. There will be more than one!