Help are these mice or rats...

[Ozzyskye]

I was digging up some bamboo (never plant it, I hate it so much!) And uncovered a nest of very cute little things but I'm not sure if they're mice or rats... I'm also not sure if it makes a difference to be fair as I'm not killing them either way, but do I need to do anything to deter if rats? I know i shouldn't have picked them up but they were in like a little cavern and I was worried they would suffocate on the displaced soil. They're now in the hole with some leaves on... Help!

Rats
Mice aren't much bigger than that fully grown

I have no idea but they are very cute. Sorry I’m of no help

They're rats. Kill them otherwise you'll end up with dozens if them as they'll soon be old enough to start breeding.

Ah. So rats. Do I need to do anything? I've never seen a rat in the garden and we have 3 cats... The garden shouldn't attract them, other than feeding the birds (a long way from where I found them) there's no food etc. Other than washing my hands thoroughly is there anything else I should do?

They're rats and need despatching.

Agree they are rats.
They will eat the bird food, it doesn't need to be close by, they will roam for forage (and your neighbours bird/hedgehog/fox food if that is put out.
Not likely to come in your house, rats prefer not to live in people houses. But they will visit your house for food if they can. A hole the size of a 20p is enough for them to get through.
Don't poison them, they are resistant to a most of poisons and an owl might pick them up and die too. They are a disease risk and if the population increases you'll have problems, they gnaw anything to keep their teeth down, pipes, wiring etc etc
Best thing you can do is despatch these, and never leave food out, and ruin their hidey hole.

To be clear, dispatch means kill? I genuinely cannot do that. If I move the bird food I guess it won't do much as neighbours also feed birds... Maybe they'll just leave and all will be well!

@Ozzyskye I wouldn't kill them either 🤗

Poor ratties, I don't mind them in the outside world & wouldn't dispatch them either.

Put them in a box and drive them somewhere far away??
if you’re not prepared to kill them then you’ll have to accept you’ve got rats living in your garden now.

Won’t your cats get them? You must have one hunter among the three!

We bought a house that came with running bamboo. We had rats.
Not a single rat once we got a digger in.

That's interesting @WhatADrabCarpet

I'm just working my way through the bamboo - it came with the house for us too!

Were they problematic until sorted?

If you come down with "flu" in the next couple of weeks, see your GP and ask to be tested for Weills disease.

Rats are in every garden. I wouldn’t worry about it.

Well I left them to go for dinner with the in laws and they were gone when I got back so out of my hands (literally!).

Thanks for the heads up re weils disease - as far as I can tell they didn't wee on me and a washed my hands several times but good to know to keep an eye out