Rats and bird feeders

[Medievalist]

Is it possible do you think to feed birds and avoid attracting rats? I know the answer I guess but DH is very very keen to feed birds - and we do attract some beautiful ones which are lovely to watch. However, I'm not happy about the rat that's started hanging around underneath the feeder ....

Having pointed out to him the rat scoffing nuts at 8am this morning, DH is now creating a high level feeder that (he thinks) the rat won't be able to reach. I think it will still attract it (notice I'm stubbornly using the singular). Should I just insist he packs all his bird food away, or is it possible to reach a compromise?

We're in the countryside, surrounded by fields so I know they are out there. Just don't want them hanging around near the house. I didn't think we would have a rat problem when we have 4 noisy dogs charging around.

Anyone got any suggestions?

It's not just in the country, we have the same issue in the city. If you have food you'll almost always have rats, and even if you make it high, birds will scatter seeds or nuts.

If they're not near or in the house or causing trouble, you could just check for burrows and try humane methods to repel them a bit.

If it's a real problem then yes you might need to stop the feeders for a bit and maybe call pest control.

Also, consider how you keep and serve dog food. Often rats actually prefer homes with pets, because there's often floor-level food around.

OverTheRubicon - yes we've lived in a city and seen them in our garden there. I think living where we do - surrounded by fields - it would be a bit pointless getting pest control in. And I absolutely wouldn't want to put poison down when we have dogs and so much other wildlife around (hedgehogs, rabbits, voles, owls etc).

I'm reasonably happy to live and let live - provided they don't get too close. I fear the bird food will just have to go.

Our dogs are mainly Labradors. Believe me, there's never ANY food lying around! And dry dog food is kept in a closed container in a cupboard.

I live in the countryside too and have a bird feeder in the front garden. We've got a barn next to the house which we know had rats in as they were tunnelling underneath and appearing in the garden, and we'd see them out there in the evenings. We got pest control in about 6 months ago and they were killed (not with poison) and they haven't, as yet, returned. At least not that we've seen so I do think it is manageable with that method. I'm under no illusions that they're still out there but we haven't seen one since.