There's a rat in my shed!

[bario1]

There's a rat living in my shed on the allotment. Apart from maybe pulling up my onion sets, does it pose any problems/health risks? I'm all for living in harmony with with our fellow creatures, but a rat? Do they at least eat slugs or something?

[Ananke]

*Shudder*
We had a rat/rats that were burrowing into our greenhouse last winter, we kept filling in the hole with stones and stuff but it just kept coming back until we'd cleared the greenhouse out.

If you make sure there isn't a food supply or nesting/bedding materials for it in the shed that might help.

[scorpius]

Rats are vermin & can pose a health hazard (google Weils disease). They also breed very quickly & you could be over run with them in a short time. You can buy various poison from agricultural stores, live traps which you bait or do you or someone you know have a terrier?

[KittyColdNose]

I am all for live and let live but even I would find a way of moving it on. Too many diseases can be spread by them and they are prolific breeders

[mrgrower]

If you don't want it dead and god knows why you wouldn't, then if you know anyone with ferrets; ferrets wee deters the vial animals but to be honest rat poison in your shed KILL IT.

[Two_Sheds]

There's no such thing as one rat

They are social ( very social ) animals


And no, they don't eat slugs.

[mrgrower]

There's no such thing as one rat

They are social ( very social ) animals


And no, they don't eat slugs.

Let me rephrase: KILL THEM!!

[roitelet]

Get rid of it FAST or you will have all the friends and relations moving in. An agricultural supplier will sell you some effective poison and give you advice as to how to use it. It/they will probably go away and die so you won't have to deal with the corpse. You could get a pest control company in but they are expensive and will only put poison down.

It took me several weeks to rid the ckicken run of the rats that were living in the field and already breeding last December!!!

[gingerbilly]

If you let them breed...you'll need guns......lots of guns!

[simon180399]

I am afraid that there wont just be one, unfortunately there will be many especially if anyone on your site keeps poultry.

As its so cold at the moment they are not going back to the fields and hedges, if there is a constant food source and a dry warm area they are very likely to stay for some considerable time (and BREED! at an alarming rate).

The urine from a rat is near constant as they are almost incontinent and their tails are usually soaked in it, its the urine that causes the problems as it contains the weils disease (Leptospirosis), so make sure you wash your hands after handling anything thats likely to have been in contact with them.

I am a part time (hobby) pest controller and keep a few farmers around here very happy as i control their rat problems, I shoot them but as this is rarely allowed on a public allotment site then this is not an option, I also use poisons and traps depending on the environment.

Your second option will be to trap it preferably with a humane spring trap, if you use a live trap be aware that its an offence to release a live rat into the country much the same as squirrels.

Poison is an option (brodifacoum) but they are becoming increasingly immune to it, you need to bait the trap with something that will stick to the steel plate, try chocolate spread or peanut butter, one of the best baits is liquefied catfood and sweetcorn, it stinks but believe me it works, i use this method a lot, put the trap at 90 degrees to the wall as rats will always run against something as they feel safer.

if you need any more help then feel free to ask.
hth simon

[bario1]

Thanks for all your replies, sounds like I'm going to have to take this seriously! I have to admit the inside of my shed is like a bombshell, I haven't seen the floor for months. I'll make my first job cleaning it all out, then put some poison out. Can I buy rat traps/poison at B&Q? We can't keep chickens at the site, it's right in the city centre. I've seen rats the last few times I've been down there, maybe we have a bit of an infestation...

[Newton]

I am afraid that there wont just be one, unfortunately there will be many especially if anyone on your site keeps poultry.

As its so cold at the moment they are not going back to the fields and hedges, if there is a constant food source and a dry warm area they are very likely to stay for some considerable time (and BREED! at an alarming rate).

The urine from a rat is near constant as they are almost incontinent and their tails are usually soaked in it, its the urine that causes the problems as it contains the weils disease (Leptospirosis), so make sure you wash your hands after handling anything thats likely to have been in contact with them.

I am a part time (hobby) pest controller and keep a few farmers around here very happy as i control their rat problems, I shoot them but as this is rarely allowed on a public allotment site then this is not an option, I also use poisons and traps depending on the environment.

Your second option will be to trap it preferably with a humane spring trap, if you use a live trap be aware that its an offence to release a live rat into the country much the same as squirrels.

Poison is an option (brodifacoum) but they are becoming increasingly immune to it, you need to bait the trap with something that will stick to the steel plate, try chocolate spread or peanut butter, one of the best baits is liquefied catfood and sweetcorn, it stinks but believe me it works, i use this method a lot, put the trap at 90 degrees to the wall as rats will always run against something as they feel safer.

if you need any more help then feel free to ask.
hth simon

Great advice simon......thanks from an appreciative grape.......

[mrgrower]

You can get rat poison in Tesco would assume you can get it at B&Q as well

[alldigging]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u9a6l54idU


You need to eliminate the rat.

[Darwin.]

I HATE rats!!! I didn't mind them so much until I saw first hand how high they can jump. I'm only 5' 6" so they could pretty much jump straight into my face. If you can figure out how the get rid of it ASAP !!