Rats!

[beaky]

Not sure if there is an answer to this but.....
Our allotment is opposite an old railway line and rats from there frequently pop over and help themselves. Last week they got into our shed and ate all our seeds that were there. Lots of people put poison down, but it doesn't make a difference. Any ideas?

[Two_Sheds]

Call a professional, and ask their advice.
On my site we have rats (cos the neighbours leave bread and scraps on the birdtables) but they don't visit me any more:

• keep seeds in tins. Not plastic, rats will chew through it
• don't provide cosy warm dry rat beds: water your compost heap
• leave a big gap under your shed (mine is 6 inches up on breezeblocks
• obviously don't put meat scraps on the compost heap
• don't leave birdfood on the ground after dark

I hope this helps you too.

[PAULW]

We had a few visits from rats, as an association we purchaced a tub of poison if anybody on the site spots any work someone from the commitee will lay the poison untill the visits stop, the poison is put in drain pipes so as to keep out any other wildlife or domestic animals, the poison is in tablet form so there is no worries about spillage, this works out cheaper than calling in the ratman who around here will charge £40 a visit.

[kentvegplot]

I thought local authorities had to deal with rats? Heard on the radio the other day, that people should call in the professionals as soon as they see rats, otherwise the problem will get out of control.

They seem to love cosy sheds, my brother just discovered a nest in his shed..

In a number of parts of England, rats are now immune to every poison available......

[PAULW]

KVP
I suggest you give your local council a ring, down here it will cost you at least £40 for the council ratman to come out, one of the allotments in the borough called them out and this is what they were charged

[Two_Sheds]

[QUOTE=kentvegplot;162359] They seem to love cosy sheds, my brother just discovered a nest in his shed..[QUOTE]

Consider how they are getting in ... I had some chewed a hole thru the shed floor once. My next shed, I raised higher up off the ground, now the rats can't shelter under it to even begin chewing.

p.s. our council (Gt Yarmouth) provides a free service for rats and mice - rehousing, I presume

[Snadger]

Our council provides a free service to get rid of rats for homeowners/renters!

What happens at our allotment site is that someone from the council comes out and gives the allotment committe the rat poison with insstructions how to use it. If anyone has a problem with rats they only need approach the committee who will either set the poison themselves or give poison and instruction to allotment holder of how to use it!

Seems to work for us as apparently there was a major rat problem,(before my time there) considering quite a few have chickens and we are on the edge of fields and woods, but we seem to be free of them for now!

[rustylady]

p.s. our council provides a free service for rats and mice - rehousing, I presume[/QUOTE]

Not any more they don't. WDC have charged for mice for at least four years - they did do rats for free in residential properties, but they are now putting the contract out to private tender which means we will all have to pay!!

[terrier]

We didn't think we had rats in the shed until we left one of the pups in there while we cleaned out her run. Ten minutes later, we opened the shed and found her sitting there with a dead rat at her feet, not bad for a 6 month old Welshie!

[Paul Wagland]

Call me biased (I have four happy rats living in my front room) but if you're careful you never need to trap or poison them. Just make sure everything edible is kept in a secure container like a biscuit tin, and don't give rats the opportunity to make a nest (ie don't leave cardboard or textiles lying around in your shed).

I saw a brown rat on the allotment next to mine a few weeks back - if she makes a nest in my shed I'll probably start feeding her! She has as much right as I do to be there.

[Two_Sheds]

I saw a brown rat on the allotment next to mine a few weeks back - if she makes a nest in my shed I'll probably start feeding her! She has as much right as I do to be there.

light the blue touch paper and step back ....
I would agree that wild animals have a right to live - in the wild. A shed is not a naturally occurring habitat. It might be nice to have one pet brown rat, but they have a LOT of babies!

[smallblueplanet]

.....and carry diseases.

[Paul Wagland]

It might be nice to have one pet brown rat, but they have a LOT of babies!

Baby rats - how wonderful! Seriously though, I won't be encouraging her. I follow my own advice about making a shed less inviting.

I definitely consider an allotment site to be 'the wild' though - I built the shed in ratty's territory and there's no way I'd poison her just to make the allotment 'mine'.

Most 'pest' problems are caused by people leaving food or nesting sites available. I've had several allotments for ten years now and never once had the need to poison or trap anything.

And they carry far fewer diseases than we do!

[smallblueplanet]

As you share your allotment (I presume) you can't be sure what others are doing, even if you are treating the rats as the wild animals they are.

I would just suggest that you don't corner one as they will go for you - but you'd know that, I hope the other allotmenteers know it too.

[smallblueplanet]

....
I definitely consider an allotment site to be 'the wild' though....

Hardly.