Rats!

[kirsty b]

I've seen rats on my plot, coming after chook food and bird table offerings. Had put traps down and killed a couple but went down and found one of my plot robins had been got no more traps going down now as I don't want to risk any more harm to my birdies.
They all live on the abandoned plot next door so I've decided to put all the grub in a big black bin that they can't get into and let them find somewhere else to find food.

[jeannine]

Oh what a shame Kirsty, I know how you feel cos I accidentally killed a frog when I was strimming - it was ages ago and I still feel terrible about it!!!

You've probably saved lots of birds from starving over winter if you're feeding them, so try not to feel sad! I read recently that by feeding birds in spring you can help the parents to raise a whole extra clutch of eggs, so it makes a huge difference.

[SMS6]

Have today discovered that my one rat visiting the bird table is now a family of rats. We've moved our trailer and can see no evidence of a nest or any kind of home under there so we can only assume they are popping in from the garden that backs on to ours. They have out houses in the corner and they do a lot of bird feeding.

We've decided to put bait down for them (the rats that is) because I really don't want to be over run with them

[Yorkist]

This may be a new thread, but it seemed to come off this one: I've just bought a new house with large garden that has been owned last by a lady with a small dog. GIven that this dog will have used the garden regularly and that I want to grow vegetables, are there any useful siuggestions about how to guard against toxicariasis (apart from the obvious hygiene items like hand and veg washing) from the soil. I have never owned a dog myself. Clearly toxicariasis arises from the worm eggs which survive in the soil and they last there for two years or more, I understand from the NHS Direct site. In the meantime I plan to use raised beds and a no-dig approach. Any other practical suggestions?