Rats

[Sue]

When I started on my allotment, I read all the books and as recommended in the ones on organic gardening kept a patch of ground as a wildlife area. It's between the allotment hedge and a row of 6 compost bins - inc 2 daleks.
And I've got wildlife - just not the ones I wanted - rats. Some of the compost bins are full of weeds, grass, soil rotting down and I think they're living in there and making feeding forays into the dalek bins.
I've bought some weldmesh to put under the daleks (£27!) but clearing and moving this lot is going to take me forever but it will be done and I'll have to give up on my wilderness area.
I'm going to start by emptying the daleks and meshing the ground underneath and then on the long task of emptying and moving the other 4 bins. Once I've got the daleks rat proof will they move on? Will they even move on after the whole lot is cleared?
Sue

[Herbie]

Hi Sue

We have had some major building works close by to where I live, new schools being built old ones due to be knocked down. Also elderly lady at the back of our house has been putting all food waste in her compost bin. We have also had the unwelcome visitors since last summer. My Jack Russell is on high alert. I mentioned to OH today that billy's behaviour indicated we may have visitors out back again. We educated the eldery lady.
Next door has re-homed her chickens.

After about an hour of saying this ............... I saw a long tail run across the patio to the deck so when the weather clears Im going to have a closer inspection. After all the trouble through last summer I am going to try one of those devices that send out a signal to deter the horrible critters.

Has anyone tried one of these and do they work?

I hope you have a solution to get rid.
Good Luck

[MrsBond]

We have also had an "incident".

I sit quietly on the chairs on the patio at any possible given opportunity. There have been occasions over the last 6 months when the long tails have been known to stroll under the chair that I am sitting on quietly and make their way to the kitchen compost bucket that we keep outside the back door in preparation for transferring to one of the 9 composters that we have in the garden (3 daleks, 3 pallet style heaps, 3 worm farms), cheeky buggers!

Now, I don't mind the wildlife as such being at the top of the garden where we have lots of old logs etc, we did afterall put it there to encourage wildlife, but at my back door is a different matter.

We were in the process of moving a dalek about 6 weeks ago...this dalek was 3/4 up the garden. When we stuck the spade into the heap, norty Mr Rat ran for his life...all fat and bolshy . We then carried on moving the compost to a new site when hey presto Mrs Rat came running out looking fatter and much more well fed than Mr Rat. MrB got a little way further into the heap when he called me over to witness the screaming of the little Rat Jnr's that mummy rat had left behind.

7 babies all ready to be 7 adults producing more babies within weeks. Grrrr....I cannot be responsible for increasing the population of rats! Needless to say, I have made sure that every time I walk up the garden (at least 12 times a day to see if my seeds have germinated ) I use a stick to rap on the daleks side, thoughts being that if the rats have moved back in, this would not make for a very happy, peaceful, quiet home to bring babies into.

MrsB x

[Alice]

Herbie, I don't know if the sonic devices work for rats, but they don't work for anything else. I wouldn't waste my money.

[Two_Sheds]

Have you tried watering your heaps and Daleks? Rats and mice don't like nesting in wet beds

[yoanbob]

our sonic things for the rats worked really well, we had a big problem with rats last year but the sonic things really worked

[lainey lou]

Something has been burrowing into two of my Darleks I've just noticed this morning.
I strongly suspect it's rats.
While I appreciate the fact that my little visitors have turned and airiated the compost beautifully, I don't relish the thought of them actually living and breeding in my darleks.
Alarmingly I also found some holes in the soil near where I planted my first earlies, I'm hoping this doesn't mean they are been eaten.

[Paul Wagland]

Regularly disturbing your compost heap with a fork, banging on it loudly with a stick or giving it a good soak with a hose are all good ways of discouraging rats from living there. I know it's a contentious subject, and everyone has there own views, but I've never had to poison or trap rats or mice. Changing my garden habits has worked (almost immediately) every time.

[Sue]

Hi
I've done the banging and have made the compost wet - but possibly not enough so it looks as if I've got to start on the big move - groan...
I can't even feed the birds now as they come and eat that, even in the early morning.
Sue

[lainey lou]

Regularly disturbing your compost heap with a fork, banging on it loudly with a stick or giving it a good soak with a hose are all good ways of discouraging rats from living there. I know it's a contentious subject, and everyone has there own views, but I've never had to poison or trap rats or mice. Changing my garden habits has worked (almost immediately) every time.

Thanks Paul, I'll try those ideas, I certainly don't want to go down the poison route!

[blackguard]

Reconaissance

Survey the surrounding area as well as the location the rats have been seen or demonstrated damage.

Look for runs and holes, identify water and food sources.

If it's a new colony, then it will be easier to eradicate the problem. However it is essential to do so immediately as the longer the empire building goes on the more likely that new tenants will move in and take over!

A more established colony requires more effort as you need to resolve migration issues from outside the zone. Unfortunately poisoning is the only really effective method to get numbers rapidly under control.

I would also suggest traps permanently set within wooden boxes to kill migrating scouts and prevent further problems.

Good luck!