Do I have a rat in my garden?

I think that drowning rats may be illegal. I seem to remember someone being prosecuted for drowning a squirrel. I have no opinion on the rights and wrongs of that, I’m just saying ... ;).

I don't think drowning rats is illegal but, it's not classed as very humane. Squirrels on the other hand do have to be 'controlled & disposed of correctly' otherwise I think you can get prosecuted.

I've had rats in the garden before but, it's the squirrel in the loft that proved a bloody nightmare to get rig of.
 
I had a family of rats a few years ago, evident because they were running around the garden in broad daylight. A humane trap caught the youngsters, and subsequently drowned, but the adults were to canny to be caught. Alas I resorted to poison poured down their underground tunnels. Undoubtedly still there, as I do feed birds, but I have never see them since....:-(

Catching them humanly and then drowning them...... can you see the issue.
 
I don't think drowning rats is illegal but, it's not classed as very humane. Squirrels on the other hand do have to be 'controlled & disposed of correctly' otherwise I think you can get prosecuted.

I've had rats in the garden before but, it's the squirrel in the loft that proved a bloody nightmare to get rig of.
I have plenty of squirrels, well they come and go, and I understand your nightmare! Until a few years ago I had a cedar shingle (ie wood) roof on my single storey house and my nightmare was them discovering it and gnawing in. Fortunately it never happened but I did take precautions to keep them away from the building.

True, it’s illegal to release a grey squirrel once trapped. If you don’t think drowning is humane then you do think it’s illegal, if you see what I mean.
 
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I've got a nice close up now - and also know there are 3 rats.... I've started blocking up some holes with wire wool as mentioned, got some anti-rat spray going down the holes and around the entrances, and the snickers bars are ready for the rat trap tomorrow....

View: https://vimeo.com/377184413
 
Maybe get a cat?
I have a nice female cat and since we moved into the new house she comes in with rats. The plumber we consulted earlier this year said he had seen a rat nest in the attic, and when I said "well, we have a cat.." he said that cats don't take rats but only mice. Well, my cat definitely doesn't know about that!
Incredible how many rats there must be out there. I never knew before my cat started giving them to us as gifts.
 
Maybe get a cat?
I have a nice female cat and since we moved into the new house she comes in with rats. The plumber we consulted earlier this year said he had seen a rat nest in the attic, and when I said "well, we have a cat.." he said that cats don't take rats but only mice. Well, my cat definitely doesn't know about that!
Incredible how many rats there must be out there. I never knew before my cat started giving them to us as gifts.
Yes, a cat may catch the rats but he started off mentioning bird feeding so the cat may choose birds instead! Maybe just stop feeding birds (at least on feed the rats can get) then he won’t have rats or cats :D.
 
This is only my opinion but the most humane / "green" way of dealing with rats is using terriers. The dog either catches the rat or it escapes. If a ratting terrier gets its prey it is dispatched very quickly. No risk of chemicals getting into the food chain either
 
This is only my opinion but the most humane / "green" way of dealing with rats is using terriers. The dog either catches the rat or it escapes. If a ratting terrier gets its prey it is dispatched very quickly. No risk of chemicals getting into the food chain either
I agree (I think I suggested that earlier). Fenn traps are humane where you can use them. When I’ve had to use a live trap I’ve found that if you insert a gun barrel into it the rat obligingly bites the end so that is pretty humane I think.
 
Acute lead poisoning?
 
Acute lead poisoning?


this.... ^^

You can use an air rifle, as long as it's close to the legal limit of 12ft/lbs muzzle energy (not an air pistol) to shoot vermin and you can also do so in your garden. As I remember the law, you had to be 50 feet from the centre of a highway and ensure that any ammunition (pellets) does not leave your boundary. You must also ensure a good backstop. If you have an air rifle or know a mate with one, then this would be my suggestion. I wouldn't hesitate.

I do understand this may not be practical for so many reasons in your circumstances, but then again, it might be, just be discreet. ;)
 
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this.... ^^

You can use an air rifle, as long as it's close to the legal limit of 12ft/lbs muzzle energy (not an air pistol) to shoot vermin and you can also do so in your garden. As I remember the law, you had to be 50 feet from the centre of a highway and ensure that any ammunition (pellets) does not leave your boundary. You must also ensure a good backstop. If you have an air rifle or know a mate with one, then this would be my suggestion. I wouldn't hesitate.

I do understand this may not be practical for so many reasons in your circumstances, but then again, it might be, just be discreet. ;)
Exactly, see Post #48
 
My way of sorting out rats on my feeder

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I have rats on my front drive. At one time a female rat was shinning up the metal pole to get sunflower seeds from the feeder in broad daylight (there’s thick cover round the base — WD40 stopped that, she could only get a little way up before sliding down. (I can’t remember if it was WD40 or oil.)

There’s another feeder about 6 feet up in the air hanging from a large Lime tree. The Lime has a lot of adventitious shoots growing up from the base to about 4 feet or so. A rat (female again) eyed the feeder from below ran back 10 feet to the tree trunk and started to climb. Of course she chose the easy shoots but quickly found they went nowhere near. She did this few times and then gave up. not sure if this shows she was clever or stupid not to go up the main trunk!
 
Here’s a control method new to me (outdoors anyway), basically dropping solid CO2 into burrows, harmless to other wildlife:
https://www.marketplace.org/2019/05/23/new-york-city-turns-to-dry-ice-to-control-its-rat-population/
I like the look of that - it appears at the moment that we've managed to move them on.... the food that falls on the floor (birds dropping it) is no longer being eaten, not seen them on the garden for a few days. The holes blocked up with anti-rat deterrent and wire wool haven't been re-opened. Will be keeping a watch over the coming days to ensure they've gone and found another garden :)
 
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