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So our back garden has become the scavenging-ground of a rat that is frequently to be seen poking around. It's just the one, it seems, despite the theory that where there's one rat, there's many - it's quite recognisable due to a patch of fur on its haunch. I've seen it several times a day, generally round the base of the bird feeder, quite naturally, as the birds are quite messy and drop bits of tasty food. It's also been digging tunnels in the compost heap. I don't want it to be there. We have no pets or kids to worry about, but I would still rather not have it wandering about. We have a broad hedge that backs on to a path and strip of trees and undergrowth, which is something of a wildlife corridor so it could have quite an extensive territory and we'd have no chance of restricting access. We could stop feeding the birds but that gives us an enormous sense of well-being (and yes I do see the disconnect in wanting to nurture some wild creatures and kill others, but we need more birds and we don't need more rats).
Of course I could try putting down bait and either poison or to trap the thing, but I would prefer a more targeted approach (pun very much intended) as I don't like the idea of indiscriminate friendly fire poisoning or trapping hedgehogs, birds etc., or having to wait and hope that it will eventually take effect on said rat. However this seems to be the only option that the council or pest control firms will offer (not too surprisingly)
So, what I am considering is either getting someone to shoot it, or potentially get an air rifle and do it myself. Obviously the latter would cost a fair bit of time and money to train myself up to do it safely and accurately, so it's not ideal. Therefore the question is - can I get someone 'in' to shoot it? The rat in question strolls casually across the back lawn several times a day, pausing here and there, so would be (in my opinion) quite an easy shot of maybe 10-15 yards from an upstairs bedroom window, shooting quite steeply down into the soft ground with no (?) risk of ricochet or shooting over boundaries. However I imagine neighbours seeing guns in windows might not be too impressed...
Is this the kind of thing shooters-for-hire will do? Would anyone with an air rifle in the Wiltshire area be open to it on commission? Should I just get out their with a pair of bombers? Will the rat wee in my shoes?
Who will rid me of this turbulent… rat?
UB40
UB40
It's not in mi kitchen...
It's a wild animal doing what wild animals do.
Is it really causing such an issue that you need to kill it?
Is it really causing such an issue that you need to kill it?
Need? No. But I don't want rats in my garden, which I believe is quite reasonable, and they don't take to any other form of persuasion. Would you be happy with rats in your garden - especially on the assumption that if one settles in, more will follow?
quite an easy shot of maybe 10-15 yards from an upstairs bedroom window
So long as your feeding the birds giving it an easy food source it'll be resident in your garden.
PC Ryan Pilkington?
I have 2 rats running about in my garden, they even charge at the pigeons who are eating the spoils from the blue tit chucking half the feed onto the ground...
I have a squirrel/rat trap, and caught one using a mix of mouse/rat attractant and peanut butter. the other 2 bastards ignore the trap. I did catch (accidentally) a robin the other day who flew off a bit peeved when I opened the door. If anyone has any ideas for good bait, please let me know.
I'm gonna risk the wrath of the better half and not refill the feeders to try and encourage the rats to the trap, or at least get them to piss off temporally.
I have a humane rat cage. It catches the rat and you can release it a couple of miles away. You can borrow it if you live near Cheshire / Delamere area.
So long as your feeding the birds giving it an easy food source it’ll be resident in your garden.
I know. I would rather keep feeding the birds and take direct measures against the rat than not feed the birds and hope it gets hungry/bored and goes somewhere else. Like I said - birds > rats.
It catches the rat and you can release it a couple of miles away.
May not be legal to do that, if it causes it distress.
A tunnel trap, suitably baited for the rat, ideally inserted into one of its tunnels in the compost heap its absolutely the way to go if you must, if it spends enough time in the compost heap it'll stink of rat and hedgehogs etc won't go near.
Poison outside is a very very bad idea. It's not even that good of an idea inside.
Though why you're concerned so long as it's not in your house is beyond me.
Eeeest no a rat,eeeast a Siberian Hamster.
I have a humane rat cage. It catches the rat and you can release it a couple of miles away. You can borrow it if you live near Cheshire / Delamere area.
Cheers for the offer, bit far away. I might look into getting one myself as an alternative to lethal options...
May not be legal to do that, if it causes it distress.
Definitely isn't legal if it's a grey squirrel.
I don’t want rats in my garden, which I believe is quite reasonable
Why, specifically? In the house, I get, but wild things behaving wildly in the wild.....
Definitely isn’t legal if it’s a grey squirrel
No, you send them to Edukator's wife's doctor.
Like I said – birds > rats
You've never seen a pigeon roost have you? (or for that matter, most bird's nests).
Would you be happy with rats in your garden – especially on the assumption that if one settles in, more will follow?
I quite like the owls, foxes and occasional buzzard they attract. Same as I enjoy seeing the sparrow hawks diving into the hedge after the blackbirds and starlings etc. Far and away the biggest (non "domesticated") pest in my garden is the bloody pigeons, though I really should get round to eating some of those.
So long as your feeding the birds giving it an easy food source it’ll be resident in your garden
Not if it's dead!
I have a humane rat cage. It catches the rat and you can release it a couple of miles away
Don't do that. 1: it's illegal, 2: it may well die (slowly) after being moved out of its home territory, and 3: I've seen rats caught in cages and I wouldn't want to be opening the cage while the rat is still able to bite!
Double-post, edited below
I don't want rats specifically in my garden because, when it gets down to it, they trigger a sense of repulsion - that bit may be instinctive rather than rational, but I do want to be comfortable in my garden. I'm not panicking and declaring the whole garden quarantined until the menace is dealt with or anything, but equally I don't feel like going and sitting in the grass to enjoy the sun when I've just seen the rat tracking over it.
I am a big fan of wildlife and am happy to see it, but that doesn't mean I want all examples of it in the spaces that I use... a garden isn't really a wild space even if you make it "wildlife-friendly" and having rats in it will make it *un*friendly to wildlife that I do want to encourage e.g. hedgehogs. We do have plenty of other wildlife around (including pigeons which are a bloody pain when trying to feed other birds) but for me the rat just crosses the line.
they trigger a sense of repulsion that bit may be instictive rather than rational
- in you, my lad's two are as cute as you like
but they certainly can carry diseases
as do birds
they urinate and defecate on things
true, but actually they tend to use it to mark territory so the reputation of doing it all over is not correct, they will mark but also will have a litter area. whereas birds do it all over, but particularly on my patio once the cherries arrive.
they trigger a sense of repulsion that bit may be instictive rather than rational
Institutional ratism innit. Endemic in our modern society.
another rat will just move in. You are never more than a couple of metres from a rat
Goodnature A24 trap kills them well dead pretty much instantly. It's a thing developed in NZ to protect indigenous fauna from rats and other pests. Not cheap, but very effective and works like a small automated bolt-gun. Resets instantly.
https://goodnaturetraps.co.uk/humane-rat-traps/
but equally I don’t feel like going and sitting in the grass to enjoy the sun when I’ve just seen the rat tracking over it.
Ah, the easy solution is don't watch the garden unless you're lying about in it then.
to wildlife that I do want to encourage e.g. hedgehogs
You know they are a great carrier and disperser of ticks?
I don’t want rats specifically in my garden because, when it gets down to it, they trigger a sense of repulsion
It's the same reason I don't want other people in mine to be fair.
Goodnature A24 trap
Also good for carrots, squirrels and fingers as I understand it.
Also good for carrots, squirrels and fingers as I understand it.
I don't want carrots in my garden. they're a funny colour and attract cartoon rabbits 🙂
and attract cartoon rabbits 🙂
I'm not sure I see the problem.
And there's nothing wrong with them, they're just drawn that way.
It catches the rat and you can release it a couple of miles away.
May not be legal to do that, if it causes it distress.
That would narrow down options, but in all honesty what other choices would you accept, now you'd discluded one reasonably humane method ?.
Bucket of water with a tight fitting lid ?, or the bag and trusty shovel ?, there aren't many options if you cant transport it 20 miles and release.
You in that option have to look for someone to take it off your hands and dispose of it however they see fit.
So while not ideal, transporting said rat a fair distance and releasing is by far the best option, if you don't like the others especially if they involve killing a small minding its own business mammal.
And if someone reports you for it, tell them it was a holiday you sent Mr Rat on, and if he finds work in that area while there, then the very best of luck to him I say.
So while not ideal, transporting said rat a fair distance and releasing is by far the best option, if you don’t like the others especially if they involve killing a small minding its own business mammal.
apart from it might not be. It might get picked on by other rats, or if there aren't other rats there, maybe that's because there are no food sources, or whatever.
Plus, it may be illegal if (rare chance of course) you were prosecuted under animal welfare laws.
I get people don't want rats in the garden, but if you really don't the best way is to make it inhospitable (they dislike some scents, for example), don't leave food out for them, and if you do get an infestation get them trapped and disposed of properly. If it has to die, do it well.
Then the only choice there Jonv, is to contact a pest exterminator and hand said rat to them saying, I dont really care what happens to it. OR it is let go back where it was found.
or get the pest controller to come and do it properly to start with if you can't / don't want to set killer traps yourself. Don't bother humane trapping them yourself.
Then the only choice there Jonv, is to contact a pest exterminator and hand said rat to them saying, I dont really care what happens to it. OR it is let go back where it was found.
Or do the job your self.
Getting someone else in to do it doesn't get the blood off your hands if that's what your worried about.
How ever what I will say is ...... Don't get too close to a cornered/caged rat.
Or do the job your self.
No because that would be inhumane, and illegal as such. So the only logical options are give it to someone else, licensed to remove rodents, in the full knowledge and understanding that could mean killing the rat, or to let it go, and look at other tested methods of deterring the rat off your property.
.
.
Nobody would be asking these questions if it was an infestation of kittens 😕
No because that would be inhumane, and illegal as such
Well no. Its only inhumane and illegal if its inhumane. Dispatched properly its not unreasonably inhumane so perfectly within the law. Drowning etc is not humane.
I'm with the OP. We have a neighbour who has a garden that is not fit for even a rat to live in. I think what happened was that one of them moved out and into our garden. Next thing they had invaded the shed. And I mean invaded. Ate through the floor to get in then ruined everything inside.
We didn't notice until it was too late as I think they got in during winter. They chewed all the garden furniture cushions and almost everything else they could get hold of. Even a blow up canoe. Everything they didn't chew was covered in poo and pee. It stained the wood so much that we had to sand it down and repaint it all.
So I am way beyond a humane way of getting rid of them. We had a one or two hedgehogs in the garden regularly so didn't want to go down the trap or poison route. Eventually after watching a YT video we set up a trap in the shed. A steel bin with water and a balloon on the top. Was a job getting such a big balloon. Spread some seed and corn on the top and left it. Came in to check in the morning and there were about 25 in the water. Not nice and I did feel a bit guilty. Set it up the next night and got another 25 or so.
We had a rat rooting around in our old compost bin*. They apparently like egg shells and on corn on the cob. We stopped putting them in and the rat didn't seem to visit as much (it's now plaguing the neighbours bird feeders instead...;)
Our new compost bin is apparently rat proof, it has a mesh base, so we can now put anything in it. The old compost bin has gone to the allotment, where I spotted a rat the other day.
*one benefit of the rat was that it 'turned' the compost really regularly and saved me a job.
No because that would be inhumane, and illegal as such
According to who ?
Pro tip.
Open the window but take the shot from the back of the room so the rat can't clock the barrel sticking out.
I don’t want rats in my garden, which I believe is quite reasonable
It absolutely is. And I agree with the sense of revulsion you describe as well.
I am a lover of wildlife, and believe that we shouldn't kill anything at all unless absolutely necessary - and even then, never 'happily' - but sometimes other creatures invade space we need for our wellbeing, and they have to be dealt with in the most effective way possible.
We once had a mouse invasion, and had evidence that they had got all over our kitchen, and even into one of my infant child's cot. That's when my 'live and let live' approach went out the window.
Your garden is your living space. There is an invasive, malignant creature in your living space. Learn how to shoot an air rifle and get rid of it. Or look around to see if Wiltshire has a group of people with terriers who will bring them 'round with the purpose of sorting out the problem. I've heard of such programmes in Norfolk.
[P.S. Yes, sure, birds can carry disease, but rock doves don't present much of a danger when I go outside, and they certainly haven't tried to move into my house. Rats can do both.]
There is an invasive, malignant creature in your living space.
It's a rat in your garden, it's not running a bath and using up the hot water for hours on end.
(can I drop my teenage daughter off 20 miles away?)
Look, I get you don't want them in the garden but maiming them with air rifles or hunting with dogs is not the answer. If you don't want them that much, get a pro in to do it properly, if you aren't willing to do it properly yourself.
According to who ?
You have the subject matter, simple task for you away to find out that information for yourself, It may not be illegal to kill trap animals like rats, but it is illegal to do it with a hammer. Certain traps are available, but that is up to the OP, I suggest you ask them.
I'm in the buy an air rifle camp.
You have the subject matter, simple task for you away to find out that information for yourself,
It would have been shorter to write you just wrote without checking if it was factual.
Remember:
Once you know an animal is
confined in a trap or snare their
welfare is governed by the
Animal Welfare Act 2006. The
person setting the trap has
responsibility for their welfare
and it is an offence to cause, or
fail to prevent, unnecessary
suffering to the animal.As far as we are aware there has been no study
of the outcome of catching rats or mice and
releasing them elsewhere. Other rodents show
very high mortality rates when translocated to
an unfamiliar area. The same is probably likely
to be true for many species of rodent: they will
be unfamiliar with food sources and places of
shelter; they may face aggression and
competition from other rodents already
occupying territory in the new area and are
likely to be more vulnerable to predation
Oh I'm.not in dispute with you Jon I agree with your point.
It's Dyna ti's point that only licensed people can kill a rat that is horse shite.
Unless the rat happens to be a hazel dormouse....
Might be overkill but at least you'll be sure It's dead.
Or you could have a 13 year old me. Killed loads of rats with that old Airsporter.
Might be overkill but at least you’ll be sure It’s dead.
Several parts, each of them dead 😆
Seems like nearly everyone agrees, the imprisoned rat should have his sentence quashed, and not himself squashed.
If you're near Malvern I can bring the boys round. Next door said there was always an issue with rats until we moved in and our two cats chased/ate them away.
The younger one is a right dickhead so I can leave him with you for a while to make sure the rat doesn't come back.
If you cant ignore it then get an air rifle. Learn to shoot, this will take some time, I would say when you can hit a 5p piece at 6m and a 2p piece at 10m every time then you are ready to shoot the rat. If your garden is bigger than that I don't think a sub 12ftlb rifle is suitable.
If you think it really is only one rat then getting someone else to do the job is probably a better bet or ignore it and see what happens.
Like grey squirrels, rats are non-native so it is illegal to release them (ie if you have caught them in a live trap).
Furthermore rats will predate on birds nests and other smaller native rodents etc so they aren’t great to have around if you’re at all bothered by wildlife and even worse releasing them elsewhere. If you live trap one you can shoot it in the trap.
Poison is indiscriminate.
Not true actually, brown rats have been here long enough now that they can be considered 'normally resident'. Black rats cannot be released by law.
You still can't live trap and release anything if doing so may cause it suffering.
Wildlife and countryside act
Just stop putting out bird food for a while.
Nobody would be asking these questions if it was an infestation of kittens
I have a python and no scruples!
(can I drop my teenage daughter off 20 miles away?)
You can but some passing teenage lothario in a souped up Corsa will bring her back, eventually!
Problem solved; after the state she left the kitchen in last night I've drowned her in a bucket.
(can I drop my teenage daughter off 20 miles away?)
If she's anything like the teenagers I know, just turn off the WiFi. She'll move on to a more suitable habitat soon enough.
I’ve drowned her in a bucket.
Tough love is the best love!
Surely by trapping and relocating you are just giving some other poor sod your problem?
Careful if you do try this. My Dad was rehoming a mouse they trapped in their cellar. Was driving along in his beat up old A4 glanced in the mirror to see said mouse sat on the top of the back seats having a wash. The trap had come apart, he spent three days trying to catch the mouse in his car before it ate through the seats snd loom.
Learning to shoot after buying a gun? Good nature a24 much cheaper and quicker.
Less use when the zombie hordes come shuffling over the hill though.
Less use when the zombie hordes come shuffling over the hill though.
Bit harsh, some of them are still quite spritely and the more infirm will be following the converted landrover in cars anyway.....
I’m amazed WCA hasn’t turned up with some elaborate device yet...
I’m amazed WCA hasn’t turned up with some elaborate device yet…
Given how he checked the last one over when he'd finished I'm not.
Just stop putting out bird food for a while.
Is the correct answer. However the OP is too stubborn for this. Why should I?
And so, you must live with the rat. And practise stoicism.
We could stop feeding the birds but that gives us an enormous sense of well-being
PARKLIFE!
And so, you must live with the rat. And practise stoicism.
Which is a virtue. Rat has enlightened you.
What’s needed is an S410
Mix a couple of rushed paracetomol tablets in some peanut butter and put it where the rat runs. Much cheaper and far quicker to do than buying a gun and learning to shoot.
Is the rat deleted yet ?
The younger one is a right dickhead so I can leave him with you for a while to make sure the rat doesn’t come back.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
What an absolutely hilarious way to describe a cat.
OP could get a cat maybe (the bird feeder might have to go as it would become a cat feeder) although looking at the prices of cats recently (Mrs OS and the kids want one) it would be cheaper to move house.
Does the OP know anyone who keeps ferrets? Borrow one for a day, or alternatively get some ferret poo from them and spread it around, watch the rat depart with its suitcase in hand.
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What’s needed is an S410
It’s got a built in manometer - so you can confirm how tough you are when killing small furry animals at a safe distance, presumably.
although looking at the prices of cats recently (Mrs OS and the kids want one) it would be cheaper to move house
I'm sure the RSPCA and Cats Protection charge the same adoption fee they always have.
I’m sure the RSPCA and Cats Protection charge the same adoption fee they always have.
Except they haven't got any - hence the price hikes elsewhere I guess. £500 for a kitten... 😮
My guess is that like Christmas pets, once everyone is back at work and the novelty wears off, there will be plenty in the RSPCA so we will wait.
As one or two people have said, the advantage in ratproofing the bird feeder, tidying up the garden, filling holes & generally making the place the equivalent of a Ballardian wasteland for ratty, is that not only does Mr or Ms Tuft piss off elsewhere, but you don't then get their cousins moving in.
If on the other hand the attractions are still there, the vermin will be too...
Btw am I the only one wondering if dyna-ti managed to escape the mOuse Issue somehow? #nosy