Oh rats!

[Primrose]

Thanks for that Geoff - I probably would have missed it as I'm not a huge TV viewer, so will watch with great interest.

Some years ago we used to know somebody who bred Fancy Rats as a hobby and he occasionally used to exhibit them at at charity functions. Some of them were beautiful beige colours, highly intelligent and tame and quite happy to be handled and fondled. Despite the feelings of some people who saw them I found them absolutely delightful, which I suppose is why I have such mixed feelings about the two wild ones that are now running riot in our garden

[jane E]

One other thought - when we have persistent moles digging up our lawn we pour a small drop of Jeyes fluid into their latest molehill, which seems to dissuade them and always sends them somewhere else. I suspect it's not very environmentlly friendly but sometimes desperate measures are needed. I wonder whether it would do the same to your rats.

[Primrose]

Thanks for that suggestion jane. The Pest Controller has now put 3 bait boxes down, which hopefully will do the trick and I've also thoroughly turned over the compost heap cage where I suspect they were lurking, so hopefully this combination will soon see the end of them. However, if it doesn't, I shall add some Jeyes Fluid to the combination. I think we have some in the garage somewhere which we've used in the past to clear lichen off our patio.

[oldherbaceous]

I could always send you some of cooks, cooking, that would have them begging to leave.

[Primrose]

Dear OH, who was that man I just spotted running down the lane being chased by a lady waving a rolling pin ???? On second thoughts, if her cooking hasn't succeeded in finishing you off in umpteen years, it might not have any effect on the rats either!

We haven't seen either of them for two days, which is definitely unusual as they're normally foraging about under the bird table, which we've had to leave empty for the time being, (Pest Controller rapped our knuckles for continuing to feed the birds), so perhaps the bait is starting to have effect. Just don't want to find some decaying bodies in my compost heap. Am a little concerned about this and the effect any bait might have being dissolved in the compost as I try and garden as organically as possible.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Primrose, i have an iron stomach and a hard head.

If the pest control man has been using block bait, there should not be a problem with the rats storing poison in the heap.

Regarding the dead rats, there is a good chance they may be in the heap, so the sooner you can empty the heap the better, really.

[Primrose]

Thanks for that OH. Once we've gone for four days without seeing them I'll probably dig the heap out to be on the safe side.

[Primrose]

Having congratulated ourselves that we've now gone 10 days without seeing any rats after the second visit of the local pest controller and thinking that we were finally free of them, we just spotted one climbing up our empty bird table this morning. So obviously the bait hasn't worked, or more likely, I suspect that nature abhors a vacuum and another one has come in, found an empty territory and taken over.

It's particularly annoying as we're really missing seeing so many of our bird friends in the garden, having been advised to remove all our bird feeders and food for the duration. The regulars, especially the robins and the blackbirds keep landing on the bird table and looking into the house accusingly. There seems no end to our campaign to get rid of these wretched creatures.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Primrose, how annoying for you, hope you soon get them sorted.

[alan refail]

I wonder where rats prefer to live, town or country?

We live in a village, our field has six poultry houses, the birds are fed outside and they do not always finish it all - at the moment the starlings finish it in the morning - we have a couple of hundred yards of river bank and there are four compost bins in the garden; ideal rat conditions, I should have thought. Yet in over ten years I have only seen rats, or evidence of rats, about three times. The last time was about three years ago when I disturbed a nest; the mother ran off and I dispatched the young with the back of a spade. No sign since. Mice and voles in controlled numbers - the local cats see to that - but no rat problem. Perhaps they just don't like the country life!

After penning that a few months ago, I have met my rat nemesis: a sudden explosion in the rat population taking over from the voles. And too many to be controlled by our neighbour's giant cat, What-the-hell's-that?
(Before anyone asks, she's called that because when we get up in the half-light that's what we say at the sight of her ghostly white form in the field.)

So now I am feeding them Tomcat Blox - two blocks of bait wired inside 30cm pieces of plastic downspout. No sign of dead ones yet, but greatly reduced sightings. They are eating the bait like there's no tomorrow - which is precisely what I hope for for them

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan,
We only get sittings of Rats when the harvest has been taken and in the grain storage area although last year I got them into the kitchen for the first time in over thirty years of living here.
I use EradiRat which is only harmful to rodents and no other living thing.
The take-up used to be slow but I have now found out that they have a penchant for Bournville Dark Chocolate and I buy a few bars and put a few shavings with the bait. Works a treat.
JB.

[Elle's Garden]

They are extremely fond of peanut butter too, and one of our pest control suppliers produces a poison paste based on peanut butter. You have to be extremely vigilante about dogs though (actually once I had a cat that liked peanut butter...)

[alan refail]

Pleased to report we are now a rat-free zone - for the time being.

[Catherine]

Pleased to hear that Alan.

[Johnboy]

Hi Elle,
I have no Dogs about the place but Cats galore and with normal baits the Cats eat the dying Rat and also perish so EradiRat is safe to anything other than a Rodent and this is why I use this Rat Killer. Safety first!
In about a month, when the barley is cut, is when we will see Rats for a short period. My grain now goes off piste!
JB.