Rats

Oh heck they're back again in force...pest control coming on Tuesday..as I'm stood at my kitchen window now there are two adults and four young..broad daylight and in and out of my pond,on the lawn,in my borders..they are in and out of my neighbours also..our gardens back on to farmland so rats always about I suppose. Not going to let my grandchildren play out there today..scared of Weil's disease...

Oh yuck farview, rats horrify me. Please make sure whoever comes is a 'proper' pest control operative. They should be able to tell you if the rats are living in your garden or passing through in search of a food source. We had this issue in our last home, quickly dealt with by the 'rat man' (I didn't dare all. him that to. his face!) who explained the rats were using our garden as a short cut to a food source next door - dog food kept in a wooden shed. Unfortunately our neighbours didn't see it as a problem. He put down enclosed bait boxes, came back three times, no more rats. Farmland doesn't always mean rats in the garden, I suspect they are finding an easy food source close by. Good luck, its an unpleasant thing to have to deal with.

Thanks cornergran ..I'm not scared of the rats but of the diseases they spread..it's the council pest control chap who's coming...I just put kitchen roll soaked in bleach near the pond and the eats are flipping eating it..I thought the smell might deter them

Rats not eats!

What a story. After rat infestation we had in 2006 I decided never call for pest control. It's better to prevent appearing of these rodents near your place. Nowadays we have different ultrasonic traps installed around the perimeter of our house as pestcontrohacks suggests. Haven't seen any mice or chipmunks, though sometimes we see occasional squirrels but they prefer not to stay for long.

I have a rat problem too. I dont feed birds much as I would like. I keep the area round my home clear of all weeds and plants etc. make sure it is open. No sheds, no place for rats to hide.

The problem? My next door neighbours on both sides have chickens. The food attracts the rats, the rats have moved into my hedges because they are safer but still within food source range.

Once you see a rat, its too late, there is already a colony. All you can do is keep baiting it and hope they dont get in your house or sheds. Track them down via the run if you can.

I did have one in the house, it ventured in through a cat flap! The cat went after it but it bit him too! It got under the kitchen cupboard. My husband had to bludgeon it to death with a sledge happen on the end of a wooden baton we pushed down the back of the cabinet . Awful business.