My sympathies! The way I see it the rats are not the problem – they’re a symptom. To be attracting rats and then killing them with poison is not taking responsibility. I’ve had a similar situation where I live. Unfortunately rat poison is eaten by the neighbourhood badgers and foxes (I’ve seen the evidence) and so I believe is undoubtedly eaten by other species: field mice, voles, and shrews, and any hedgehogs if there are any here. Cats are also at risk. Bait boxes are not an answer as the rats (as everyone knows) keep returning every year without fail. Killing is not a solution to anything.
I managed to stop the situation here by shaming the neighbour (it’s a close community). I put leaflets through every local door (including hers) explaining why you should NOT use poison, and giving helpful links to advisory websites about how to control rats humanely.
What kind of bird feeder does your neighbour use if any?
Have you contacted your local environmental health officer? If you explain your frustration and objections abd that the rat poison hasn’t worked, they might be able to inspect her patch and influence her into acquiring a
rat-proof feeder such as a poultry treadle-feeder and cleaning up her garden.
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