Rats

[Sumo55]

I’m aware there are posts about this before but I can’t find a search feature in these forums. The general search doesn’t bring up forum topics.

I have spotted rats twice and do have a bird feeder that is dropping on the ground by some ivy covered ground. I had a rat person inspect and he noticed 2 bore holes. I can temporarily stop feeding the birds but the inspector wants to put poison down and thinks they don’t notice poison. I’m not too keen on using him but if there are bore holes, do I now have a nest?
What can I do?
No sign of them entering the house yet! But I guess if they kept getting fed out side, they may stay outside. Its the numbers of rats I worry about..

I’ve sprinkle cayenne pepper so far and set up a camera for the night at one hole.

[Anniejo]

Hi, Sorry you have a rat problem. I wouldn’t use poison, it is usually put in plastic boxes but it is a danger to all wildlife especially juvenile hedgehogs. Before doing anything else I would stop feeding the birds and clear all the ivy away and make it so they will be visible. They don’t like tidy gardens and prefer lots of hiding places. The holes aren’t necessarily nests they maybe just going under a fence from one garden to another. I would clear all water away too. Hopefully they will clear off when there’s no food and water and no ivy to hide under. I spray peppermint oil around the bottom of the fences, you can buy it from Amazon.

[Sumo55]

Thanks. I will try pepper mint oil.
I got the gardening fork out and disturbed the borehole as well. Birds have not been fed and its eerily quiet but I have seen a couple I don’t normally see..

I had a humane trap out yesterday and it was lucky I checked it before going to bed as my regular hog got stuck. Luckily he managed to turn around some how and I could let him out. He was so unlucky as he has only just been returned to me on the same day from a rescue centre. The poor chap!

[Roy Finch]

So, peppermint oil spray- i also put down mustard and dried chilli near ingress points. Although clearing away the ivy, i put up, unfortunately, some small gapped chicken wire. i never stopped feeding the birds though, although clearing the debris more regularly, particularly the dried mealworms and sunflower seeds! The poor old groundfeeders hardly get a look in, which is very galling.

[Sumo55]

Thank Roy. So peppermint oil, chilli and mustard is ok with birds?

[Author]

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