Unusual Creature

Took down all bird feeders and cleaned up ground this morning, result.......no rats today!!!
GC, you are 100%....

Just some fat pigeons strutting about looking hungry!

The bottom of next doors garden, and the garden backing on to that is a wild jungle. This seems to be where they were headed and most likely place to nest.

We have a lot of foxes about here, and one sleeps in the garden backing on to me, so won't they keep the rat population down anyway?

 

Probably living too well on bird food until now :D

 

Hi Dag, I am with Hornbeam on this topic, I have occasional visits to my birdtable from a rat, we have never been over run by vermin and if you do have dogs as long as they are vaccinated against Leptospirosis your dogs should be quite safe, Rats can give humans weils disease but this is very rare. Stop puting out the birds food for a few days and your little friends will soon move on to somewhere else in search of food

 

Update:

Pest control Officer came today, pleased that I had removed all bird feeders, fat balls in particular (apparently rats love them) :eek: he dropped some poison over the fence in wild garden, after explaining that they don't use Walfarin any more, its now a second generation poison, which takes 7-10days to screw up their insides but don't kill other animals that eat them!

Can still feed the birds by making sure there is a tray underneath feeders to keep ground clean.

Also told us that in our area the rats are only a small field type, not the big nasty sewer rats!

The service is free.

 

We have an occasional visit from a rat to our bird table and we have never become over run with them, If you have dogs and are worried about them becoming ill through drinking rat urine, then as long as the vaccinations are up to date you should be fine (Leptospirossis) is covered in vaccinations. Weils disease is rare in humans. We can't go through life killing things that we find displeasing

 

Thanks for that info. Poppy33.

Tend to agree with you, but Pest Control Officer thought otherwise, and he is supposed to be the expert? (Hopefully). This is not a garden that is open to a field etc., but entirely surrounded by peoples back gardens, not good if they started multiplying here!

He did say that squirrels were far more of a problem, as pointed out above!

I suppose there is no sitting on the fence with this issue, so people have very strong feelings either way!

Anyway, spread the word folks, FAT BALLS ENCOURAGE RATS!

 

Thanks again MF/Nathan, will do just that.

Mrs.DAG has stopped looking out into the garden for the time being, she hates to see the birds flying over and trying to land on bird tables that are not there anymore! Guess the birds have their old habits too?

 

Hi Dag, Hope I did not sound like some extremist Nutter I did not mean to post 2 replies but when I looked earlier I could not see yesterdays entry. I think Webmasters way to deal with the rats is kinder..might have caused a bit of a stir with the neighbours :eek: I guess your right in removing the rats, Hope you get the problem sorted out soon

 

:D Probably DAG doing the gardening if Mrs Pal's anything to go by :rolleyes:

 

Hi Poppy33, that's ok, I don't suppose I will ever know if it was right to do that, just left it to the guy that knows more about it, especially as he was reassuring about not killing any other animals.

Shooting them does sound drastic especially in a small garden like mine, but at least it would be quick, but then that's only the ones that you see!

Steep learning curve, in just a few days then?

MF: :D She said she will have more time to do her cross-stitch now!

Just told me that because she won't be talking to the birds so much, that I am in for an ear bashing!

Pal: I would have thought Mrs.Pal. was too busy hanging out her smalls on the whirlygig! (and admiring the new fence!) :D

 

DAG :D Mrs Pal wants to know which ear Mrs DAG is going to bash first :D

 

Pal :D Does Mrs.Pal need advice? :D