Next door's compost patch infested with rats - what can I do?

[po0eyes 10]

There seems to be a lot of people posting wrong information on rats and poison. Please read up and get the facts right before posting wrong information.

 

Rats can't carry poisin off if you use the right bait. We use the blocks in a bait station so only rats and mice can access it. The blocks are threaded on wire so the rat bites off bits to eat not carry off. There are different poisons on the market. Some are safe to use around poultry as they work by dehydrating the rat not actually poisoning it. Some however do work by poison. We have used it for 11 years and none of my dogs, cats or poultry have suffered. Get the more professional poison from an agricultural shop as some tends to be quite weak and not very effective.

 

We use rats traps too but they are not as humane as you state. The rat does not kindly sit directly in the middle of the trap so it is killed instantly. Often we find one suffering even though its been trapped in the middle of its body or we find just a leg in the trap. A rat will chew its own leg off to get out of a trap.

 

so there's not actually a way to kill them without them suffering then? no one likes wild rats but I'd feel so guilty knowing they'd suffered

[Chez2 10]

I don't know exactly how they suffer but I dare say you could find documents on how each posion acts and how long it takes. There are rats everywhere no matter where you live. We keep on top of our rats and barely see any or their droppings now. After the harvest there is still a bit of an influx of them. We buy big tubs of poison to bait an area of about an acre. This tub costs about £40 (I think) and it lasts us almost a year. You can buy much more expensive poisons but we have to buy the blocks so our poultry can't get poisoned. If a few of you got together it would cost you next to nothing to control the rats in your street if you shared the cost of the tub. Don't waste money on poison from supermarkets or pets shops.

[ptigga 10]

A few tips for keeping rats out of a compost pile:

http://organicgardening.about.com/od/pestcontrol/a/ratsincompost.htm

 

Also, if you disturb the compost once a fortnight with a big garden fork then the rats won't be able to use it for shelter.

 

We used to get the odd rat in our heap. I started attacking the heap with a fork every so often and I haven't seen a rat near it since.

[zed1 10]

collect them sell dem to local china man

[po0eyes 10]

I live next to fields and I every so often I see the odd rat and it's mainly when the chickens have been messy and spilled their food in the garden then I put pebbles down their rat hole in the side of the garden so they can't come back that way, then I fill it in and make sure there is no chicken food left lying around in the garden. . .then I don't see them again for a long time

 

plus the chickens are actually pretty go0d at getting rid of them! One of the chickens attacked one and chased it off once. . .they're not going to share their food!!!!

[MonkeyLover 10]

We had a rat at the bottom of our garden once - it was feeding on the bits of seeds that the birds had dropped from the bird feeder and fat balls. We got rid of the rat by calling out the council pest control, and now, I'm afraid, the birds have to go hungry.

[ANGELFIRE1 10]

Just buy an air gun and shoot them if they are a pest. Simples.

 

Regards

 

Angel

[LAGTECH 10]

Pm number ill come shoot them for you with airifile

[wodger 10]

You must report this to Council. But it is the house where the problem is that has to make the report. They will come out and bait if you have seen them on your property. No charge if you are a council tenant. Your next door neighbor has to report any on his garden before they will set traps. But they will also order him to clean up the area. I have had the very same problem with rats coming on my garden from the nursery next door. I and he will be ordered to put this right.f you report your neighbor for this to the Health Department they will send out an inspector

[Chez2 10]

I have just been and purchased an 8kg tub of poison from the agricultural stores but this will last me almost a year. I can't rememebr the exact cost but it was about £43-46. We have a large garden and lots of bait stations but only suffer from rats about this time of year when the farmer harvests his crops. They come flooding in hungry from the fields at harvest time.

[maggidee 10]

do you know any one with terrier dogs they make good ratters or lay traps down with bacon rind on that way by trapping you can dispose of safely

[mrsb73 11]

all council rat treatments are now free, it changed from being chargeable when we had the change of council and they quickly reversed the £36 charge. This is irrespective of whether you are council or private, on benefits or not on benefits. If the rats are not coming from your property just coming onto your property it is still worth having a treatment as hopefully all the nest will be killed off, rats usually have a run of 6 or 7 back gardens.