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I noticed last week there was a strange hole by the fence behind the rose in my flower bed, there is an animal trial going from it to the bird feeder which is quite close. you can see that whatever it is has been eating the dropped bird seed (which doesn't bother me). the hole is quite large (10-15 cm diameter?) so i'm wondering what it could be....mouse or rat or something else? and what should i do about it (if anything) once it's been identified!

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There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
Happy Gardening!

You could stand there in the middle of the night (which is probably when it comes out) and try to identify it. Once identified you can research ways to deal with it. On the other hand, if there is no real damage done, you could just decide to leave it alone.

That sounds like RATS to me, put some slug pellets in a sausage that should do him well and good.

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http://lowestoftnaturalist-benacre.blogspot.com/

Yes, i had thought about that, but i'm a bit of a scardy cat and i don't like going out to the greenhouse to light the heater when its dark - letalone look for animals <read: monsters> I suppose i could send Mr Protea but i doubt he'd do it

If i shone a torch on the spot from the back door would it run away or would i be able to identify it (about 6 metres away)?

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There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
Happy Gardening!

Hi Protea,

I would look during the daytime for further signs. Rodents are incontinent and leave urine and faecese everywhere. If it is a rat, the the stools would be about one inch long by about 1/4 inch diameter ( ok 25.4mm x 6.35mm ) and black in colour.

If it is a rat, then I am afraid it wants shifting as they can breed quickly and cause problems for you and your neighbours in no time.

But be careful, don't just put down poison ( or traps ) without knowing exactly what you are hunting. It's just not fair on other wildlife.

I fish and shoot regularly and a big part of hunting is respect for the quarry. If you must clear them, and I would if they are Rats, take advice (or pm me) for the best ways of being selective and humane.

Finally, wash your hands religeousley, as rat urine can be very dangerous as it may contain Weils disease.

Now, have a cup of tea, think things over and just hope that you have a nice little bunny set up residence rather than a rodent.

Darren

Stick a brick in his hole!! ........Cor!! That sounds painful!!!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Thanks Darren,

As soon as i noticed the hole i looked for poo and other identification signs! i can't see any anywhere, and i mowed the lawn at the weekend too so i should 'techincally' be able to see anything a bit more clearly (grass was nearly knee high!) There's definately no poo the size you stated for rats, if there is any at all, its so small so as to be indistinguishable from the bird seed husks

Don't worry - i won't put down poison, if its rats then i'll get the council in or whoever, if its not, and they're not causing damage i may just leave them be and hope that the increased activity over the spring and summer encourages it to move on to quieter accomodation!

I've attached a picture of the hole so you can see more what i mean, the other picture is of the hole in context with the flower border/fence

Attached Thumbnails

   

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There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
Happy Gardening!

Hi Protea, maybe you could sprinkle some talc or sand or something on the soil around the hole so that you would be able to see any footprints & maybe identify the culprit from them?(Been watching too many forensic science programmes!)

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Call the council anyway, tell them you think its rats (we had some around our birdfeeder when we lived in Derbyshire - big yuk and nasty too!) - won't they come out and look and tell you what it is?

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Have just been out for a better look - i can now see what looks like droppings at the base of the largest hole - i think it's rats - bu**er!

Had a look on the council's website and they charge £39 plus VAT to remove rats

I've put down sand round the holes to re-inspect tomorrow and i won't be filling the bird feeders up (poor birdies ) until its sorted.

Sugestions for cheap eratication please!

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There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
Happy Gardening!

Depends on if you wanna kill them (and there WILL be more than one) or release them. If you wanna kill them, a rat trap will do the job as will rat poison. Now I know folks on here are concerned about other wildlife getting to the bait, but if you put the bait (still in it's unopened cellophane bag) inside a foot length of pipe - 3" diameter - the birdies etc don't seem to bother it - just the rats and mice.
Me - I'd kill them - shoot them (air rifle) or smack them with a big stick

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

Cheers SW - i have no problem killing them, i live next to fields so they'd only come back again if i released them!

My concern with poison is also next doors cats which may eat a rat if they found it. however i have found this: http://www.eradi-products.com they are actually from a supplier to the horticultural trade who i already know (seeing them next week too), and its only £5.99 for a tub of thier bait. The only problem is keeping it dry - i don't have any spare drainpipe, can you suggest anything else that they wouldn't think is suspicious? i've got various plastic plant pots to hand, probably a cardboard box (although not weather proof!)


I remember when i was younger and at the stables where i kept my pony, seeing the partner of the girl that ran the yard running full pelt up the field with a headcollar in his hand thwacking it on the ground - he was chasing a rat apparently!!! must have been a monster!!

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There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
Happy Gardening!

Hi Protea,

Might sound daft, but that hole looks more like fox work or possibly a dog. Not saying you don't have a rat problem but it might not be the only thing!

Really idiot question, I know that badgers dig and that they make paths, also once they have decided on a route they can be hard to shift. Could a badger be involved? (Had one that 'walked' our garden until the neighbours built a new fence)

Good luck finding a solution

Terry

Hi TPeers,

I've still not been able to identify the animal - have shone the torch out there in the evenings and not a sign, there has been some movement overnight though because the sand has footprint marks in it - of what i'm not sure though!

I'm fairly sure its not a fox, for one the hole is quite small and there is no foxy smell (i know what fox smells like - believe me!). Badgers- again, the hole is quite small so i doubt it but i'll keep it in mind.

In an act of defiance i filled the holes in today with compost and put old roof tiles on top of the soil, i also blocked up a gap in the fence where one of the paths was leading along the flowe bed. I'll report back tomorrow or at the weekend when i've had a chance to check it!

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There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
Happy Gardening!

I've had rats in my garden & had the council in to bait them. Last time I vowed never again. The man was telling me the poison causes internal bleeding which can take up to 10 days to kill it. That sounds just plain cruel. How would you like to slowly bleed to death for a week & a half! The trap I have to catch live mice says they need to be released over 3 miles away or they'll return. Presumably rats would be the same. Dont put cooked food in compost as this attracts them, or if it's a newly cleared site, they'll probably just move anyway. But if you must kill it, make it quick! Poison is cruel & slow, risks other wildlife and you end up with a poisoned dead body on your plot.

Council are should be obliged to remove rats(or squirrels) free as they are vermin

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

Sorry, BW is wrong on this one. I checked it out on google and found this link
http://www.cieh.org/ehp/public_healt...0_councils.htm
which states that

"There is no legal obligation on local authorities to provide a pest control service. The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 places obligations and duties on councils to ensure, as far as is practical, that their district is kept clear of rats and mice. They are required to carry out inspections but, in reality, most councils use complaints as their barometer. A few councils have opted not to provide a pest control service, preferring to use enforcement powers and advice instead. If adopted by more councils this decision, concludes the report, could result in rising rodent populations."

So it's another postcode lottery, determined by accountants!

Fortunately when I had rats in my flat the council sent a man with a terrier. Large banging/squealing noises, end of rat. Bit of a mess on the wall, but boy, was I glad to be rid of it!

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Regards, Jane
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy? The creative adult is the child who has survived.
Ursula LeGuin
http://www.etribes.com/madderbat

Rat poo is almost oval in shape, and can be the size of your thumb end - much bigger than little mouse droppings, but smaller than dog/fox poo.
Can you post a photo of the spoor (footprints) and poo?

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Regards, Jane
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy? The creative adult is the child who has survived.
Ursula LeGuin
http://www.etribes.com/madderbat

I resorted to filling the holes in last week, as still no visual identification.

Yesterday i saw it has dug another hole (presumably to get out of the filled in tunnel!).

The problem with the droppings is that the hole is next to the bird feeder (which i have not been filling) and there are black sunflower seeds/husks all over the ground - which i think will look very similar to rat poo!

I'm fairly certain its rats, i can't imagine what else it might be. I'm going to use this: http://www.eradi-products.com as its rat specific and safe to other wildlife. I can't be doing with trapping rats and releasing them.

__________________
There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
Happy Gardening!

After reading this, just thought I'd let you know....

Rodents aren't incontinent. They have very small bladders, so need to wee a lot, but they do have some control over their bladders!

Also, rat poo is like raisins. Fairly consistent with size and shape. They will be much larger than empty husks (and rounder too)

Mouse poo is teeny, and can indeed look like bits of shell/husk etc

*Cough* just thought I'd clear that up...

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"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne