Rats

[Florence Fennel]

I don’t like the use of poisons as you end up poisoning friendly animals. Terriers or cats are a better idea. Just saying.

Nothing else can get in the boxes Janie.

[Nicos]

I wouldn't concrete it Flo.
I'm thinking that once concreted you won't be able to access it and the rats will be more protected.
At least you can access for poison and squirting hosepipes under there as it is now.
Their runs will be all over the place -with designated food storage areas ( set aside for lean times like the winter) and they can easily create a new tunnel. Once hunger sets in they'll start tucking into the poisoned food first (as apparently it has something in it which is very appealing to rats)

I think you'd be creating a dry safe haven for them by concreting 2 sides....and not be able to hook out anything dead, festering and stinky????

However-ask the experts

[Florence Fennel]

Rat watch again today, Pest Control come on Monday. Gardener also comes on Monday to cut the grass and I'm going to ask him to clear the vegetation from around the shed so we can try to concrete around it. Trouble is it up only a few inches away from the back fences, so we can only do two sides, so maybe a bit pointless?

[Plot70]

The ones we had in the back garden were sewer rats. It was poison to weaken them and then cement to seal up the holes in the inspection chamber. They took the Wilco branded poison first and then the blue stuff the council provided after that.

[JanieB]

I don’t like the use of poisons as you end up poisoning friendly animals. Terriers or cats are a better idea. Just saying.

[DannyK]

Three poison bait stations seemed to have worked eventually. It takes quite some time.
The rats also took the retaining rods from the boxes with the poison. Never found them.

Break backs caught the odd one but mainly caught mice.

Still keep bait going.

It's funny the rats eating slug pellets as the slugs here are eating the rat poison!

[Florence Fennel]

They are still running around the base of the shed, so haven't taken the poison yet - boxes have been down since Monday.

[Issy]

Should read the rats knicked the rat poison ! Well spotted Stan. Yes they certainly ate the lot - we found lots of blue excrement but no bodies!

[Stan79]

We had a whole box of rat poison licked in our shed - the rats burrowed in and are the lot!

Licked or knicked (or both?)!?!?!

[Issy]

We had a whole box of rat poison licked in our shed - the rats burrowed in and are the lot!

[Nicos]

We had rats in the insulation when we lived in a terraced house as students.
At night they would somehow get into the bathroom and eat the soap
( and yes... poo all over the place...ewwww.....)

[Florence Fennel]

When the children were small we lived in a little 2 up 2 down in an area due for demolition and had rats in the property. We had to dig out the bay window and fill it with concrete and ground glass, had to clap our hands when accessing the slot meter in the cellar and wipe every tin kept in the larder at the cellar head before we opened them. They often made an appearance in our kitchen and living room, so yes, I hate them even the ones outside. The Pest Control man who has been today says he has never been as busy as this.

[peanut]

Rats are no different than hedgehogs, squirrels, blackbirds, cats, dogs etc. They're just living as best they can where they can. They're clean, familiy oriented animals who eat pests as well as plants.

Why the hatred?

I agree with you and friends have had them as pets, very cute (domesticated species before anyone screams ) and would never harm one, however, they had to be encouraged to new pastures after gnawing their way into my shed and wreaking all kinds of havoc with everything in there.

[Twinsane]

After over 15 years on our allotment with no sign of rats, we've all had a lot of trouble with rats this year with them being out and about in broad daylight taking food from people's chicken feeders while they are standing a few feet away. We discovered on our plots that they'd tunnelled into our polytunnel and then across both of the plots, under the raised beds and slabs to the chicken run where they were taking the food. I kept digging the beds to disturb them, hung the chicken feeder up off the floor on a string and they seem to have moved on. We have no water supply at the allotments so flooding them out is not an option. Others on our site have resorted to traps, poison and sonic scarers (though they don't think these are as effective as the advertisers claim)

When we had them at home under a concrete base, we put a hose into their exit hole and put gallons of water in there. It took a while but they did eventually leave.

[Stan79]

Interesting, we have signs of rats at the bottom of the garden for the first time in 8 years! The local pub is shut so maybe that ties in with Jungle Jane's point above! As for getting rid, get a professional in.