I just spotted this in my garden
14 October 2009, 12:47 PM
#1
I just spotted this in my garden
I was in the kitchen making lunch when I spotted something moving in the garden, I turned around and saw this
Now I'm not too chuffed about the idea of having a bloody great big rat in my garden
I think it might be in there because my wife has a bird feeder on the fence behind and I've seen a field mouse feeding from it. There is a disused school field behind my house so I wonder if it's come from there 
Any suggestions what I can do about it? I'm going to remove the bird feeder for the time being.
Now I'm not too chuffed about the idea of having a bloody great big rat in my garden
I think it might be in there because my wife has a bird feeder on the fence behind and I've seen a field mouse feeding from it. There is a disused school field behind my house so I wonder if it's come from there Any suggestions what I can do about it? I'm going to remove the bird feeder for the time being.
14 October 2009, 01:18 PM
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Horrible bloody things.
I had similar and discovered they were coming for windfall apples. Knawed their way into shed as well. I used that blue rat poison but wouldn't do that again. Got rid of all food sources, sealed up shed and no more problems. Touch wood.
dl
I had similar and discovered they were coming for windfall apples. Knawed their way into shed as well. I used that blue rat poison but wouldn't do that again. Got rid of all food sources, sealed up shed and no more problems. Touch wood.
dl
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14 October 2009, 01:25 PM
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Sing a long kids:-
There's a rat in me garden, what am I gonna do?
There's a rat in me garden, what am I gonna do?
I'm gonna kill that rat, that's what I'm gonna do
And so on and so forth. You get the idea.
There's a rat in me garden, what am I gonna do?
There's a rat in me garden, what am I gonna do?
I'm gonna kill that rat, that's what I'm gonna do
And so on and so forth. You get the idea.
14 October 2009, 01:34 PM
#11
lol at some of the replies 
I've removed the bird feeder and spent the last hour checking the garden and I haven't seen it again. One of my friends told me that it's common for rats to pass through gardens looking for food, there is nothing out there now and our rubbish is kept in the bin at the front of the house.
Hopefully it's gone now....
I've removed the bird feeder and spent the last hour checking the garden and I haven't seen it again. One of my friends told me that it's common for rats to pass through gardens looking for food, there is nothing out there now and our rubbish is kept in the bin at the front of the house.
Hopefully it's gone now....
14 October 2009, 01:36 PM
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You need either.............
A cat.
A mate with a Jack Russell.
A mate with ferrets.
Or just leave him alone. We've had them on and off for years under our shed. As long as they don't come in the house, I'm not bothered.
Although Rosie brought a live one in once. It was like Fred Karno's Circus in our house! What with Mr OS squealing louder than the rat!
A cat.
A mate with a Jack Russell.
A mate with ferrets.
Or just leave him alone. We've had them on and off for years under our shed. As long as they don't come in the house, I'm not bothered.
Although Rosie brought a live one in once. It was like Fred Karno's Circus in our house! What with Mr OS squealing louder than the rat!
14 October 2009, 01:47 PM
#14
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if you're anything like my dad, you need...
A decent air gun, and scope
a movement detector linked to flood lights and an alarm inside the house.
set an area at the end of the garden, painted all white and stick some food in there
wait for the alarm
there haven't been any 4 legged vermin in his garden for about a year now.
when ex snipers get bored lol
A decent air gun, and scope
a movement detector linked to flood lights and an alarm inside the house.
set an area at the end of the garden, painted all white and stick some food in there
wait for the alarm
there haven't been any 4 legged vermin in his garden for about a year now.
when ex snipers get bored lol
14 October 2009, 02:21 PM
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14 October 2009, 02:30 PM
#22
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Another vote for sending some high speed lead its way.
When we've had rats in the garden, they have appeared at all sorts of times through the day, but often seem to appear when it's coming towards dusk.
Peanut butter makes for a good bait, as they can't easily pick it up and run off with it; they have to sit and eat it.
When we've had rats in the garden, they have appeared at all sorts of times through the day, but often seem to appear when it's coming towards dusk.
Peanut butter makes for a good bait, as they can't easily pick it up and run off with it; they have to sit and eat it.
14 October 2009, 03:02 PM
#23
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I would not like the idea of poisoning it, nasty way for it to go.
Our monster cat Freddie would sort him out, last one he dealt with never knew what hit it. We have not seen a rat since! Pity you live that far away.
Rats do like nicking birdfood too.
Les
Our monster cat Freddie would sort him out, last one he dealt with never knew what hit it. We have not seen a rat since! Pity you live that far away.
Rats do like nicking birdfood too.
Les
14 October 2009, 03:20 PM
#26
Go for the air rifle option. I did and it is WAAAAAAAAY more fun than poison. I had a problem a while ago with rats getting into my garden. Turned out they were based in my neighbours garden due to them being Clampetts. The rats were coming into my garden expecting more of what they were getting next door. Boy did they make a mistake. I only managed to kill two of them but that was enough to put an end to my sightings of them. The second one I shot must have cleared three feet in the air when it was hit. Even my little lad cheered that one
14 October 2009, 03:26 PM
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I thankfully haven't seen any rats -- although the other day I was sitting in my study on the ground floor and a mouse appeared at the window, looked at me and then jumped into the room. It then ran into the kitchen and when I followed it it was just sitting in the center of the room looking at me again. That was extremely bizarre.
Anyway, I thought that there were ALWAYS rats? Isn't there something along the lines of you are always 6 feet from a rat? So presumably you can never 'clean' your garden from them?
Steve
Anyway, I thought that there were ALWAYS rats? Isn't there something along the lines of you are always 6 feet from a rat? So presumably you can never 'clean' your garden from them?
Steve
14 October 2009, 04:08 PM
#28
I thankfully haven't seen any rats -- although the other day I was sitting in my study on the ground floor and a mouse appeared at the window, looked at me and then jumped into the room. It then ran into the kitchen and when I followed it it was just sitting in the center of the room looking at me again. That was extremely bizarre.
Anyway, I thought that there were ALWAYS rats? Isn't there something along the lines of you are always 6 feet from a rat? So presumably you can never 'clean' your garden from them?
Steve
Anyway, I thought that there were ALWAYS rats? Isn't there something along the lines of you are always 6 feet from a rat? So presumably you can never 'clean' your garden from them?
Steve
I think the 6 feet thing mean vertically as well as horizontally. Most of the rats will be underground and you can guarantee there will be runs under your garden if not a nest.
14 October 2009, 04:27 PM
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Visiting my brother in France I heard a tapping on the bedroom window. Now bearing in mind this is in a tower & the windows are quite high up so I wasn't expecting visitors. I drew the curtain back & was faced with . . . . .
Tufty up close & in my face. I don't know who was more surprised. Him or me?
Tufty up close & in my face. I don't know who was more surprised. Him or me?
Last edited by FLAT ERIC; 14 October 2009 at 04:32 PM.