Author Topic: Rats in the garden  (Read 4987 times)

Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #25 on: 28 July, 2021, 04:34:04 pm »
I used to shoot or poison the rats because I was worried about our dogs contracting diseases carried by the rats.
Both the dogs died last year and our garden is now a watering hole for badgers and foxes. We rarely see a rat and never on consecutive days.
Never knowingly under caffeinated

hellymedic

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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #26 on: 28 July, 2021, 05:29:37 pm »
I saw a rat in my garden in 1997.
I got two cats in 1998 and have never seen a rat nearby since.  Most cats aren't actually big enough to take on a rat*, but the rats still clear out.
*I had a 14lb tabby bruiser that actually did kill a few

Our two cats bring in rats occasionally, usually 200g juveniles.

Blackie seems to do the catching.(4kg)
Big Tom (7kg) devours.

Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #27 on: 28 July, 2021, 09:20:10 pm »
My cat managed to catch a young rat and brought it home to show us. However, he failed to dispatch it and then pretended to chase it whilst keeping a respectful distance from its sharp, little teeth.

Probably a gesture of thanks for having his balls chopped off.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #28 on: 29 July, 2021, 10:14:32 am »
There is a huge pile of seeds beneath our bird feeders. Some species (tits) are very fussy, chucking out 80% of the seeds.

No sign of rats in the garden.

When we moved in I was a bit concerned, finding rat traps in the roof eaves. No sign of rats though.

There are cats in all neighbouring houses, and the cats come into our garden, so that might be why no rats.

It is a bit odd, because when I lived on farms in other parts of the UK there were rats everywhere. Maybe it is because nobody grows cereal crops up here.
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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #29 on: 29 July, 2021, 10:53:02 am »
It is a bit odd, because when I lived on farms in other parts of the UK there were rats everywhere. Maybe it is because nobody grows cereal crops up here.

Maybe. Maize is the worst for rats. A couple of years ago the field on the corner of the village had maize in it and after harvest it there were hundreds of rats running all over it after the dropped bits.It was so bad in the end the landowner called in a gang of terrier men to sort it out.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #30 on: 29 July, 2021, 10:58:37 am »
"you're never more than 6ft from a rat"
You're also never more than six feet from a spider, apparently. Or is it legs?

ian

Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #31 on: 29 July, 2021, 03:40:07 pm »
It is a bit odd, because when I lived on farms in other parts of the UK there were rats everywhere. Maybe it is because nobody grows cereal crops up here.

Maybe. Maize is the worst for rats. A couple of years ago the field on the corner of the village had maize in it and after harvest it there were hundreds of rats running all over it after the dropped bits.It was so bad in the end the landowner called in a gang of terrier men to sort it out.

One of my first jobs was in a flour mill, watching stuff go through the rollers. A lot of rodents met their maker between those rollers. They put the whole in wholemeal.

I read that cats don't really catch rats, but the presence of a cat causes the rats to relocate elsewhere.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #32 on: 29 July, 2021, 04:50:34 pm »
If cats don't really catch rats, I'd like you to explain what I see when Backie comes through the cat flap with prey in her mouth...

redshift

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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #33 on: 29 July, 2021, 05:13:56 pm »
I too have photographic evidence that my cat used to catch and kill rats. Indeed, on a few occasions I might use the term "killing spree."

The mice and birds he ate, and we used to find the occasional wood pigeon ribcage under the gooseberry bush.  I saw him have a bad experience with a frog, which he ate with great relish, and then almost immediately threw up.  I did warn him, but he was past listening to me about such things.

The rats he use to leave laid out in a neat line outside the back door.
L
:)
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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #34 on: 29 July, 2021, 05:35:50 pm »
Maine Coon cats were allegedly bred as large farm ratting cats.
Ours only ever provided us with one, but I suspect we don't have many around here anyway.
(Other things about Maine Coons: they can be very large, our Wes ended up at about 10kg and was still over 8kg when he'd been on a diet; and they are not the brightest of breeds.
We think we've seen more rats since next door got chickens, but not so many as to be a problem. The last one we saw was dead (and smelly).
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

ian

Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #35 on: 29 July, 2021, 05:40:46 pm »
Honestly people, I am starting to wonder if I've stepped into the Literalverse. Of course, cats can and will catch rats, but cats killing the rats isn't the main reason there are no rats. Cats don't kill many rats, they're relatively poor prey compared to smaller rodents, and the size differential means rats are relatively dangerous. Both predators and prey seek risk-aversion strategies.

Rats generally take this approach and relocate to territories where they are less likely to be stalked by cats. In places where cats and rats are forced to interact, cats still don't take down many rats, unless they're hungry enough for the risk to be worthwhile (it's easier to eat birds and mice which are still far smaller than juvenile rats). There's a nice study here that was covered in various places. Anyway, basically the conclusion is that cats are a poor rat-control strategy. They're good at consuming tunafish and stealing the bed though.

velosam

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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #36 on: 29 July, 2021, 07:44:48 pm »
Well I have not seen it, but then I didn't before. Wondering if I should call pest control or buy some traps and just lay them out. But then I don't want a hurt cat or fix either

offcumden

  • Oh, no!
Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #37 on: 29 July, 2021, 08:16:49 pm »
We've had rats nesting in our compost boxes over the years, even when we owned a cat, or cats. The moggies would chase the rats away if I disturbed the nest, but they didn't go seeking a fight. Warm laps and regular meals of tinned food were far preferable.

At the time I read that the smell of cats' urine was a rat-deterrent, so I took to adding a bit of pee-soaked cat litter to the heap, and around the edge of the compost boxes.  Seemed to work, but I can't honestly be sure.  More recently, in the absence of cats, I have been regularly stirring the heaps using a probe with harpoon-like hinged barbs, which mixes the compost nicely as you withdraw the probe.  No sign of rats, but regular stirring is easier to keep up in the summer when the rats are less likely to take up residence.  A warm, dry compost heap composed of vegetable waste provides attractive lodging in the winter - at a time when this fair-weather gardener might also prefer to stay in the warm and dry rather than go poking around at the bottom of the garden.  Incidentally, I also wonder whether the human urine I use as an accelerant might also deter the rodents!

Regulator

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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #38 on: 30 July, 2021, 06:56:09 am »
Honestly people, I am starting to wonder if I've stepped into the Literalverse. Of course, cats can and will catch rats, but cats killing the rats isn't the main reason there are no rats. Cats don't kill many rats, they're relatively poor prey compared to smaller rodents, and the size differential means rats are relatively dangerous. Both predators and prey seek risk-aversion strategies.

Rats generally take this approach and relocate to territories where they are less likely to be stalked by cats. In places where cats and rats are forced to interact, cats still don't take down many rats, unless they're hungry enough for the risk to be worthwhile (it's easier to eat birds and mice which are still far smaller than juvenile rats). There's a nice study here that was covered in various places. Anyway, basically the conclusion is that cats are a poor rat-control strategy. They're good at consuming tunafish and stealing the bed though.

You are right. Cats tend to go after prey that's less likely to fight back.

Jack Russells on the other hand...
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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #39 on: 30 July, 2021, 08:40:31 am »
Honestly people, I am starting to wonder if I've stepped into the Literalverse. Of course, cats can and will catch rats, but cats killing the rats isn't the main reason there are no rats. Cats don't kill many rats, they're relatively poor prey compared to smaller rodents, and the size differential means rats are relatively dangerous. Both predators and prey seek risk-aversion strategies.

Depends on the cat.

My late, much missed cat Sinbad was fearsome on rats. When we lived on the boat, moored at the farm, in summer he killed on average 2 per day.

The farm owners were quite disappointed when we moved on and took the cat with us. They had 4 other cats, but Sinbad caught more rats than all the other cats combined. 
(He also caught mallards, in the river, by swimming, squirrels in trees and anything else foolish enough to sit still for 30s.)
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Kim

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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #40 on: 30 July, 2021, 11:10:04 pm »
That put me in mind of...

Quote
Dog owners, barely restraining slobbering hell-beast:  "Oh, he's only being friendly."
Cat owners, gesturing to snoring lump of fur: "That's George.  He looks harmless, but be careful or he'll have your arm off."

Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #41 on: 31 July, 2021, 09:01:53 am »
Rat in mi garden, what am I gonna do?

Neighbours actually.  New pond installed and they noticed a rat doing paddlestroke across it, so had pesty people in.  Don't think I'd have bothered, as there's probably always some level of rat presence.
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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #42 on: 01 August, 2021, 10:20:27 am »
The pesty people will have said something along the lines of "you've provided them with a water source and made it a bit more of a des res for them"
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

ian

Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #43 on: 02 August, 2021, 09:40:37 am »
Also decking, that slippy, slidey stuff that some people insist on covering their back garden with, like they're on a fucking suburban galleon. Creates an underspace that rats love to call home. It could be worse, in Florida they get alligators underneath.

PaulF

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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #44 on: 02 August, 2021, 09:43:16 am »
Also decking, that slippy, slidey stuff that some people insist on covering their back garden with, like they're on a fucking suburban galleon. Creates an underspace that rats love to call home. It could be worse, in Surrey Florida they get bears alligators underneath.


FTFY  :-D

Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #45 on: 03 August, 2021, 12:59:12 am »
Rat in mi garden, what am I gonna do?

Neighbours actually.  New pond installed and they noticed a rat doing paddlestroke across it, so had pesty people in.  Don't think I'd have bothered, as there's probably always some level of rat presence.
We got a "humane" trap, after years of ashamedly poisoning our resident rodents... Partly because the rats were eating food put out for hedgehogs. And tonight we actually caught a rat! And drove off into distant countryside to release rattie. Apparently they have homing instincts good for about a 2 mile hike. (So dumping it on a snobby neighbour's doorstep would sadly have backfired).

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Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #46 on: 03 August, 2021, 09:36:11 am »
I presume that, as with other vermin, it's not legal to release rats on someone else's land without permission.

Re: Rats in the garden
« Reply #47 on: 03 August, 2021, 10:39:56 pm »
I presume that, as with other vermin, it's not legal to release rats on someone else's land without permission.
Rest assured, rattie was released in deep countryside, well away from dwellings but in a public place.

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