Anybody know about RATS?

[jansman]

Any advice from Jansman and co on the best way to clear rats from the garden? The husband had to chase a big one out of his workshop today and it was not scared of him either.
I already use mouse poison boxes for the greenhouse and sheds which work well so have ordered a pair of rat boxes from the same supplier.
Where are the best locations to place them? I read about the rubbing hands with soil to hide my scent. Any other tips?
And am I in danger of getting the dead body stink if one dies somewhere inaccessible?

Put your boxes on the perimeters, against walls or fences. Rats don’t like to cross open ground unless forced. As for bodies, the rats are living in your garden with a food source elsewhere, or the rats are living elsewhere and your garden contains the food source. Good housekeeping is the key to vermin control.

[grenfell]

...... i grabbed a piece of angle iron and speared it. ........ i basically battered it to death with a bucket. ..... hit it with a shovel.

I'm naming you "Death of Rats"

Working on old buildings i'd sometimes come across a desiccated rat carcass or even just a skeleton and i had the idea to use one to recreate Terry Prachet's Death of Rats . Funnily enough when i mentioned the idea to anybody else they never seemed to have the same enthusiasm...

[Lone]

Unfortunately, it seems rats and other vermin are still a problem in the 21st Century.

However, in the news today, it appears the solution to ridding the problem has become a major incident itself, as a toxic chemical used for such has been stolen from a van, it is not known if the thieves know what they have or how dangerous it is !

At the moment, it seems both natural and man-made problems are gaining higher alert levels, in relation to being a danger to the public, everything suddenly has become a great risk to health.

It’s almost like every bad thing that could happen...is happening right now in unison

[GillyBee]

Rat boxes and poison have turned up and will be going down today. I am not sure there is much to eat in the garden unless they have their eyes on my tomatoes and courgettes. We don't have a bird feeder or other obvious foodstuffs around.
Spotted near the compost heap so it may be time to turn that and make it a less attractive home.It
Thanks everyone for all your help. Fingers crossed I can keep them under reasonable control with the boxes.

[jansman]

Rat boxes and poison have turned up and will be going down today. I am not sure there is much to eat in the garden unless they have their eyes on my tomatoes and courgettes. We don't have a bird feeder or other obvious foodstuffs around.
Spotted near the compost heap so it may be time to turn that and make it a less attractive home.It
Thanks everyone for all your help. Fingers crossed I can keep them under reasonable control with the boxes.

Your compost heap is the source.

[grenfell]

Definately the compost heap and turning it will only have a limited effect as the little buggers will tunnel into it. I mentioned in an earlier post about the rats in the bin , the one i battered with a bucket , that was a plastic bin that i put foodstuffs that i thought would be more attractive to vermin in to rot down . There was a small hole but the rats had chewed it larger.
On the positive side , if there's enough food outside they are unlikely to try and come into the house.

[diamond lil]

GillyBee, dig the compost heap over every day. Annoy the wee buggers, they might get fed up of the attention and move on. We had them in our compost once and that worked for us. Although I think they just moved next door

[grenfell]

Have to admire your dedication Lil , turning the heap every day. Lot of work but I can see how it would drive them away.

[diamond lil]

Just bloody mindedness, they were eating my hen food! Sods lol