Rats!

[jakep]

We have had a rat roaming the garden, often in daylight, for quite a while now. My policy is to live and let live.
Yesterday Ratty bought one of his/her offspring for a mooch.
OH now wants to “get rid” but my feelings are to leave alone as long as they make no move towards the house.
Thoughts please....

[ummmm]

They are vermin. Get rid.

[spathiphyllum]

Leave them be. If they ware not acting as a pest, no need to treat as such.

[Jordyboy9]

i agree with ummm get rid of them now or you will be overrun with them

[Barmaid]

Get rid. Not only are they vermin but they breed enormously quickly. 2 rats now can quickly multiply.

[Old_Geezer]

No, wait until their extended family have all turned up and rule the garden.
Ask the neighbours if they can move in there too.
Do the council know ? Maybe there's a wildlife grant you can apply for. Every little helps.

[jakep]

Thank you. I’m in the minority, fair enough.
I do agree really but we’d be killing them just to please ourselves...

[ummmm]

If they get into your house they will pee and poo all over the place and chew through wires.

[spathiphyllum]

If's and buts don't justify cold hearted slaughter.

Do you live near fields?

[Sqad]

Where is RATTER when you need him?

[Barmaid]

The trouble is, you wont know they are making a move for the house until they are in. And then they are a devil to get rid of. Once it gets cold they will seek food and shelter. I imagine Chez Jakep may well be looking attractive!

Spath, there are no ifs and buts. They are destructive, smelly and I certainly wouldnt one in my kitchen cupboards!

[spathiphyllum]

They have had the problem for "for quite a while now."

It's not caused any issues.

Why decide to kill them now?

If they were an issue it'd be different. Rats are smart, and have the ability to be empathetic.

[spathiphyllum]

"my feelings are to leave alone as long as they make no move towards the house. "

100% agree Jake, Nice policy. Why not ay..

[retrocop]

A dose of Bubonic Plague any one?

[Sqad]

or Weill's Disease ^^^^^^

[fiction-factory]

>Rats are smart, and have the ability to be empathetic.

Have you considered chatting things through with the rats, jake?

[Patsy33]

There might be a family already in your house and the relatives have come looking to stay!...

[Barmaid]

Mice sound like a herd of elephants, Patsy, so unless Jakep has a huge mansion, I reckon they'd have heard them.

FF for BA.

[hereIam]

Unless of course you think it's 'trendy' to have rats in your garden.

[TonyV]

IMO just get some poison down, make sure its covered so other wild life is not effected.

[woofgang]

I am in the middle here. First thing I would do is deal with anything that is encouraging them.....so I would stop feeding the birds, be extra careful with stored refuse, clear areas of undergrowth and so on. I don't like to kill needlessly either but when you have had your compost bins eaten into, your garage liberally covered with rat wee and poo and found half a dead snake and a lobster shell head behind the freezer in the garage, then it makes you rethink a bit. You may need to get rid but if you just get rid and don't make the environment unwelcoming them more will move in; if you adjust the environment then they rats may move of their own accord without any need for raticide. IMO the one thing you should not do is let them be.