How do you get rid of rats in the garden?

[tc553]

Got rats in the garden and living under neighbours shed. has anyone got any solutions to get rid of them. There are children and pets living on the properties.

Thanks
Tony

[tatu]

u can buy a small device that sends ultra sound or something like that to keep them away,u put it down at the side of ur house wall where the rodents are likely to run,,it send electronic pulses out,,i dont know too much about these gadgets but i have seen them in the newspapers from time to time....they arent expensive to buy or run...just google in ( electronic rodent deterent) or something like that..

glad im ot in ur shoes ,,im terrified of them..good luck..

[Ethel]

Those electronic gadgets don't work effectively at all, and will annoy your pets.

Call in environmental health and get the job done properly.

[thugulike]

Poison is the only effective way to clear them out. I've tried traps but we are surrounded by dry stone walls and the mice nip in and take the bait in the traps. Make sure you get poison strong enough and place it in a place where children and pets can'r get at it. I am always reluctant to resort to poison as I'm afraid the poisoned rats will be taken by owls. I always have a scout round and make sure there are no bodies visible. Gruesome.

[Im a BusyBee]

we have rat bait down as we live in the country and see signs of them, we also have dogs, cats and children around. you can buy tube type things like an upside down T that you put rat bait in - available from farming type suppliers, you can get the bait there too.
I also have suffered a mouse in the house recently, it was running from roof of front porch(coming in small hole with aerial cable), under bedroom floor boards, up cavity into airing cupboard, from there into loft and down into bathroom light and it sounded like an elephant! for this we bought the electronic repellants but they didnt do any good at all, total waste money. we set an old fashioned trap in the airing cupboard and within 24 hrs it was caught. Although im a great believer of where theres one theres more we have not heard or seen sign of anything since. The electrical gadget had been in use for over 2 weeks prior to the trap, plugged in very close to airing cupboard, and yet we still heard it most days.

[angiebaby57]

Your local council may well provide a FREE pest control service...the rats will breed like wild-fire if you don't take action quickly. Good luck!

[heybridge1]

I've the same problem whereby they're living under my neighbours decking and have tunnelled under our fence to our side. They're clearly after the rubbish so we make sure we avoid having anything in the garden that they want. I have tried the rat poisin granuales you can buy in local diy/garden stores but am not convinced they work. I've taken to filling any holes I see with pea shingle or cement under the fence hoping they realise they can't get in any more. A cat may be one answer!

[DLLegal]

We've put down decking, however we knew of the risk of rats so with young children we looked for a solution. We've had friends using decking solutions such as 18-gauge mesh wire 2m deep in the soil (that is a serious depth! it's almost digging a grave!! ) - and all the reports were that the dear little creatures simply chewed through it - if you look at the tooth clamp strength of 280psi - it is little surprise, and the stuff goes rusty too!

After much seeking of advice the solution came from .........our lawyer ! (dllegal of London) - .........I guess lawyers know how to deal with rats - he said it was a professional courtesy! <grin>..........
......... although marginally more expensive than wire, the solution lasts and doesn't risk a rusty sharp edge in the future - Go to your local garden merchant and order builder's quantities of small stones - the sort of stuff for your drive. (Which type is cheapest varies depending on which part of the Country you're in). Lay your decking and then before you screw it down, infull with the stones all the way to the top - the stones allow drainage so the wood doesn't rot - but the lawyers (sorry - I meant rats) have no-where to live. Lift the boards once a year and top up just to be certain. - (However it's expensive if you have decking which goes more than 18 inches above the ground.). Four years on, not a rat! (Nor for that matter, have we needed the lawyer again!)