Rats

[mfewell]

Sorry, not a pleasant question. Next door's garden is a tip, and I have long worried about vermin. Finally on Sunday from my bedroom window I saw a large rat (oh to have had the air rifle loaded and ready!), run down the side of my garden and disappear under my fence and under their patio. I have put down poison where it ran, also some in my shed because it looks as though they have been in there too. Question is, where will they die ?  Any old place ? I'm worried about rotting corpses, but I couldn't live with the thought of rats so close to home. Should I/Shall I get the council in ?

[vespaboy]

I would suggest getting the Council/Environmental Health people in immediately. At least they willmake your neighbours tidy up their garden.

The rats will die in their Lair (wherever that is).

[woofgang]

do get the council in but I should warn you that my garden is not a tip, neither are any of our neighbours and we have a rat problem. We control (not eliminate it) by keeping all our refuse in covered bins, not putting any edible refuse in the compost bins and being very careful how and where we put out bird food. Can't put poison down because we have a dog....Also many rats now are resisitant to the poisons sold for their control

[pixi]

well ive never seen a live rat where we live, but we have two cats that kill em and fetch them home regularly so there must be some somewhere (all the gardens on our row of houses are tidy too, so i have no idea where they are coming from)   Saying that our street backs onto about 5 miles of countryside so they could be coming from there

[Jules001]

Rats won't necessarily die in their lair as we had a dead one on our lawn, (believe me once you have smelt a dead rat, you will never forget it!). Some councils charge and you may end up footing the bill, but if the root of the problem ie next door is not sorted, you will be wasting your money. I would advise getting onto the Council and see what they have to say.

[woofgang]

well yes and I am sure an untidy garden doesn't help, but as pixi and I have pointed out, it may not be the root of the problem!

[Chessman]

Not trying to worry you, but the 'experts' say that we'er never more than three feet from a rat at any one time.

[Piper-AK]

In the housing association I used to work in we had a house with a rat problem.  The Enviro's went and laid down poison, then went back later and laid down more.  Our tenant then phoned us up (we were the middlemen in this) to say there was an awful whiff as one of the rats was dead under the floorboards and would the Enviros go and get it please?  The Enviros said it wasn't up to them to tidy up the dead rats, just to lay down poison!  So be careful, and make sure you get a guarantee that whoever kills 'em comes and gets the dead bodies too.