RATS

[keejaay]

Hi all

I have spent nearly a year clearing a very overgrown allotment and put a Greenhouse up to my dismay i have found rats inside the place -- a number of people keep chickens on other plots and i have seen the rats in the runs --- what i want to know is how to tackle them in the greenhouse before i start growing stuff .  all advice will be very welcome

[saddad]

If you can face it, as other wildlife can be excluded, I'd get them poisoned. 

[goodlife]

Spray the greenhouse base with Jayes fluid ..inside and outside..so they can't smell their trail to find their way back in...and just like Saddad said..poison..or my 'favourite', trap them...over and done with and no suffering.
But remember keep door shut at all times so no other creatures get it.

[Unwashed]

If you take out the stuff they're sheltering in they won't just hang around in an empty greenhouse.

Poison is a very unsatisfactory solution because 1. it doesn't solve the problem that allows the rats to live where they are, 2. it kills other animals, including cats and dogs, and 3. it's not always very effective at killing rats because they avoid new food and can develop an immunity to anything you can legitimately use.

The sustainable way of dealing with rats is to deny them harbourage and forage.  If they can't hide from predators or find anthing to eat they'll move away or die, and because you've destroyed their niche they won't be replaced by other rats.

[keejaay]

At the moment all i have in the greenhouse are a couple of unopened grow bags and i have sealed the holes they seem to have dug underneath the frame --  i was over the allotment early today and shot at least 5 with my air rifle , i have found rat droppings in the greehouse so i might just try putting poison down inside and see what happens - thanks for the advice everyone

[Unwashed]

i have found rat droppings in the greehouse so i might just try putting poison down inside and see what happens

Wouldn't shutting the greenhouse door keep the rats out? 

[elvis2003]

i have found rat droppings in the greehouse so i might just try putting poison down inside and see what happens

Wouldn't shutting the greenhouse door keep the rats out? 

ours get in through some secret chamber that only they know of,not thru the door,the so and sos. once they had eaten all the curcubit and sunflower seedlings they vanished,as you say unwashed,they had lost their food source so went elsewhere

[gwynnethmary]

We seem to have them periodically in our dalek compost bin-you can see the tunnel made underneath.  However , the rat trap seems to keep them under control- I just have to be careful not to step on it myself!  And thankfully, we have a brave man working with us, so he deals with the trap and the rats!

[winecap]

In my experience Unwashed is right on this. Rats like to hang out somewhere cosy with something to eat. They have never bothered with my greenhouse but are regular in the plastic compost bins. I figure they do a great job of turning the compost which I can't be bothered to do myself. I don't want to offend anybody but many people use poison irresponsibly. I have found poisoned rats stumbling around at the allotments several times and and it worries me that they are easy prey for cats, dogs, birds and foxes which will be effected by the poison. I dispatched one with a spade about two weeks ago, but wish people wouldn't use poison.

[green lily]

I had rats a few years ago in my poly. They didn't eat anything but made huge runs and holes everywhere. I called in the pest control people and asked whether the poison they used would persist in the soil or damage other animals. They said not because they have to work on farms around here and there are strict rules about poisons where food stuff is produced. The rats didn't touch any of my greenstuff growing because he said they feed from birdtables and I was just giving them nice warm cosy accommodation....
Havn't had any further lodgers.. ;)although there always a 'passing through' mob of pea eaters.......

[Mr Smith]

This is the problem in having Poultry on allotments they attract rats, if you got rid of them they would eventually come back again its an ongoing problem, the poultry keepers could help by keeping there places clean and with feed well out the way, if you start to put poision down it starts to get expensive and why should you do it, there are plenty of people out there who would willingly come along and have a go at getting rid of them, put an advert in the 'Countrymans  Weekly' and if there is someone local they might be interested,

[louise stella]

Chickens do not attract rats per se .....but food and somewhere warm to sleep and nest does.  They are just as likely to be attracted to bird tables and bread, as they are sheds and stacks of junk and rubbish left outside.  Outhouses are a favourite as are garages.  Remove rubbish, keep the place tidy and deny them their homes!  They will move on elsewhere! 

Jeyes fluid is said to deter them, water it around the edge of your garden/plot - they keep to their "rat-runs" which are always along the edge of a boundary.  Human pee is also said to deter them as they sense your presence as a threat!

[keejaay]

Thanks everyone your comments and words of advice are very helpfull

[Mr Smith]

Chickens do not attract rats per se .....but food and somewhere warm to sleep and nest does.  They are just as likely to be attracted to bird tables and bread, as they are sheds and stacks of junk and rubbish left outside.  Outhouses are a favourite as are garages.  Remove rubbish, keep the place tidy and deny them their homes!  They will move on elsewhere! 

Jeyes fluid is said to deter them, water it around the edge of your garden/plot - they keep to their "rat-runs" which are always along the edge of a boundary.  Human pee is also said to deter them as they sense your presence as a threat!

                  How many Chickens do you keep?,

[louise stella]

Chickens do not attract rats per se .....but food and somewhere warm to sleep and nest does.  They are just as likely to be attracted to bird tables and bread, as they are sheds and stacks of junk and rubbish left outside.  Outhouses are a favourite as are garages.  Remove rubbish, keep the place tidy and deny them their homes!  They will move on elsewhere! 

Jeyes fluid is said to deter them, water it around the edge of your garden/plot - they keep to their "rat-runs" which are always along the edge of a boundary.  Human pee is also said to deter them as they sense your presence as a threat!

                  How many Chickens do you keep?,

Personally? - only 2 - at home!

[OllieC]

We always had chickens & ducks as a kid & never had rats. Also had them here for a couple of years in the back garden - again, no rats. Maybe it was just luck? Also, I can't see why human pee deters them since they live in sewers?!

[caroline7758]

Went to put some veg peelings in my "dalek"compost bin today. The compost bag which I always put on top to keep it moist was about 2" down. I know there are some kind of vermin in there, probably rats, but as long as I don't see them i don't mind, and it looks as if they're doing a good job of turning my compost for me! I always give it a good kick before opening the lid to avoid any nasty shocks!

[Digeroo]

I have voles in my compost bins.  You can see the burrows.  Rather nicer than rats.  They seem almost tame and tend to look at you rather than run away.  The are surprisingly easy to catch.

Only downside is that they eat drying peas/broadbeans, so all peas and beans must be covered with bottle cloches and if you want to save your own seeds you have to dry them inside the house.  They also nibble the odd strawberry and parsnip,

Voles in their turn attract birds of prey.

[The-goodlife2012]

jin trap the beggers.poisen is a short term solution as by the sound of it the whole site needs doing, they will be gone soon when it warms up they head out to the fields

[cleo]

I share my compost bins with the odd rat from time to time-they do all the work,as previously mentioned.

Poison to me is a total NO NO again for reasons previously stated.