Allotments 4 All

Hi all
we have a bunny and two guineas that live in the shed, lately they have had company, we know this because the feed sacks been eaten into and these are out of reach to the pets), is there any way of telling whether its a rat or a mouse (droppings ect).
Would the guineas still be alive if it was a rat??
I have had trouble with a rat before which i found in my compost bin (yikes) pest control dealt with it that time.
Kathryn ???

Rats dropping are nearly identical in size  and shape to your guinea pigs..Mouse droppings are very small...
I think it most unlikely for them to attack your guinea pigs ..Jim

phew ...thats a relief,

Where there is mice usually the rats then follow....may I suggest putting
feedstuff into plastic storage bins...also if the hole in foodstuff bag was
large enough to let mouse or rat in....get rid.....as both urinate constantly
and can carry disease.

                                    JAGS

Galvanised metal dusbins are a quick mouse* / rat proof option too.





*also works with slow mice!

thanks for all the advise.
pulled everything out of the shed yesterday and there were quite a few holes so i've blocked them all up, hopefully that'll keep the little vermin out. Is there anything i can paint on the outside of the shed to stop them from chewing the wood...?

Nothing that I know of, rats and mice can be pritty persistant.  I remember that tea chests used to have thin strips of metal folded around their edges and tacked or stapled into place, presumably this was to stop rats gnawing their way in during long sea voyages. So depending on how big a job you are faced with, thin sheet metal strips bent round the edges of what is being gnawed and then tacked down may help. If its only a small job you could cut up a cola can with some tin snips and attach it with a box of tin tacks, otherwise maybe the angle iron from a bedframe or some of that stuff from industrial shelving units possibly?