Just seen a rat sitting on our dining room windowsill - outside, thankfully . I banged on the window, it fell off the sill, then climbed back up the climbing hydrangea that's on the wall beside the window and peered in at me with, I swear (and I was!!!
), a
expression on it's face. Damn cheek!
We've seen the odd one or two right down the bottom of the garden where the compost heaps, veg plots and waste ground are, but never so close (actually on!!) the cottage before. There's a pond about 12ft from the dining room window, the thing jumped out of the hydrangea and bounded over to the pond, running around the outside of it before disappearing behind the pond irises. I know they live near water, and I guess there's plenty of food around for it, we have half a dozen bird feeders in the shrubs near the pond, and our garden borders our neighbour's paddock (she has 2 horses, a large manure heap and storage bins of horse feed).
I don't mind wildlife in the garden, we have plenty of it besides birds, bees and butterflies......mice and voles down the bottom of the garden, frogs, toads and newts, slow worms in the compost, foxes and badgers visiting at night. But rats.....eewwww!
Any suggestions? (and not of the 'bung it in a stew' variety, thank you ).
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
We once had two actually in the house. One we caught in a trap, like an overgrown mouse trap; the other died under the floorboards. Took me ages to work out where the smell was coming from. Hubby thought I was making it up as he couldnt smell it at all
The only way I know of to get rid of rats outside is to call the ratman from the council who will put down warfarin in all the likely places. If you have children and/or livestock, the ratman will be very careful that he lays the stuff where they cant get at it.
You'll probably find that as it is not a required by law council service it has probably been cut or put out to a private contractor. Our council has negotiated a discount rate of £41 with a pest control firm . £41 buys an awful lot of bait a trip to Mole Valley Farmers for 'TomCat' or ' Neosorexa' . Make a tunnel about 3ins wide of bricks covered with a tile to place the bait in so that nothing else can get at it .When disposing of bodies wear rubber gloves they carry all sorts of nasties . Don't be tempted by Warfarin most rats are now immune to it .
Seed catalogues are responsible for more unfulfilled fantasies than the web and playboy combined . (after Michael Perry)
Thanks everyone. Just been on our council website.....they do come out (my mother's council - different area - don't! They have to get in a private contractor) and lay a baited trap - cost £17.05. No mention of coming back to inspect the trap and dispose of any bodies
learning to love veg…..except celery :-O
Toffeeapple said:
Bless him!
Bet that's not what you said yesterday TA.....I know I didn't....
Who lives long sees much : The diary of my life in Bulgaria
Most Users Ever Online: 767
Currently Online:
22 Guest(s)
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Top Posters:
brightspark: 10535
danast: 10232
Aly: 9516
Sooliz: 8084
Hattie: 6920
Ambersparkle: 6699
JoannaS: 4800
Terrier: 4518
eileen54: 4424
Hannah: 4231
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 11
Members: 16221
Moderators: 3
Admins: 1
Forum Stats:
Groups: 6
Forums: 25
Topics: 2273
Posts: 123063
Newest Members:
RobertasseK, EdwardDum, Suzanneclics, Brianalile, JamesSlops, RickySekModerators: Toffeeapple: 16337, AdminTA: 10, Fiona Nevile: 0
Administrators: Danny: 5517
Copyright © 2006-2023 Cottage Smallholder Our Privacy Policy Advertise on Cottage Smallholder