Back to Ratty; I kept finding my peanut feeder emptied overnight and left with the lid opened. I always presumed it was a rodent doing this?
Re rats, yes, you will have a number there. Re empty feeders, probably also rats, so you were right to assume it was rodents.
Just spotted Ratty chasing a blackbird around the lawn after the blackbird started picking around under the feeder. Ratty obviously regards it as his patch! Another blackbird came to help and when it was two against one he fled!
I now have a video of Ratty and think he is a she. I know that male rats have rather obvious male parts...
I have lightly modified the peanut feeder after balking at the price of a new one in the pet shop. The very easy to open fliptop lid is now harder to open.