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Rats and bird feeding

Gill Moore
06/05/2023 17:23

My normally busy garden is movement-less since I have had to stop offereing food for the birds because we have rats around.  Reading all the advice on line  it seems i should feed on poles (I do - irrelevant), empty bird baths overnight (OK, but we do have a pond) and cut down any long grass and plants - so should I take up all my flowery perrenials which I grow for the bees and make my garden a desert? I have had to call in contractors to get rid of the rats at ridiculous cost. i could probably live with them, but I don't think the neighbours would like it.

Any suggestions? Can you feed birds in this situation or shall i just have to give up indefinitely?

  • 05/07/2023 22:16

    www.gov.uk/pest-control-on-your-property
    Did you know that in certain exceptional circumstances Schedule 1 protected wild birds can be controlled. But here is a link about pest control in your home. But for anyone that didn’t know that should read the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act from beginning to the end and it is a long read.As I’ve mentioned before it’s not straight forward that 1981 Act or you would all know that.

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • 05/07/2023 22:36 in reply to THOMO
    Brown rats can be a major irritation.

    I've used live-capture traps (with some success).

    I've never had a rat incursion into a house. I strongly suspect that my neighbour has a 'problem' with a racing pigeon 'loft' (not keeping livestock foodstuffs sufficiently secure is one manner in which brown rats are 'encouraged').

    Cats? It takes a special cat to take on a rat. And even then it may require veterinary treatment after the encounter.

    Can we take this to the tea room? I suspect we are dicussing relatively minor differences.



    On polecats...

    www.theguardian.com/.../polecat-the-bandit-like-predator-once-hunted-as-vermin-in-england

    No input from me into that article. I just sit on the sidelines and look and read.

    You may have gathered that I have a certain fondness for the historically (and currently) persecuted UK mustlids.

    And longhorn beetles...

    There's lots of links to longhorn beetles out on the web. Some of them are linked to pest control services. These are searches served up by web searches in the UK. None of the UK's longhorn beetles are (household) pests but pest control services have been matched.

    Which is why I get a bit twitchy when people start banging on about 'pest control' services. Gaming search engines is a real thing.

    Mosquitos and transmission of malarial parasites. Is it OK to target the mozzies (with a seeming aim to exterminate some species), when the mozzies are part of the food-chain and we don't know how the malarial parasite may or could adapt?
  • 06/07/2023 08:42
    • Whatever the pest I will call out pest control. Out of interest what do you do after you catch mice or rats in live traps as I know about live traps. I won’t say any more about live traps that many people say that they use. I will wait for your reply. I’m going out in a few minutes. When I return this evening if you haven’t replied about live traps I will post more about about live traps. As many say they use live traps as well. But live trap are no good at all! Also ivf cockroaches got into my home, I would do the same by calling out pest control. If any  creature classified as a pest and doing damage my home I would do  the same. But the point I’m making it’s mainly Mice and Rats get into homes more frequently than any other creature classified as pests and Mice and Rats do manage to access homes so very easily. But this live trap conundrum is not the way and won’t work unless;; and I will explain later this evening hen I’m back home if no one has replied.

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • 06/07/2023 12:51

    Also Rats get in to peoples homes not just through holes, as most holes in to people's homes are to small for rats to get through. But they get in homes more often by other easy means. I also have a neighbour as well, but is seriously ill. Live traps are normally useless as I'm sure you why Robbo! Just waiting to see replies about this to se if anyone else knows the reason why. I will post more about this tonight. I'm out right now birdwatching and having my lunch/bait right bow And i always use the local bus service every day!

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • 06/07/2023 19:25

    www.pestcontrolberkshire.com/.../could-a-pest-return-if-humanely-trapped-and-released


    This is the only way a live trap would work and I couldn’t be bothered to do this tevery day, as I’ve got better things to do. If anyone else want to this ok. But I certainly won’t  be doing this. And if anyone says they just release mice and rats in to their garden with a live trap after being caught in their home. I don’t believe them. There are also a lot more links about live traps similar to above.

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • 06/07/2023 19:35

    And this from the RSPB about live traps.Less distance away but at least 1 Mike.

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • 06/07/2023 23:14

    www.cdc.gov/.../rodent-control.html

    How to control rodents infestations.Link above.

    Regards,

    Ian.