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How to discourage rats

Yoga8616
26/03/2023 19:58

Hi!

We bought these RSPB Coconut Suet Treats. Birds love them. Problem: rats climbed up, gnawed through the string, and ate the suet while the coconut was lying on the ground. After the first time, I hung the coconut again using a plastic zip tie, but it was also gnawed through and the coconut fell down. We have taken the coconut treat inside for now. Here is a picture marking the spot where the treat had been hung initially.

Question 1: how can I hang the coconut so that it is safe from rats?

I'm considering the spot on the right marked in the picture, hanging from a tree. But I fear rats will be able to climb the tree and repeat taking the coconut. 

Question 2: if I hang the coconut under such a squirrel baffle and make sure that there are no branches underneath the coconut, will the coconut be safe from rats?

We also have a bird feeder. It's pictured in the second photo here. Birds spill seeds when eating from it. I think that also attracts rats.

Question 3: what do you think of covering seeds in chilli oil (as recommended here)? I think rats and squirrels wouldn't eat spilled seeds then. I think dusting seeds with cayenne pepper would stop squirrels and rats from eating from the feeder directly, but they would still eat spillage.

Alternatively I can imagine fitting a squirrel baffle on top, and a plate underneath to catch spillage. But I have no idea where to hang this construction eventually, because the lower branches of the tree are not strong enough to hold this.

  • 0 26/03/2023 20:07

    I’ will answer you quite straight. Take all your bird food from outside in your garden and take indoors. Call out pest control and let them deal with it. I do that every time. They are the experts. I’m not. And they know what to do, and all all the other birds and wildlife will be ok when I’ve had pest control out before. If you don’t. any neighbour could report rats from your garden if it affects them. And anyone that does that, your local authority will come out, as they can legally can in UK law to see if there is a problem with rate. I call pest control out straight away, as rats can breed very fast and then the problem can get worse very quickly. Also the local authority can legallly check about rats even if you own your own  home, if anyone has problems from neighbours gardens or buildings!

    Regards,

    Ian.

  • 0 26/03/2023 21:02
    Hi THOMO, thanks for the answer! When you say you do that all the time, do you mean:

    Regularly, you take all your bird food indoors. You then call pest control to deal with rats. Then you put your bird food outside again? How often do you do this?

    Hiring the local authority's pest control to control a rat infestation costs between £150 and £400. That's very expensive to do regularly and is not an option for me. If that is the only way, then I'd rather forego the joy of bird feeding altogether.

    Do you use any precautions to prevent rats from eating your bird food?
  • 0 26/03/2023 21:24 in reply to THOMO
    Natural pest control would be polecats. But they're rare.

    (N.B. Just commenting on natural predators)
  • 0 04/04/2023 00:12
    Perhaps try hanging the feeders slightly more in the open where the rats wouldn't like to venture out. They often prefer to be close to protection. You could try hanging from a washing line where the rats would struggle to reach the food. You could place a tray under the feeder to stop any food dropping on the floor. RSPB feeders have a screw in their bases so you can buy one of their trays sold separately. (To be honest I've never had a major rat infestation due to feeders. I tend to get plenty of woodpigeons, dunnocks and blackbirds to hoover up food. Just some things you could try.)
  • 0 04/04/2023 04:23 in reply to Yoga8616
    Yoga8616 said:
    Hi THOMO, thanks for the answer! When you say you do that all the time, do you mean:

    Regularly, you take all your bird food indoors. You then call pest control to deal with rats. Then you put your bird food outside again? How often do you do this?

    Hiring the local authority's pest control to control a rat infestation costs between £150 and £400. That's very expensive to do regularly and is not an option for me. If that is the only way, then I'd rather forego the joy of bird feeding altogether.

    Do you use any precautions to prevent rats from eating your bird food?

    My local authority charge around £60.00 for getting rid of rat investigation. If your local authority has given you that quote then you should have a look around at other well known pest control organisations with a quote. your local authority quoted you should have a look around at other well known organisations that can control infestations.. And yes I always take my bird-feeders indoors and bird tables as well as my birdbath. If any neighbour complains tgen the local authorities can legally ask anyone to stop feeding any wildlife including birds, until rats or mice are dealt with.

    Regards,

    Ian.