Rat-proof bird feeder? Help please!!

Hello all,

This is my first post, but I really need some help if anyone can provide any!

Last winter I was unfortunate enough to have rats in my home for the first time - a thoroughly unpleasant experience. 

Although the advice from the pest controllers was to stop feeding the birds, I was very reluctant to do this - not only because of the pleasure it gives me, but because I didn't want to remove a food source the birds had come to rely on in the middle of winter.

I tried to minimise the problem by having three separate feeders for nyjer seed, sunflower hearts and peanuts, by "customising" the feeders with trays underneath to catch the waste, and by siting them over a tarpaulin which I am able to sweep easily. 

The feeders are in an apple tree at the far end of the garden, about 15 metres from the house.

I've had no further problems since until yesterday when I spotted a new unwelcome visitor - a rat in broad daylight climbing the tree trunk to reach and feast from the feeders. It's back again today.

I really don't want to stop feeding the birds but I can't see an alternative now. Apart from anything else, I assume the birds will be at risk of disease passed on from the rats.

Please can anyone offer any advice at all?

Many thanks in advance.

Sandpipa.

  • I too have had rats eating bird food in broad daylight - inside squirrel-caged feeders hung from poles covered in vaseline, guarded with home-made baffles and stuck in the middle of an open space.  I can only assume they were able to leap onto the feeders.  I had them move into the garage last winter, and there are so many holes in nearby hedgebanks at the moment that even though they have been baited I no longer leave my house door open for the dogs to go in and out.

    I am not putting out bird food at all at the moment, though I will try again later in the year with better home-made baffles and the feeders as high as possible.   I was wondering if rats could manage to get along a high "washing line" made of fishing line.  Has anyone tried this?  Would it need to be made visible to birds by hanging bits of silver foil or something from it?

    I am already pretty careful about food on the ground because I had a previous problem with badgers.  I appreciate badgers, but having large holes dug under the fence and through the hedge won't do when you have dogs and there are sheep in the neighbouring field!

  • Sandpipa said:

    Hello all,

    This is my first post, but I really need some help if anyone can provide any!

    Last winter I was unfortunate enough to have rats in my home for the first time - a thoroughly unpleasant experience. 

    Although the advice from the pest controllers was to stop feeding the birds, I was very reluctant to do this - not only because of the pleasure it gives me, but because I didn't want to remove a food source the birds had come to rely on in the middle of winter.

    I tried to minimise the problem by having three separate feeders for nyjer seed, sunflower hearts and peanuts, by "customising" the feeders with trays underneath to catch the waste, and by siting them over a tarpaulin which I am able to sweep easily. 

    The feeders are in an apple tree at the far end of the garden, about 15 metres from the house.

    I've had no further problems since until yesterday when I spotted a new unwelcome visitor - a rat in broad daylight climbing the tree trunk to reach and feast from the feeders. It's back again today.

    I really don't want to stop feeding the birds but I can't see an alternative now. Apart from anything else, I assume the birds will be at risk of disease passed on from the rats.

    Please can anyone offer any advice at all?

    Many thanks in advance.

    Sandpipa.

    I have had the same problem over a  number of years. I have found a Rat Proof & Squirrell proof bird feeder. basically it is a cage that allows the birds to get to the feeder (seperate but cheap) but not bigger Birds or vermin.

    To reduce spillage I have cut some mesh to catch the spillage. The cost of the cage was £12:95 from the Ferndale Garden Centre in Coal Aston nr Sheffield. If you need the make I will get it for you. The thing works really well. Since using these we have had in a single morning Robins,Greenfinch, Siskin, Nuthatch, Goldfinch, House Sparrows, BullFinch, Dunnock, Wren BlueTit, Long Tailed, Great & Coal Tit plus a few very frustrated Squirrels & Pigeons

     

    However Rats need special treatment. I would advise from experience.

    By observation find out where you think the rats are living. Under sheds & decking is favourite (I did not have a problem until I installed a new patio made of decking) they absolutely love their new home.

    Put bated snatch traps with snickers as bait onnear to where they run. Ensure Blackbirds cannot get to them because they will peck at the bait.

    Get the council to use poison traps.

  • Hi Sandpipa, sorry to hear you have the rat problem, i was worried as to how i was going to get help with this problem too.  our neighbouring property has been emty for over a year now, Rats have made an under ground nest there, horror struck the other day when we saw them running back and forth to our garden climbing trees and making very difficult manouvres to reach the fat ball holdersof which one is the oval coil shaped one hoding 2 at a time and kept disappearing quickly,now i know why., the other has a lid which they have tried to remove but can hold on and try to eat throuh the square wire spaces,  Regulary i clean the feeding area and feeders too, i have removed all feeding appliances from one tree including peanut feeders but alas the rats are moving to the other trees.  This is a big problem sandpipa and  you have my sympathy here, i have a large selection of birds to my garden and already today i see confusion and fighting to get to the last feeder left.  What do we do., Kezmo is right all feeding areas must be cleared at all cost and rat prevention in situ asap. environmental health advice also.  It pains me to think that i cannot feed these birds who have come to my garden so faithfully to be fed but sentiment has to go and sensibility applied for the future of our birds.   I belive with the help of all the good sensible people on this site some very good common sense ideas and advice can be bult on and we shall have safer feeding applications in place for our birds.  I hope this gives a bit of hope Sandpipa.

  • Nails - I would be very interested to know the make of the rat- and squirrel-proof feeder. Thank you.

    Sandpipa said:

     

    I have had the same problem over a  number of years. I have found a Rat Proof & Squirrell proof bird feeder. basically it is a cage that allows the birds to get to the feeder (seperate but cheap) but not bigger Birds or vermin.

    To reduce spillage I have cut some mesh to catch the spillage. The cost of the cage was £12:95 from the Ferndale Garden Centre in Coal Aston nr Sheffield. If you need the make I will get it for you. The thing works really well. Since using these we have had in a single morning Robins,Greenfinch, Siskin, Nuthatch, Goldfinch, House Sparrows, BullFinch, Dunnock, Wren BlueTit, Long Tailed, Great & Coal Tit plus a few very frustrated Squirrels & Pigeons

     

    However Rats need special treatment. I would advise from experience.

    By observation find out where you think the rats are living. Under sheds & decking is favourite (I did not have a problem until I installed a new patio made of decking) they absolutely love their new home.

    Put bated snatch traps with snickers as bait onnear to where they run. Ensure Blackbirds cannot get to them because they will peck at the bait.

    Get the council to use poison traps.

     

  • This is bizarre. How come someone else has managed to call themself my ID today?

    I don't get it. I assume someone will fix it.

    Best wishes Chris

  • Hi,

    You could try mixing the bird food with cayenne pepper or chilli powder, which i have used in the past as a successful deterrent to squirrels, as they can't handle the heat.  Doesn't affect the birds :)

  • Hi. We have rats in the garden, too. We have attached the feeders to the washing line and the rats cannot access them.

  • I see the odd rat but they don't climb the feeders they actually get the food that's fallen on the floor, i got the council in who were very helpful and seemed to get rid of them for a while until 2 appeared again many months later. Next doors evil cat actually got one of them and i got the other with half a house-brick, imagine the scene from crocodile Dundee when he threw the tin of beans and hit the bagsnatcher well that was me with the rat...one hell of a shot !!!

  • This post is ancient.... with a bit of luck the rats will be dead and buried by now.

  • Yes, but in web searches it will come up as a possible source of answers by anyone wanting to know what to do now :)