I’ve removed the bird feeder but I’d like to continue feeding the birds at some point as I enjoy watching the rooks and jackdaws. I adore rats as I have pet rats but with my veg garden and neighbours at risk this lil guy can’t stay !
What make of live traps are best??
Or homemade ones?
Nothing that will harm them. I will hopefully relocate them to a Forest away from here – we moved her in December so the garden is still a work in progress any tips to keep them out? I know to fill the burrow holes once they’re out
by darkkitty1991
27 Comments
Is that a rat or a mouse?
You have to admire them.
You can buy live traps for rats. Not sure they do them for mice?
An air rifle and a bin. Rats are disease bearing vermin and your altruistic dump it elsewhere is not wanted.
Keep down voting,, Rats are vermin and their numbers should be kept in check dumping your problem in another’s area is not on.
It must have jumped up from the lower feeder arm.
I have a feeder just like this, so I need to watch out.
If there’s one there’s a hundred more. I despise killing living things but the truth is you have to put poison down. If you put down a hundred traps and relocate them all , your neighbours are probably doing nothing and the problem isn’t gonna go away.
You can get a live cage trap for rats. I once owned one.
He will have to go after he learned that feeder trick. Do it fast before he shows off to all his mates.
🤣
I’m rather afraid the rats will be several broods into the season, so don’t underestimate your challenge….
Let us know how you get on.
You could try a squirrel shroud, which should stop it climbing the pole. These can be bought or home made quite easily. It will go elsewhere if there is no easily available food.
Seriously, the current population of rats is staggering, they carry disease and constantly breed, they need destroying. Don’t encourage rats (or mice). I’m sure you wouldn’t be saying how cute they are if they were scratching around inside your walls and attic chewing electrical wiring and under your floorboards, or running through your kitchen contaminating your food, or your furnishings with fleas, and stinking your house out with piss and shit.
As it is classed as vermin trapping and letting elsewhere is illegal.
Either kill them or put up with them.
I M not the police, will not be checking.
Just offering information
I’ve looked in to this before, catch and release may not actually be a humane thing to do. Read the section in here: https://www.ufaw.org.uk/rodent-control/humane-rodent-control-detailed-advice
Get a moggy
You can catch them but it’s illegal to release them afaik, you’d just be releasing a pest into someone else’s land or a natural habitat.
Personally, I’d purchase an air rifle and a pair of super-duper Marigolds for the little cutey disease ridden non-flying pigeons
They won’t know the area you relocate them to and will likely be picked off by a predator very quickly. Also it is young, there will be ten others like it.
I’ve had rats come into my garden because of the bird feeders. Just remove all the food for a few days/week. The rats will quickly learn there’s no more food to be had and go elsewhere.
You could also try installing a squirrel baffle as a longer term fix so they can’t get to the food at all
grease the pole
Find yourself a ferrite, or a neighbour with an air rifle thermal setup. Don’t poison them, they will just end uk dieing in your walls and stinking iut the place
A squirrel baffle may (I’ve never tried it for rats) help stop the rats from getting onto the feeders … Might be worth looking into
Small slinky on the base of the feeder pole.
Buggers won’t climb up that.
Find someone with a patterdale terrier, they’ll see it’s dealt with.
Get a terrier. The rats will soon move next door.
There’s a long queue waiting to take it’s place. Where there’s food there’s rats
When did cats drop-out?
Worth buying a humane trap but you likely have your work cut out- if you see one (especially in daytime) there are likely MANY more in the locality.
Best to prevent them being able to access all that nourishing bird food and they will go elsewhere to feed.
I’ve bought feeders with springs that close access to seed when anything heavier than a songbird lands on them. There are two popular manufacturers in uk that make them- Roamwild and pestoff. I have both and they work really well. Roamwild make a flower shaped ‘cup on a stick’ device to put below the feeder to catch dropped food which is also rodent proof. I had to release a mouse that had slipped into it and couldn’t get out. All came at a cost but I save on bird seed and no longer see rats or squirrels on the feeders. Until I got these I was feeding them as much as the birds.
I also suggest greasing the pole with motor grease or petroleum jelly. It doesn’t stick around forever but it’s very entertaining meanwhile to watch frustrated rats and squirrels sliding back down the pole.
I’ve yet to find a commercial baffle device for these bird poles that works for long. They usually work out how to get round them very quickly or simply jump from nearby bushes etc..
Relocation is inhumane and illegal. Better to use quick-kill traps, or get a terrier in.
Honestly, you don’t, if you did manage to trap it any distance you’re prepared to walk with it isn’t far enough, it’ll be home before you are, if you put it in your car and it manages to escape in you car the cost to get it out and repair any damage in does will be phenomenal.