Rat in the garden. Advice wanted

In the last few days I have noticed that we have a big brazen rat in our garden. I tried to tell her it was a harvest fieldmouse but she's not having it and she wants rid of it. I think it lives in our shed. Any suggestions?

 

big brazen cat?

 

We don't have a compost bin but we do have a terrier type dog - he chases the rat whenever it appears but never gets close to catching it as it is near a fence that the rat can get through but not the dog.

 

Only advice I can give is don't let them establish themselves. It becomes a nightmare.

 

YouTube has several useful videos on this....you'll need to lure in in to the house for this one, but sage advice nonetheless.

 

Humane rat trap baited with peanut butter
The thing is I think if you catch one
You have to dispatch it by law
Why they make a humane trap I don't know
I usually take them angrily squeaking away somewhere and let them go

 

Air rifle?

 

I don't have an air rifle and would probably miss anyway. Would a direct hit kill it or just scare it away?

 

the rat probably has a winter nest under the shed. they are attracted to a regular food source but they are everywhere. myself and neighbours have had rats over the years and the best way of ridding of them temporarily is get a professional in. pay them, job done.

are you or your neighbours putting food out for the birds.

 

Search youtube for electric rat trap. They are very good and cheap on ebay . Ok if no children or dogs as they kill with electricity all be a battery . Rats use the same route all the time just put it in a known route suitably protected and see what happens .

 

I've shot loads in farm barns when they were full of grain. A good head shot will dispatch them. 1.77 cal is more accurate. I have a load of guns here if ever your passing

 

This. Have tried everything else which is either useless or dangerous - get the professionals in.

 

sort it before the Spring or you will have dozens of them to deal with, how do I know?

 

Know anyone with one of these?

 

We had rats coming into our garden to eat the food I had put out for the birds.

We stopped feeding the birds and made sure there was no where in our garden for them to live and as best we could blocked up any entry exit routes. I also spoke to the neighbours so that they were aware that the neighbourhood had an issue. I don't know what happened but we did stop seeing them, suspect they went onto another food source. As someone has mentioned compost heaps are a favourite feeding place for rats, I have just got rid of a compost bin that didn't have a rat proof base, as it was obvious something had been coming in and feeding there particularly on the stuff I had placed in recently.

They've been shot as vermin on farms with air rifles for years.

 

dowse shed in petrol and set fire to it.

 

Can you stop talking about rats please? It makes my bum feel funny