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Rats!!!!

Deanna

Warren Scout
I am so angry as yesterday I saw 2 rats in the rabbit garden coming from under my spare hutch, So I moved the rabbit hutch and underneath I found two holes from my neighbours garden with a pile of bird seed trailing from the holes, so I have approached my neighbour about this and asked if they could not feed the birds so much (6 feeders scattered around the garden is a bit excessive - i think) only to be told that my dogs and rabbits are the only thing to cause rats!!! My rabbits are cleaned out 1 - 2 times a day and my garden has no dog waste in it and the rabbits live in a two tier hutch and fed on the top part of the hutch and as they are on diets their diet is mainly hay, sorry im rabbling but I need someone to tell me this isn't my fault - please :( They have told me they are getting the environmental health round to prove that it is the rabbits and not them feeding the birds :evil:
 
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Aww! big hugs for you xXx It isnt your fault!! Bird tables/feeders do attract rats/mice :( When we first moved in we used to put seed on a bird table but soon had mice in the shed :shock: We now only have 1 hangy thingy and have never seen rats/mice. Sounds like your neighbours are evil!! Like mine :lol: I wouldnt worry yourself about it. Could you not get some sort of humane rat trap and put it under the cage?? xXx
 
Thank you so much for replying i am so upset, as i know they dont like my rabbits and I just hope they environmental health don't think my rabbits are dirty (which I know they are not) im not against people feeding the birds but they know there are rats about and they still put bread and currants on the grass too im so upset maybe I will ring the environmental health myself if only I could be sure that they wont blame my poor buns!
 
Thank you so much for replying i am so upset, as i know they dont like my rabbits and I just hope they environmental health don't think my rabbits are dirty (which I know they are not) im not against people feeding the birds but they know there are rats about and they still put bread and currants on the grass too im so upset maybe I will ring the environmental health myself if only I could be sure that they wont blame my poor buns!

I'd be prepared from them to think it's the buns, but if they're clean then it obviously wont be. Maybe have some back-up literature to show/prove rats aren't interested in rabbits unless there's rat-type food around, which you wont have much of.
 
Ive just been on our local council pest control site and there is a big notice re feeding the birds and at first sight of a rat to stop feeding the birds or at least make sure there is no food left out at night, my neighbour fills his bird feeders up before dark!!! So maybe ill be out with my camera first thing in the morning taking some pics, they don't mention rabbits!!!!
 
Ive just been on our local council pest control site and there is a big notice re feeding the birds and at first sight of a rat to stop feeding the birds or at least make sure there is no food left out at night, my neighbour fills his bird feeders up before dark!!! So maybe ill be out with my camera first thing in the morning taking some pics, they don't mention rabbits!!!!


Thats the worst time to feed them!! Gawd some people, no wonder you have rats :( I would definately make a complaint to the local council, they'll tell him about feeding the birds/rats!!!
 
Ive just been on our local council pest control site and there is a big notice re feeding the birds and at first sight of a rat to stop feeding the birds or at least make sure there is no food left out at night, my neighbour fills his bird feeders up before dark!!! So maybe ill be out with my camera first thing in the morning taking some pics, they don't mention rabbits!!!!

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Just sit and wait until the council come round to see him Re: you then, they'll want to go in the back yard and will probably go in theirs first to see if they need to talk to you.
 
I have rat problems a few times a year and before I got the bunnies I was told to stop feeding the birds.

I did mention to the pest control man that I was put off having rabbits as it may attract rats and he agreed that the food would attract rats.

To be honest my rat problem is no worse in fact I have only seen them once since I got the rabbits 18 months ago.

x
 
I have rat problems a few times a year and before I got the bunnies I was told to stop feeding the birds.

I did mention to the pest control man that I was put off having rabbits as it may attract rats and he agreed that the food would attract rats.

To be honest my rat problem is no worse in fact I have only seen them once since I got the rabbits 18 months ago.

x

But this is what I don't understand, when I feed the rabbits they love their food and they just eat it and after about half an hour the food is gone and they then go on to eat hay, and the only veg they will eat is kale which they have for breakfast but this is demolished within minutes also I don't keep their food in the shed it has always been kept in a container in my kitchen. Or is it hay that could be attracting them?? Oh please tell me it not my buns, Ive just taken some pics of my neighbours bird fieeders it is now 6 am sunday morning and the bird feeders are still quite full!!! Bet I will end up on "neighbours from hell" :lol::lol:
 
Can you take pics of the trail of bird seed as well (or did you clear that up straightaway).

I knew of a rescue that the neighbour called the Environmental Health to as he blamed the rats on the bunnies - they gave the rescue a clean bill of health after their visit.
 
Our 'rat man' (private environmental control agency!) says the number one cause is rats. When we had ducks the duck food also attracted them as it was spread around their area.
Since we stopped feeding birds and had the ducks rehomed (for other reasons) we have seen no rats. Just 12 happy rabbits!
 
I think the main reason for your rats will be the presence of food, ie the food for the birds. I think any animal will attract mice and rats, but if they can't access the food (and wouldn't want it anyway) or a nice cosy shed to breed in, then they are unlikely to hang around.

We had a bad mouse infestation and that was caused by my guineapigs attracting them, but I did feed them a mix which obviously mice would like too. Since rehoming them, I haven't seen one mouse around my rabbits and I'm absolutely convinced that they don't attract vermin whatsoever. So I don't think you should worry, it's more likely to be your neighbours fault.
 
Can you take pics of the trail of bird seed as well (or did you clear that up straightaway).

I knew of a rescue that the neighbour called the Environmental Health to as he blamed the rats on the bunnies - they gave the rescue a clean bill of health after their visit.

No - gutted, I was so angry I cleared it up straight away as I didn't want them any where near the buns, I wont settle until they have been and hope all will be ok,
 
Update - Well had environmental health round today, they also went to my neighbours luckily they went there first, and they told them straight away that feeding birds was the reason for the rats, so my neighbour told them I had rabbits and dogs and he virtually said - and!!! I loved this man :D:D luckily this man was a dog lover and told me my rabbits were lovely :D, decided not to put any bait boxes in my garden as he decided they would be better of in next doors, talk about pleased but now I have neighbours who hate me, oh well!
 
Update - Well had environmental health round today, they also went to my neighbours luckily they went there first, and they told them straight away that feeding birds was the reason for the rats, so my neighbour told them I had rabbits and dogs and he virtually said - and!!! I loved this man :D:D luckily this man was a dog lover and told me my rabbits were lovely :D, decided not to put any bait boxes in my garden as he decided they would be better of in next doors, talk about pleased but now I have neighbours who hate me, oh well!

Yay! Great news!
 
just read this thread im so glad its worked out your way, my neighbour was saying to me when he had a bun and few guiena pigs theres was rats, so i just told him he wasnt cleaning them out enough,
how stupid to feed birds at night sorry but most of them feed at dawn, as night birds really are owls etc who will eat insects and mice rather than seed,
ive always fed my wild birds in the morning on tables, ive had the odd squirral and i have seen evidence of mice in my compost bin but no rats so far, the fact you clean your buns often and they are fed upstairs i dont think makes much differance my buns get fed late afternoon but in half and hour the feed is all snuffled nothing left for a rat,
and the fact your neighbours put there bird seed on the floor as well for gawds sake 90p short of a pound me thinks
yay for you haveing a dog loving pest control bloke :D
 
Yaaaaaaaaaaay good for you:D:D. One of my neighbours mentioned to David a few weeks ago that they had had the enviromental health round because they had seen a rat and did she mind telling him. David said 'why should I mind as it isn't anything to do with the rabbits as you and three of the other neighbours throw food out for the birds'. She hastly said 'I know he told us not to throw food out or put those fat balls out as they are the worst thing to attract them'. One of the neighbours has pigeons and he throws seed on the floor to get them to come back in. My neighbours like blaming other people and all love to call each other it is really funny as they all have nothing better to do.
 
Hi,

My MIL seems to be turning into a witch now I have my rabbits. Apparently they attract mice and rats. I told her straight the mice were here before the rabbits!! :lol:

Anyway I was wondering if there were any 'official' leaflets I could show her, explaining, its feeding the birds that does it (I do that too)

Apparently if the neigbours see rats/mice, they will blame my rabbits and they will be taken away immediately! :shock: Who by I don't know!
 
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