rats

Afterwhat happened with Junior when we get our new pair of buns we shall be keeping them outside-we have converted the shed and I am just completing securing their own section of garden which the shed stands in.

I noticed today that there is a rat track running through the freshly laid turf and it has also been doing some digging.
Can they spread disease to my rabbits as well as the possibility of them carrying myxi infected fleas.

How do I deter them from the rabbits garden?

Yes. Wild rats can transmit a lot of diseases. Leptospirosis is one of the worst. I would strongly advise you to get rid of the rats ASAP.
(Apologies to those who keep pet rats - I like pet rats! Unfortunately wild rats have different general habits)

Rats will only hang about if there is food, water and shelter available to them. So make sure you keep all food in secure tubs, make sure there is no water available (this includes making sure that there aren't small tubs, pots and bits of tarpaulin etc with rainwater pooled in them) and that there isn't anywhere for them to shelter (e.g. compost heap, holes giving entrance to a shed etc).

If their needs aren't being met then they should go elsewhere.

I dont know how to get rid of them??? Despite being chased by the dogs and us they still keep coming. Trouble is we dont have wheelie bins in the village so they are always ripping up the bin bags plus we have a little pond so they are quite cosy. They have also been burrowing under the shed.
Dont want my new rabbits to get ill, not after losing Magic and then my beautiful boy

I've had problems with them burrowing under the shed & then gnawing into it. There was no food or water source there whatsoever (garden tools & woodwork tools) they gnawed through every electric cable, & stank the place out with wee! Apparently they just wanted a protected secluded place for nesting. This is despite keeping all hay indoors, feeding my bun indoors, rat proofing the compost bin for garden refuse only, & we have wheelie bins!!

I eventually called the "pest control officer" when a young rat with no fear of me, was trying to get in the house by jumping against the patio doors. I really HATE poison, & am ashamed to admit that we had to resort to it eventually.

thumps_ said:

I've had problems with them burrowing under the shed & then gnawing into it. There was no food or water source there whatsoever (garden tools & woodwork tools) they gnawed through every electric cable, & stank the place out with wee! Apparently they just wanted a protected secluded place for nesting. This is despite keeping all hay indoors, feeding my bun indoors, rat proofing the compost bin for garden refuse only, & we have wheelie bins!!

I eventually called the "pest control officer" when a young rat with no fear of me, was trying to get in the house by jumping against the patio doors. I really HATE poison, & am ashamed to admit that we had to resort to it eventually.

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Ooh, I hate the thought of poisoning too but I wouldnt want them coming in the house when my children are both under 2.
Our garden backs onto fields with a hedge to seperate so if we got rid of these ones more would replace them

thumps_ said:

I've had problems with them burrowing under the shed & then gnawing into it. There was no food or water source there whatsoever (garden tools & woodwork tools) they gnawed through every electric cable, & stank the place out with wee! Apparently they just wanted a protected secluded place for nesting. This is despite keeping all hay indoors, feeding my bun indoors, rat proofing the compost bin for garden refuse only, & we have wheelie bins!!

I eventually called the "pest control officer" when a young rat with no fear of me, was trying to get in the house by jumping against the patio doors. I really HATE poison, & am ashamed to admit that we had to resort to it eventually.

Click to expand...

Completely agree with Thumps's post on every level. Rats, although they will be attracted if there is a food supply in the first place, somewhere to nest and raise young is of equal importance and as long as there is a food source in the locality they will happily stay in a garden with none - we had exactly the same problem. When all the bird food ran out from neighbours, and us, they ate all the frogs, snails, slugs and worms in the entire area. We too had to resort to poison in a proper bait box and this is essential in order to protect your buns and all other wildlife such as ground feeding birds, squirrels etc. I would also be very careful about where I put the bait box as it must be behind a wire/wood fence and away from your bunnies in every sense, this includes storage of the bait and handling it, wear gloves too.

Rats like somewhere dry - under shed, under decking (what happened here - went under our neighbour's decking) you will need to get your neighbours involved. Garden clearing, pruning, refilling in any holes they make, sealing up compost bins, removing any bird food etc are all part of controlling rat problems. We also used wire traps - prefer them as they are instant and usually we felt more humane, except we had one rat that broke three steel heavy duty traps in a row :shock: so we had to resort to bait in a bait box. It was awful I won't deny it. My sister has always kept domestic pet rats so I found it very hard. My OH grew up with horses and stables and was more used to 'switching off' to deal with them. It's very sad indeed but unfortunately it has to be done.
You will find that if you take all the precautions and get a bait box back in at the first signs of trouble again (and/or traps) that any 'visiting' new rat will not survive long enough to breed again.