Rat in garden!! Help!! :o(

I went home at lunchtime to check on Digby and Daisy as they weren't right this morning, and I saw a rat through the patio doors on the grass, scrabbling about!!! I am now panicking, as it is probably that what has upset the buns, not the weather the mesh on their kennel is wide enough for it to get through, and I won't be able to buy anything to cover it with until tomorrow what on earth can I do to get rid of the rat/s??? Obviously I can't put poison down. I feel sick with worry

Mary + Zoid had a mouse/rat in their hutch a few months ago.

It saw me and legged it. I never saw it again.... so maybe just keep an eye on it?

I dont think there's much you can do to get rid of it but I'm no expert. :thumb:

We had a problem with rats this summer. My rabbit's pen is next to our fence and the neighbours had a compost next to the fence on their side. It was really gross the number of rats going in and out of the fence and into my rabbits' pen to eat the rabbit food. I ended up not leaving any pellets or veggies out there until I was out there with them to make sure no rats came.

My rabbits' really didn't seem fazed about the rats but I worried about diseases, etc. Once I took away their food source the rats didn't come around anymore.

I know how you feel I was sooo upset and stressed out. Can you take away the food source and only have it available when you are around? You can leave hay out as the rats won't eat that. I also had to make sure I didn't spill any food around at all, not even one pellet.

Rats and mice will only visit as long as there is a food source.

Get rid of that and you will get rid of your unwanted guest.

Don't forget that bird seed/fat balls and say uneaten sarnies that you throw out for the birds will also attract vermin.

Angie B said:

Rats and mice will only visit as long as there is a food source.

Get rid of that and you will get rid of your unwanted guest.

Don't forget that bird seed/fat balls and say uneaten sarnies that you throw out for the birds will also attract vermin.

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this :thumb: we had them coming in over spring time, and i caught 2, grandad then made thick plastic strips which i hammered down under the concrete posts, where they where coming in through next doors garden, and they never came back, we removed food sources too, and after we had put plastic metal strips in place, the neighbour next to them phoned council environmental health as they saw rats in there garden, thats because they couldn;t get in ours anymore sao went there instead :lol: we suspect they lived under next doors decking, not sure if council killed them all off though, as they left traps in the otehr neiighbours garden, but we never said we saw any in ours, just we saw a cat with one running past back gate :lol:

Oh goodness, what a worry. :shock: Hopefully the advice others have given will help. xx

Thanks guys, the strange thing is that there isn't ever any Uneaten food in their kennel they eat all their pellets in the morning and all their greens at teatime, apart from that it's just hay!! Would rats go in to get warm? Or for a drink? Digby won't drink out of his bowl today for some reason, even though I've washed it, but I've seen him drinking from the bottle which he hadn't done for months :?
I suppose it could be bird food attracting them, we have a couple of feeders hanging in a tree, but that doesn't explain them bothering the buns... I'm just so worried for them, I don't want them scared

yes they could get in for warmth or water source too