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Nancy said:
This is disgusting, but I'm sharing it with you anyway: We saw three rats in our backyard. My husband has spent the evening trying to outwit them. I'll let you know what happens....
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Do you have bird feeders by any chance? People around here have been getting rid of them because they attract rats.
 
Yes...my husband got a little slap happy with the bird seed this spring. It feels like an Alfred Hitchcock movie in my backyard.
 
Nancy said:
Yes...my husband got a little slap happy with the bird seed this spring. It feels like an Alfred Hitchcock movie in my backyard.
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I am very much opposed to bird feeders despite how much I love songbirds. In rural areas they are highly attractive to bears because bird seed is so dense in calories.

They attract rodents everywhere because so much birdseed ends up on the ground.
 
We had stopped with birdfeeders awhile ago because of the strange weeds that grew from dropped seeds. But my husband...suffering from the side effects of his cancer, was really enjoying watching the birds. Until today, when the birds kindly allowed the rats to join them.
 
Oh rats! I know of what you speak. We had them in our compost bin years back - and under the bird feeder. We started putting big snap traps inside the lidded compost bin - got rid of over 20, which was astonishing! Also stopped putting any food waste in the compost bin. And we switched to bird seed that has been shelled - very little mess under the feeders now. Still put rat traps out in our old garage - don't usually catch much in recent years, but my mate is on a crusade!
 
Ugh re rats. Haven't seen them. The city that I used to live in had areas that had a bunch.
Its too bad that you are dealing with them.
What is the natural predator for a rat? Can you encourage them?
 
paradox3 said:
Owls might be nice :cool:
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Assuming you ever saw them. They have a justified reputation for being rather quiet and stealthy
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GIF by BBC Earth
 
We have rats and mice around here. I had a funny experience with a neighbour a couple years ago. I was out with the dog in the morning when I saw my somewhat disheveled neighbour. I asked what was wrong. The woman, who is from Newfoundland originally, stated there was a mouse in the RV and that she wasn't going back until it was gone. Well time passed and I learned it had in fact being a rat. Well I could only imagine what the neighbour thought of THAT. :p I heard that the rat had put up quite the fight as mr neighbour was trying to get it out. Apparently there was rat blood around the trailer but he was removed ultimately. They also figured out how it got in and fixed it. Of course the woman had some colourful descriptors about how she felt about the rat. :LOL:
 
Mendalla said:
Right, and how many people are going to accept having snakes around? They are rather like spiders that way; perfect pest control but many, if not most, people see them as one of the pests.
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We have LOTS of snakes. We had a nest in the backyard last spring.
Our neighbour had a nest in his garage door! He was not impressed.
 
Mendalla said:
Sigh. I see maybe one a year if I am lucky, usually around the entrances to the Heritage Forest just West of us.
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A visitor saw one on our driveway last Thursday? She avoided it, but doesn't like snakes.
We have a lot of chipmunks. I think there is significant food for the snakes.
 
The snake pit was a selling feature of my sister's current place - at least for my nephews.
No concerns about rats here though which is nice.
 
ChemGal said:
The snake pit was a selling feature of my sister's current place - at least for my nephews.
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Depends on what kind of snakes are in the pit, I imagine. Much as I remain thrilled at having had a closeup look at small rattler once, I certainly wouldn't want a nest of them anywhere near my house.
 
Alberta hasn't rats because they got rid of them before the numbers and range got out of control...also I heard that the largest garter snake pit is also in AB. Maybe the snakes also help to keep the rats down.
I fed birds for two years, but found the disadvantages outweighed the pleasure. Too many squirrels harassing the shyer birds....rats too. Also I realized feeders draw predators. I had wild rabbits feeding there only to be killed by something. Snakes hung around, as did owls. Too much drama!
 
I don't do feeders, because, work. However, I grow grapes, and have three mature maples, a small oak, quite a few big shrubs, so my property is something of a foodless sanctuary, because no cats right now, and dog likes birds and they like her.
 
Mendalla said:
Depends on what kind of snakes are in the pit, I imagine. Much as I remain thrilled at having had a closeup look at small rattler once, I certainly wouldn't want a nest of them anywhere near my house.
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I think it's almost entirely garter snakes around here, although I am unsure of that term - if it's misused how my husband calls almost every little bird a sparrow. I have learned thanks to my nephews that they secrete/spray a stinking odor for protection. Thankfully I didn't have the 1st hand experience.
 
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