I have seen a rat in my garden....?

Question

...just the one, so far and its not a small garden but I want to get rid of it. I have 3 greyhounds who will dispose of it if they catch it but haven't done so far. In the meantime.I can't put dosed food down as the dogs may eat it. I think its in the shed at the moment...what can I do to get rid of it/them?

Answer 1

Rats are not solitary, you will have many more than 1 !

Yummy, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvCjKh1h2...

Answer 2

I had a rat in my garden in my shed too, and i have a dog. He was going mad chasing them but the rats were too fast. I know this sounds cruel but it's the easiest way. Buy rat poison and put it in the shed. Except don't let your dogs out for a while.  

Answer 3

how can anyone hurt a rat, they are lovely creatures. use a humane trap, how would you like it if someone set down a human sized rat trap that would snap your neck

Answer 4

nooo....don't use the spring trap thingy, its soo sad that u have to hurt the animals :( use mouse glue instead

Answer 5

I would suggest buying a humane trap and bait. when it is caught bring the lil guy far from your house and release him.  

Answer 6

All due respect to Pink but I'd get an old fashioned spring loaded rat trap, bait it with peanut butter and wait for the Snap when it does its work.  Rats aren't endangered species and can expose you and your family to disease.  Use rubber gloves when handling the trap with the carcass and just throw it all away.  

Answer 7

who's that dork who suggests getting something humane to trap it? that's a bunch of bull! rats are meant to be killed. humane is for humans. how did rats get into the picture. get a snake, it'll fix that. hahaha, or those good old traps that smash the rat. or the trap that looks like a cage then drown it after.  

Answer 8

Northern Tools sells devices that emit a high pitched noise that drives rodents away, put it in the shed, note your dogs may not like the sound either, if they can hear it, but it's better than being poisoned.

Footnote they are attracted by food i;e bird-food etc, and other scraps.

Answer 9

Lucky you, rats are cute. I know its a wild rat, but they are still cute. Get a humane trap.

Answer 10

theoretically,we are never more than 10ft away from a rat or two.

that is a well known statistic.only worry if theres one in your house.

Answer 11

Rats are lovely! I have a rat in my kitchen. See Video

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Waofbj_n...

Answer 12

It wasn't me!! I was nowhere near your house on the time and date in question. I was in a different country. Blame someone else! just because someone has been called a rat doesn't mean that they are one!

Answer 13

Call out rentokil straightaway!! I went to the toilet one night and one was running up my stairs in the house right in the middle of them not along the side. I had a new heating system put in and it got out one of the very small holes.  

Answer 14

dont hurt them! rats are very nice  and wont do nothing just get a trap that doesnt hurt them then make sure you get all of them and release them somwher to saftey also if you let your dogs get em the remains will rot and attract magots and flys :p

Answer 15

They are very hard to get rid of since you have a garden with so much food for them. They make very elaborate tunnels under the ground, and it would be wise to find those holes. If you can find one or two of them, you can drop a rat poison tablet down into the hole. Make sure it goes all the way down, and then put a rock on it so the dogs can't get to it. The rats will still be able to get out, but not in that same place. The problem is there is seldom only one rat. They reproduce very quickly. All of your neighbors have to pull together to get rid of them. I assume you have the small country rats, as opposed to those city ones that are the size of cats?   It takes work, but you can do it.  

Answer 16

Im not been funny but its a street rat and they dont understand what halm they do and what dieseases they carry.... why I dont know why you can't catch it in a humane way...I dont know.... but if people had your thoughts then Im sure there would be a very high percntage of animal abuse... What is the problem with setting humane traps?????  

Answer 17

Pin a rent book to the shed door, it will be of like a shot.

Answer 18

The ultrasonic devices mentioned by Mick W can be very effective (the cheap ones don't work). They're safe for dogs though so no worries there. Killing the rat will have no affect on the problem. There is a food source somewhere but that might not be under your control. Strawberry plants is a very common attraction to wild rats. Killing a large number in a rat colony can result in panic breeding and a population explosion because the alpha female will allow other females to breed if she feels the colony is threatened.

Answer 19

Buy a  Rat Cage and place it in the garden with a loaf of bread. The moment it enters the cage and picks the bread, the shutter will come down. Then u carry it to a remote place and drop in the jungle.