How to Get Rid of Rats in Garden
If you’ve ever had the displeasure of dealing with rats in your garden, you know how destructive and frustrating they can be. Not only do they eat your plants and destroy your property, but they can also carry diseases that are harmful to humans and pets. Luckily, you can do a few things to get rid of a rat infestation for good.
How To Identify A Rat Infestation:
The first step in getting rid of rats is identifying whether or not you have an infestation. There are a few telltale signs that indicate the presence of rats:
Garden Rat Droppings:
Rats tend to leave behind droppings about the size of a bean. If you see these sorts of droppings around your property, it’s a good indication that you have rats and need to take some prevention measures.
Gnawing marks:
Rats also like to gnaw on things, often leaving behind specific marks on wood or other materials. If you suspect you have a rat infestation, then looking around your property for these can help you spot them early.
Tracks and Burrows:
You may see tracks in the dirt or mud around your property or small burrows. These tracks can help you identify that the issue is rats, and you can begin to look for natural rat repellents or other prevention methods.
How Do Rats Damage Gardens?
If you’re trying to maintain your garden but have a pest control problem, you may be worried about its effects on your plants. Rats eat various types of plants, meaning your root vegetables and other garden plants could be at risk. Additionally, if you have any fruit trees, fallen fruit may attract rats as they discover a viable food source. This is just one of the many reasons why it is important to deter rodents from your home.
Burrowing can also cause potential disruption to the roots of your plants, so it is essential to prevent a rat population from developing. Finally, they’re also known to be unclean animals that carry many diseases, putting both you and your garden at risk of sickness and potential infections such as rat bite fever!
How To Humanely Get Rid Of Rats In Your Garden?
The likelihood is that if you have a rat problem, you will want to find a way to get it under control. But if you’re a pacifist or would prefer something more humane, there are plenty of options for getting rid of garden rats.
Let’s take a look at a few:
Glue traps:
Glue traps are one of the most common methods to tackle a rat problem. These work by luring the rat into a sticky substance and immobilising them. Once they’re stuck, they can’t escape. From here, it is recommended that you hire a professional pest controller to dispose of them humanely. This is a popular humane method and is preferred to rat poison.
Natural alternatives
If you’re wondering how to get rid of rats in your garden naturally, various natural alternatives can be used to eliminate rats. These include using animals such as owls, snakes, and cats. Not only will these animals eat the rats and get rid of your infestation, but they’re all generally safe around humans and pets.
Other Methods Of Rat Removal:
Various other rat removal methods can be used to eliminate garden rats. These include:
Rat Poison:
Rat poison is another popular method but should only be used as a last resort because it can potentially harm other animals and children if they come into contact with it or ingest it.
Exclusion:
This involves sealing up any entry points that rats may use to get into your garden, including cracks in walls, holes in fences, and any other openings.
Top Tips For Keeping Rats Out Of Your Garden:
Now you know how to get rid of rats in your garden, let’s take a look at how to prevent a rat problem from happening in the first place.
Keep it Clean:
Most rat problems occur if your garden is not tidy. The most common rat issues stem from pet food scraps and bird feeders as these provide a great food source for rats, hence why they pick your garden to create their rats nest in. By keeping your garden clean and tidy, there will be no food for them to eat; this will repel rats and drive them elsewhere.
Keep Your Grass Short:
If you have long grass in your garden, it provides a perfect hiding place for these creatures. Keeping your grass short can ensure that these garden rats have nowhere to hide.
Trim Your Trees and Bushes:
Rats love to climb up and down your trees and bushes. If you have an infestation, you’ll probably be able to see them in action! Ensure that your trees are trimmed so rats can’t use them to climb into your yard.
Seal Up Any Holes:
Rats can squeeze through tiny spaces, so it’s essential to seal up any holes in your fence or garden shed.
Getting Rid Of Rats FAQs:
Here are a few of the most common questions we get asked about rat infestations, alongside our answers.
What’s the fastest way to get rid of rats outside?
Baiting is the most effective and preferred method to eliminate rats in your garden. This method uses rodenticide bait placed inside tamper-proof boxes. They are then attracted to the rat poison in the box, crawl in, and are trapped inside whilst eating it, eventually dying. You can then dispose of the box and the rat, killing rats quickly and efficiently.
What can I put in my garden to keep rats outside?
An effective way to deter rats is through planting herbs such as basil, echinacea, garlic, mint, and thyme. These strong smells put off rats, so this is a cost-efficient and useful way to deter and get rid of rats. When doing this, however, you must make sure that
What scent keeps rats away?
As mentioned before, mint, basil, and thyme are the best scents in your garden to deter rats. This is an excellent natural form of pest control that will help with preventing a rodent infestation.
How long does it take to get rid of rats in the garden?
Getting rid of rats with rat poison generally takes roughly 3 days to one week. Mechanical traps can sometimes take a few days to trap rats because the rodents may be wary of the trap.