I have them too because I live near a holiday camp. We just ignore them.

There are rats everywhere, but I can appreciate that it isn't fun to actually see them. I had one this year that showed up in daylight a couple of times. I suspect it had been disturbed, possibly thrown out of where it was living. Usually they will not be seen during the day.

In most areas, rats will come looking for discarded fast food and poorly bagged rubbish rather than bread and nuts. The wrong kind of food in a compost heap might get their attention but I've never had any signs of them going into mine. Watch out also for things like petfood, even horse feed, that may be stored in a shed or garage

Ah, thanks...yeah, I've heard of a lot of bad things about them - one was attacking some frogs in my relatives' garden several years ago so I don't really want anything like that happening here!

I think the rat is living under the neighbour's raised shed as I saw it again yesterday coming out of a gap in the fence, climbing over the ornaments and taking a piece of food...but as you said, I'll be careful about the rubbish from now on in case the rat's finding his way into the bin or something. Thanks!

Down at my allotments they are particularly fond of corn on the cob - people have seen them pull the plants down in order to get at the cobs.

Like Graham I don't want to use poison or trap them; but the corn is one of my favourite crops. Can anyone suggest how to make a rat-proof barrier?

Thanks!

Susie

Put up a nestbox for Tawny Owls.

Resin

I would cut out the bread. It is not really that good for the birds. I put out seed on a raised area and nuts ans sunflower seeds in special feeders. I know we do occasionally get rats passing through cause the neighbours cats occasionally kill one. Rats will generally set up home near to a reliable source of food and it could be the bread and scraps. Try and get a bird table that is raised up, I am sure that they can be made rat proof.

Last year, our local council gave us all wheelie bins. This has done more to stop visits by foxes / crows / magpies and rats than any action by individuals. It reinforces the point made by Shrubs and others that if you deny them easily-accessible food, you won't be troubled by them.
If you feel you have to take direct measures, remember that they prefer to move beside walls and fences. One approach is to make a wooden "tunnel" about 8" square x 18" long and position it by a likely wall. This is used to house a tray of poison or a break-back trap. Used in this way, cats / hedgehogs etc should be kept from harm, while Mr Rat will walk right in!

Thanks for the advice about the wooden tube, I may have to try that if he appears again! We have a raised bird table (around 5 ft high), but the birds (Sparrows are the worst culprits for this) tend to take the bread into the tree from the table then drop it onto the grass, and I'm sure that's where Mr Rat gets his feed from! I haven't seen him for a while now though, so maybe he's moved on...

As well as the bread, I also have a seed feeder and some fat-feeders, so even without any bread there the birds will still be able to feed...as long as the rat doesn't find a way to get into those!

Well got a rat in the garden ,comes out during the day for ages nicking the seeds that the birds have dropped ,even the little sod has started to climb up the bird table for more food of the suet /mealworms/sunflower hearts .
So action stations bird tables are empty now (birds not happy )have to make do with the feeders for now , found out it is living under our waterfall so put some rat poison down ,but have to make it secure so the hedgehog does not come in contact with the poison .

See what happens ????????