Some help please with rats and foxes? Its making my life a misery. Please help :)

[dizzychick2k 0]

I really need help with a rat or rats that have invaded my garden. I'm devastated. I would appreciate if you read all of this and give me your opinion. I'm losing sleep I am really afraid of disease etc, Im a mum with 2 children, one disabled. His energy is usually spent in the garden but for the past 3 weeks the garden has been totally off limits. I'll try to sum it up best I can

 

1: I have gorgeous well tended garden, pond with a cover net, bins with bricks on top, no food whatsoever in the garden, very clean, trees ivy grass shrubs and lots of flowers herbs and plants in pots. Gorgeous!

 

2. I have a family of hedgehogs that have lived here for years, we only bought this house last year specifically for the garden Also frogs toads and birds are regular visitors. Perfect.

 

3. School being built on an old playing field that used to be a tip, and they are putting in pipes the field is close by. Also a building near here has had major problems with drains/sewers and is being pulled down.

 

4. A HUGE rat was spotted in my garden in the middle of the day, next morning literally 200 rat droppings all over the back garden. I saw it 6 times over 3 days in daylight, it was BRAZEN. Council RatMan came out and put poison down in sealed baitboxes that was 3 weeks ago. No luck, he's been here 3 times in the last week and put lots more down. I feel so dirty! I actually have a video of the rat happily skipping across the garden at about 12pm.

 

5. Finally found where the rat was hiding, between a flagstone and the wall of our house near a hosepipe (not leaking) so RatMan stuffed the gap with poison and told me it would take 3-7 days for the rat to die (Icant risk traps because of the hedgehogs)

 

6. No more rat droppings 4 or 5 days later ( only about 8 small ones, bright pink the same colour as the poison) but no sign of dead rat (smell or flies etc). I thought it may have gone somewhere else to die, but now I find BIGGER droppings all over the garden patio (it cant be cats as they poop in grass or dirt and bury it etc.)

 

7. Thought a cat may have been here hunting it so left it alone. Still no sign of rats YAAYYY!!! But I googled what the big droppings look like and it seems a fox has been here. Coal/tar looking poops and stink to high heaven! And then I saw what looks like blood near where the rat was burrowing and a couple of upturned heavy stones too. I could be wrong about the blood it could be rust but I cant tell as it has been raining heavily. So it seems the rat/rats have attracted a fox.

 

8. Youd think by this post that I live in the countryside, I live in Manchester, in a populated area just houses in stockport, near the field (where the school is being built), near the building with the drain problems, and a large fishing pond just across the street and another grassy playing field right nearby. So its an ideal area really, we're not dirty or untidy - the RatMan said when I told him I felt dirty "what rat wouldnt want to live here its lovely!" He also said that the rats had to move from where they are and they kind of like my place.

 

But RE about the fox, Is this good news, bad news? I know its good news on the rat front but what about when the rat is gone, or if there was more they are all dead, will the fox still come? The gates to the gardens are all about 5foot high, can foxes jump this? Im glad the foxes have solved my problem but foxes are a lot bigger than rats!!

 

What do I do??

 

Any answers will be much appreciated. Im losing sleep over this. My garden has been off limits completely for 3 weeks as I have 2 small children and one is disabled. I need to know what to do!!!

 

Many thanks to anyone that answers, I really hope somebody can help!! Please please do!

 

Danny.x

[lamping-lad 160]

what are the nabours gardens like? do they feed birds ect. may be attracting the rats.

[foxfan 479]

Oh my god !!! Get yourself up to a&e immediately and get vaccinated for veil's desease, lockjaw and black death. Rotavate the whole garden and spray with DDT, agent orange or something stronger if you can get it. Next burn all shoes, clothes etc that have been worn in the garden. Barb wire off the entire area and leave for at least seven years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only joking mate, it sounds like your rat problem has already been solved and a fox passing through your garden wont do you any harm, if it leaves you a little present on the lawn, simply pick it up with a spade and dispose of it.

Best of luck ff.

[baw 4,360]

You'll not stop a fox coming in your garden, people struggle to stop them getting in their chicken coups never mind there garden. I wouldn't worry about the fox. The rats however are more of a concern. I don't think that will be the last you'll see of them with all the activity happening around. Anyhow, forget about the fox, he'll just pass through looking for food probably only when he's struggling to find some and remembers where he got it before. I'm no expert on poison, I don't agree with it but he might get poisoned himself if he's eaten a poison ladened rat.

[Lab 10,979]

Get poision down and traps.....f**k the hedgehogs there as much as a nuisance.

[baw 4,360]

Get poision down and traps.....f**k the hedgehogs there as much as a nuisance.

Yous bastarding pheasant lovers. I hope the hedgehogs breed like rabbits. I can't see there being any ground laying birds with nests in her/his garden. Besides, they'll keep the slugs down.

[Lab 10,979]

Get poision down and traps.....f**k the hedgehogs there as much as a nuisance.

Yous bastarding pheasant lovers. I hope the hedgehogs breed like rabbits. I can't see there being any ground laying birds with nests in her/his garden. Besides, they'll keep the slugs down.

Your right...with the place over run with rats and f*****g hedgehogs......

My grandad passed down to me his stick with a pointy 9" nail in the end.........."The Hedgehog Awakener".......

[dizzychick2k 0]

Thanks for the advice people, I appreciate it, my worry was that although the fox has fixed the problem for now have I ended up with a bigger problem! Am I right in reading that fox poop is coal and tar like and not too big??

 

Thanks again for the replies x

["Earth!" 503]

Get poision down and traps.....f**k the hedgehogs there as much as a nuisance.

Yous bastarding pheasant lovers. I hope the hedgehogs breed like rabbits. I can't see there being any ground laying birds with nests in her/his garden. Besides, they'll keep the slugs down.

Your right...with the place over run with rats and f*****g hedgehogs......

My grandad passed down to me his stick with a pointy 9" nail in the end.........."The Hedgehog Awakener".......

 

I find the 410 wakes them

[baw 4,360]

Thanks for the advice people, I appreciate it, my worry was that although the fox has fixed the problem for now have I ended up with a bigger problem! Am I right in reading that fox poop is coal and tar like and not too big??

 

Thanks again for the replies x

 

Aye kind of semi soft greeny black, stinks the high heavens... Well that's the stuff I need to wash off one of my lurchers every other day as he has a love for rolling in it. The fox will just pass through, it shouldn't make residence in your garden. Stop worrying and enjoy your garden, it sounds like you've worked hard on it

Edited May 16, 2011 by baw

[dizzychick2k 0]

Thanks for the posts and advice guys, ratman has been this morning on a followup visit and I asked him about the poop, he agrees it is either a fox or a polecat. Both of which should be welcome here as they are not going to live here, just pass through. also found the burrow where the rat had been living, it's empty and no more poison has been taken. No droppings for almost a week! He says I'm lucky for the fox/polecat, and that nature has probably sorted the problem for me I'm now a very happy chicken! Poison boxes are now gone and I'm waiting with baited breath for the rain to go away so I can get my hands on my garden. Hurrah for Jeyes fluid!!

[baw 4,360]

If he thinks nature solved the problem, I hope you didn't pay him lol

[Stanleigh 135]

If he can,t tell the difference between fox and polecat shit , I wouldn,t pay him either.

[dizzychick2k 0]

No he was a freebie from the council ha ha and he's only going off one poop so he's forgiven

[judge2010 196]

No he was a freebie from the council ha ha and he's only going off one poop so he's forgiven

i bet your quite fit.