![]() The cloth should extend 8 to 12 inches underground. Hardware cloth (half-inch mesh) can be installed along the base of walls orįences to deter burrowing. Washing the rub marks away with vinegar or biodegradable soap can help interrupt their established pathways to food sources and home. These rub or smudge marks contain pheromones from the rat’s skin and fur that they use to communicate with other rats. Deprived of cover, rats will be less confident traversing these exposed zones and may move on to safer places.Ī gardener can figure out where rats are traveling by looking along straight lines for the greasy rub marks that rats leave behind. ![]() Gardeners battling a rat infestation can cut back vegetation at least 18 inches from building walls, remove ivy or other vines from sides of buildings and nearby trees, and trim back tree branches that touch or rub against buildings. Rats have very poor eyesight and use their whiskers (or vibrissae) to navigate their environment as a result, they prefer to travel along straight lines and use curbs, walls, and foundations to get around. Ivy and bushes close to the ground and around buildings are particularly attractive. Dense plantings, tall weeds, and piles of lumber, rocks, or other kinds of clutter provide safe harbor to a rat. In areas where lots of rats are present, it’s best to avoid feeding other animals.įor shelter, rats seek out areas where they feel protected from predators. A healthy breeding female rat can have litters of up to 12 pups several times a year, while the average cat may only take down a rat once every couple of days. The reality is that most cats are quickly overwhelmed. Some gardeners feed feral cats in the belief that they will scare away rats. Animal waste such as dog feces can also provide nourishment. Gardeners should always clean up after picnics and make sure food waste is removed at night.įood intended for pigeons, cats, dogs, chickens, or rabbits placed in or near a garden may also end up feeding rats. Like compost, trash should be kept only in sturdy cans with tight-fitting lids. Compost areas must be monitored carefully, and if possible, kept in hard plastic or metal containers with tight-fitting lids.īags of trash placed near a garden offer an all-you-can-eat buffet to a colony of rats. And the warmth generated by decomposing waste creates a hospitable rat environment in cold weather. But if table scraps including meats, grains, oils, or other fats are added into the compost pile, it will become highly attractive to them. A compost pile with only garden scraps will not sustain a rat colony. Rats will eat the vegetables and fruits in a garden, but if that is truly their only food source, they will eventually move on to a site that meets their animal protein and fat needs. They are not vegetarian like most mammals, rats (especially reproducing females) need animal protein, fat, and carbohydrates in their diet. Rats will eat everything that humans eat and many things that we would never eat. Rats must eat one to two ounces of food a day and have daily access to water. Recognizing how to make your space less hospitable can help you to devise a rodent-reducing plan. In fact, a good rat management program focuses primarily on prevention. ![]() ![]() Rats can usually be managed effectively without relying on toxic pesticides. Some people want to maintain a pesticide-free environment others are desperate to get a bad situation under control and will try any remedy. Gardeners are usually left up to their own devices when it comes to pest control. Read More: Deer-Resistant Plants: Shrubs and Trees for the Deer-Plagued Gardener By counting the burrow holes gardeners can estimate the number of rats living in their garden. A typical burrow will house a family of approximately eight rats. A rat burrow can be anywhere from one to six feet deep and will have an entrance, an exit, and maybe even an escape hole. Rats will burrow into any available earthen space within close proximity to food but prefer fresh, fertile soil to make their nests-a garden is prime real estate to them. Urban gardens are particularly hospitable to rats because they provide food, water, and safety. The Norway rat is a commensal rodent, meaning it lives in close association (literally, “shares the table”) with humans. There is only one species of rat in New York City-the Norway rat ( Rattus norvegicus). Many gardeners have had at least one encounter with rats the typical urban gardener has probably had many.
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