How to Get Rid of Rats in the Garden



Is there any way I can humanely remove rats from my garden - If you’re looking for a way to humanely remove rats from your garden, you should consider exclusion tactics rather than repellents or trapping. Trapping can be humane, but chances are you do not want to kill the rats. If lethal means does not disturb you, snap traps are very humane ways to kill rats. Rats are nuisance animals that now need to live near humans in order to survive. Live trapping and relocation will just mean pushing your problem off onto another property owner, and new rats will keep coming. Rats that are released into areas where there are no humans will have a poor chance at survival. Exclusion means preventing rats from entering your garden. Unfortunately, rats are excellent climbers, so your average fence will not keep them out. A fence that is buried and extends outward at the top may be sufficient, but your garden will look like it is a maximum security prison. The best idea for keeping rats out is to keep your garden in a greenhouse. If this is not an option, consider eliminating the vegetation around the outskirts of the garden. Rats will be reluctant to come investigate if they have to cross an open expanse to get to the garden.

How to kill a rat in the garden - There are no easy ways to kill a rat in the garden. There are humane and efficient ways, but even those methods have specific steps that must be followed. Lethal trapping of rats is the most common method of removal. Rats are nuisance animals, and because of their need to live near people, live trapping and relocation are not recommended. Lethal trapping can be done with glue traps, electrocution traps, and body gripping traps. The most popular lethal traps are snap traps. Yes, the same ones you remember your grandfather using. Snap traps will kill a rat almost instantly and will keep the body in one location for easy removal. Glue traps are less effective, relying on starvation as the means with which to kill. Rats often escape glue traps and then forever avoid them. Electrocution traps are humane, but the box style of design makes rodents reluctant to enter when when baited. Trap selection is not the most important part of the trapping process. Home improvement is. Making sure no new rats can get into the home is vital. Unless you close off all the gaps and cracks, you will never resolve the rodent issue for good.

How to keep rats off fence capping - There is no reasonable way to keep rats off fence capping. The good news is that you’re using some form of cap. Without it, the rats would invade your home and cause a much greater annoyance issue. The best you can do with fence capping is to monitor it for any damage. Rats that are frequently trying to get in will work very hard at the task. Make sure they do not break through the grate. It is tempting to try an owl statue in this situation, but these decoys are not affective against bold, nuisance rats. There may be some substance to the theory of applying motor oil to the casing. Rats will not eat the oil, and it may prove slick enough to keep them off the surface.

Do You Need Help?
I wrote this website to provide information on How to Get Rid of Rats in the Garden in the case that you have a rat problem and need to make an informed decision about what to do. If you have any questions you may email me, but I do know from experience that rat removal is not simple. If you need professional help solving your wildlife conflict, I recommend that you talk to a professional rat control expert in your town by clicking on my National Wildlife Control directory, which lists experts who I recommend in every USA city and town who can help you with your rat issue in the Garden.

How to keep rats out of my garden - Like many other rodents that you would encounter, rats are also interested in getting at the fruits and vegetables in your garden. They see your tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, and other assorted homegrown morsels as just as tasty to them as they are to any other animal. Consider that the rat is a true omnivore meaning that you will eat just about anything. If it will eat rotting garbage out of your waste can then consider how much it will enjoy your watermelon and cantaloupe. Keeping it out of your garden is obviously a big priority.



This can be done in several ways, but the first and most important way is by putting up some kind of fence structure. The fence does not have to be very tall, because rats can only get up to a certain point before they are stopped from being able to get in. Rats to not climb so offense that is about 2 feet tall should be sufficient enough to keep them out.

Your fence only needs to be about four or five inches below the surface keep them out as well. Rats are also not burrowers, so they will not be digging deep below the surface to be able to get into your garden. This means you don’t need to dig your fence very deep. A fence should nearly be enough to do the job of keeping the rats out, but there are other things that you can do to keep them out as well. A popular choice is to build a mote like structure about one foot away from the place where your garden begins. Much like the motes were built around a castle, you would do this very same thing with your garden.

The mote should be at least 18 inches deep and at least 18 inches across to keep the rats from getting across. When it rains the mote will fill with water, keeping the rats from entering, since they do not swim particularly well. The depth will keep them caught should they fall in. This will make them easy prey for predators as well, which can reduce your problem. The width will make it impossible for them to climb across.

If you go for this option you want to make sure that you clean this out regularly. Leaves and other debris will fall into the mote at times, ruining the perfect scheme that you have built. Check this at least once a week and after heavy storms.

Go back to the How to get rid of rats home page or email me for more information about How to keep rats out of my garden

More Rat Articles I've Written:
How to Get Rid of Dead Rats
How to Kill Rats
Rat Repellent
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your House
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Walls
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Kitchen
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Garage
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Attic
How to Get Rid of Rats in a Barn
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Basement
How to Get Rid of Rats in the Ceiling
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Garden
How to Get Rid of Rats in the Insulation
How to Get Rid of Rats in the Crawlspace
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Yard
How to Get Rid of Rats in a Restaurant

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