Rats are eating my tomatoes

[jdemott]

Maybe I'll put the compost in a garbage can or something...

We have two compost piles. One is just leaves, grass clippings, twigs, etc.--no food. That one is an open pile. The other compost pile is for vegetable scraps from the kitchen and rotten veggies from the garden--but no animal products. The second one is in a sealed bin which we bought from Metro for $25--I think its called an Earth Machine. If that stuff wasn't sealed we'd probably have more pests--raccoons, rats, whatever.

Maybe there was a large rat population in your vicinity already and then they lost a food source, so they found your garden. Really odd that you would have so many rats being so obvious, climbing vines, getting run over in the street....

[retired jerry]

the two rats that came onto the patio during the day are no more

I have a garbage can I was thinking of using just like you suggested, with kitchen scraps

[Waffle Stomper]

I'm guessing that somebody nearby has provided them with a food supply possibly for outside pets or somebody is feeding a lot of birds bringing them into the neighborhood.

[drm]

I've noticed that when you let cats outside, they get hit by cars, eaten by coyotes, get into fights, or get diseases.

...and eat native songbirds.

More broadly that's a problem, but I would think that if you have a lot of rodents that they would be easier prey than birds.

[retired jerry]

A few years ago, I saw one of my outdoor cats catch a rat, one of the bigger ones

The rat defended itself well and ran away, no harm to either cat or rat

Cats may not be the best rat control. Dogs probably better

I have smaller rats that would probably be better though

One evening the neighbor cat was in the back yard. The rat hid out that night. The neighbor cat only occasionally visits. Probably my own cat would be more effective.

[retired jerry]

Oh, bad news, the trap was sprung. Some of the peanut butter was gone off the trigger. No rat though.

I think that means traps are no longer effective on at least that rat.

I will have to resort to plan B - quit putting out rat food, maybe the corn gluten meal will be effective, maybe rats will go to the neighbor's yard and leave me alone

[Koda]

Oh, bad news, the trap was sprung. Some of the peanut butter was gone off the trigger. No rat though.

I think that means traps are no longer effective on at least that rat.

I will have to resort to plan B - quit putting out rat food, maybe the corn gluten meal will be effective, maybe rats will go to the neighbor's yard and leave me alone

I had a rat that would not touch the spring trap... I had to buy a live trap.

I have chickens and they were coming for the feed but I built a rat resistant feeder and caught the last rat in the live trap and have not had a problem all year.

Now I see a rat today. I also notice it... or perhaps they, are eating my tomatoes too. I'm going to set the covered spring trap so I wont get a squirrel and try that. I might sit out on my porch with a bb gun too they don't seem to care if your a few feet away. I don't like to kill anything but rats are a huge problem and there is no shortage of them. It was also a pain to get rid of the one I caught live... I had to drive him a few miles away and let him go inconspicuously so those neighbors wouldn't get mad if they saw me since now they will have the rat. But once I caught it and saw it up close I didn't have the heart to kill it... the spring traps are so impersonal.

[Limey]

Jerry, you need to get yourself a flute and play Pied Piper. I might even pay to see that.

[retired jerry]

I'll have to try that

So, if I play the flute the rat(s) will follow me?

[adamschneider]

Jerry, you need to get yourself a flute and play Pied Piper. I might even pay to see that.

So, if I play the flute the rat(s) will follow me?

Dunno, but apparently Limey will.