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Janet · 01-02-2017, 11:13 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening

In article ,
says...

Rather overrun with rats in the garden at the moment I've resorted to a couple of traditional snap rat-traps. Twice I didn't get round to disposing of a trapped rat only to find that the bodies had disappeared by the next day. The second time something seemed to have dragged both rat and trap under a polytunnel cover and left the trap by a hole/tunnel about 15 yards away. The trap was completely empty. I can only assume this was another rat. Do rats eat other dead rats
or is there any other animal which would behave like this?
Janet G

If not rat, my suspicion would be on mink or fox. Or maybe badger.

Rats are stronger and more determined than you might think. I lay
poison rat bait in the compost heaps, the bait is in a sardine tin
underneath a concrete roof ridge tile and the heavy compost lid is over
the top. No foxes on Arran; and no bird cat or dog can get in.

Looked in the other day and the sardine tin has GONE, probably down
the new rat hole right beside where it was...

A couple of years back I left a new unopened large bag of JI potting
compost in the garage. One day I noticed a neat pile of compost on the
floor several inches away from the bag, and a rat hole in the
plastic.The following day there was a much bigger pile of compost. A
couple more nights and the bag was empty, and all the compost neatly
piled up in a pyramid on the concrete floor. I've often marvelled at the
determination it took a rat to shift 25kg of material (for no apparent
reward or reason.)

Janet.