On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 19:29:57 GMT, "Sue" wrote:

I've either seen one rat three times or three different ones this afternoon.
One of my neighbours said that they've had them before. They had come up
from the river and were nesting under a shed further down the road.

Any advice? I suppose I'd better start by clearing away the area with
bricks, paving slabs and roof tiles stored in it as that's where I saw it /
them twice right under the bird feeder. Do I have to stop feeding the birds?
Not keen on that idea.

Seed spilled from birdfeeders is just what rats like. I used to have
several feeders, but living in a ratty district finally decided to
stop: my cats were bringing too many rodents into the house and not
all of them were dead on arrival.

You can reduce seed spillage by putting only a single kind of seed in
each feeder. If you use mixed seed, each bird rummages through it
looking for his favorite, spilling a great deal onto the ground below.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, BC, Canada
to send email, change atlantic to pacific
and invalid to net