Are you inviting rats into your garden?

It’s not just feeding that is an issue, though – they need somewhere to nest out of the cold, especially in the winter. If your heap is too dry they will love that – it’s much warmer than the exposed conditions outside in the colder months. So make sure yours is wet enough to keep them away. Using reasonably equal quantities of nitrogenous green materials (like grass and leaves) and carbon rich-brown materials (such as chopped up stems and cardboard) will help in this regard, while also ensuring that your heap has all the materials it needs to break down fairly quickly. Failing that, just add some water.

It’s also generally good practice to turn your heap fairly regularly. This will tend to evict invaders – but we’d advise not doing so in the winter. If you do, you’ll also slow down bacterial activity, which is vital for decomposition. You may also be disturbing wildlife that you’d rather encourage such as hedgehogs.

If you’re worried about these composting measures against rats making life hard for hedgehogs, just make sure there are some hog-optimised spots in your garden, such as log and leaf piles, or build a simple hedgehog house.

What to do instead:

• Stick to composting green and brown materials like vegetable peelings, grass clippings and cardboard.
• Use a compost bin with a secure lid and line the base with chicken wire to prevent rats from burrowing in.
• Make sure the heap is reasonably moist, as rats dislike damp environments.

You have the wrong type of bird feeder

While feeding birds is a wonderful way to support local wildlife, excess bird seed or fallen grains are bound to attract rats, which will quickly learn to frequent your garden if food is consistently available. Some bird feeders are better than others for keeping out rats and grey squirrels, but you can improve many feeders by installing a baffle, either above or below, to stop them reaching food. If you’re buying a feeder, consider one with a collection tray below the main hopper. If you’re still finding that bird feed ends up on the ground, it may be time to position your feeder over a hard standing area, so that you can sweep up underneath regularly.

Additionally, unsecured bird feed can also be a magnet for rodents. Make sure it’s stored with strong, tight lids that keep their attractive aromas in, and the rats out. But best of all is to support birds by using plants that they can feed from in the lean months of winter. For example, rugosa roses have fat hips that they can pick at for several months, and they’ll be safely out of reach of rats, high up on the plant’s stems. This approach is also much better from a hygiene point of view, as avian diseases are easily spread on bird feeders if they are not cleaned regularly or thoroughly enough.

What to do instead:

• Use bird feeders with catch trays to minimise spillage and clean up any fallen seeds daily.
• Store bird feed in secure, tightly lidded containers to prevent access.
• Plant up with bird-friendly plants so there’s less need for bird feeders.

You're too messy

A bit of mess is a good thing for wildlife, but get the balance right or you may get a bit more wildlife than you want – especially if there are already other factors on your plot that attract rats.

Log and leaf piles are great wildlife habitats, but messy storage areas may attract rats more than anything else. They thrive in areas where they feel safe and hidden from predators.

Even if you are working hard to attract more desirable wildlife, one thing you can do to make the plot less attractive to rats is to move things around fairly regularly. They hate change in their surroundings or having things that obstruct their runs. Moving garden furniture or pots around will help to make them a little more uneasy, and likely to move on.

Finally rats love sheds, greenhouses and decking. It can be hard to keep them out from under decking, but it’s worth trying, with several layers of wire mesh in place to block any potential entry points. As a bare minimum, sweep up after meals outdoors, as anything edible that falls between the cracks will soon build up and attract rodents.

As for sheds and greenhouses, check them regularly to see if holes are developing, which rats will use to gain access as they search for shelter or nesting sites.

What to do instead:

• Minimise mess in storage areas and sweep after outdoor meals.
• Check outbuildings for holes regularly, blocking any potential entry points with wire or making repairs.

FAQs: What do the experts say?

There is a rat living in one of my compost bins. What should I do?

Christine Walkden says: "Rats will enter a compost bin in search of cooked food waste, so the best remedy is not to compost cooked food in a traditional compost bin. Placing several layers of chicken wire beneath the bin when setting it up will reduce the chance of rats getting into the bin, but the chicken wire needs to be four to six layers thick, so that the rats have difficulty chewing through all the layers. However, the chicken wire should not be so thick as to prevent the compostable material from being in contact with the soil, as this allows worms and other organisms into the bin. These organisms help to break down the general garden waste."

How can we keep rats off the bird feeder?

Christine Walkden says: "The only method I know that really works is to remove surplus spilt food every evening. I also attach plant saucers beneath each of my feeders to catch the food – just drill small holes in the saucers, then push wire through some of the holes and wire them to the feeders. The other holes will be good for drainage."

Will rats return if we start feeding the birds again?

Bob Flowerdew says: "I’m sorry to say that you probably do still have rats, it’s just they’re no longer so obvious and are perhaps less numerous. Feeding birds does attract and indeed increase their number, as may any food source. Thus we simply need to ensure the rats find it hard to get to the bird food.Never throw bird food on the ground. Instead, put it on a bird table, kept very clean to prevent disease. This needs to be tall, with a smooth support to stop rats from climbing up, or hung from a hook. Birds tend to scatter their food as they eat, so if possible stand the table in a place where the bits can be swept up. Also, put the feed out in the morning, so most of it is gone when rats emerge in the evening."

Help – my bird table attracts rats!

Bunny Guinness says: "Try putting hanging feeders in trees, instead of using a bird table. You could also attach a tray under them to stop food dropping onto the ground beneath. Some squirrel-proof feeders are rat-proof too, such as weight-activated ones. Never leave food out at night."