Want to Feed Birds but worried about attracting Rats!

Masala

Hi

I am planning to get my back-garden up and running for the Birds this winter with a variety of feeders etc. I have a great view from teh garfen and plenty of shelter of small birds to pop in and out to the feeders when bullied by bigger birds.

However... I am worried that the seeds / nuts fallinh to the ground will attract rats to feed from the ground.

Should I be worried....do Rats get attracted to these type of seeds and feed???

swifts need our help!

Definitely


What seeds are you planning to feed? All you needs are peanuts and sunflower hearts.


Chaffinches eat off the ground.

You need to start feeding birds now so they know where to come for food

Mark

Mickeroo

In all likelyhood there's rats knocking around whether you feed the birds or not, especially if you're in an anyways built up area. I wouldn't worry about it tbh.

Rainbowsend

Like Mickeroo said, the rats are already there, you just might see them
a bit more, put the feeders out in the morning and take them in later in the afternoon, any seeds that have fallen would probably have been cleaned up by the ground feeding birds! A lot of trouble I know but it is definitely worth
feeding the birds in the winter time anyway, and the rewards of seeing them
far outway the risk if seeing a rat.

swifts need our help!

I wouldnt take the feeders away. I have birds at mine and on the ground until it's quite dark

Mark

V_Moth

Masala wrote: »

Hi

I am planning to get my back-garden up and running for the Birds this winter with a variety of feeders etc. I have a great view from teh garfen and plenty of shelter of small birds to pop in and out to the feeders when bullied by bigger birds.

However... I am worried that the seeds / nuts fallinh to the ground will attract rats to feed from the ground.

Should I be worried....do Rats get attracted to these type of seeds and feed???

Most seeds/food scraps spilled from feeders are usually picked up by other birds (Dunnocks, Robins, etc). If Rats do become a problem, stop feeding for a week or two and put out some professional traps.

I have been feeding the birds in the back garden for the last 15 years and only once had a problem with Rats - one hung around the feeders for a day (easily dispatched with a turf briquette :cool:).

March11

The bird feeders do attract rats, but it hasn't stopped me using them!

Earlier on this year I was looking out my patio door admiring the birds at my feeder, when along came a rat, he ran up the pole of the feeder up to the tray section and nibbled on the bits of nuts that had fallen into it!!!

He stayed there for a while munching away, then ran back down again and off with him. So we got one of those cages that rats walk into and can't get out of. We put it down and next morning we had a rat in it. It was left there for a couple of hours (waiting for my hubbie to do the necessary) and when I looked out again at the cage, there was another rat inside in the cage with the first fella!!! A couple of hours later again, I looked out - and there was another rat running around the cage trying to get into the 2 others lads!!!! Haven't had any since then thankfully!!

swifts need our help!

The clean up squad arrived just now to clear away spilt seeds

Mark