Amy
MamaGrumpy
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
Hi all! I usually hang out on the Photography and Community Boards, but I need some advice. I've had bird feeders in my yard/garden for years, and I've never seen any rats gobbling up the stuff that scatters on the ground. Squirrels and chipmunks, but never rats. Until today. There are woods behind our yard, so I know there are lots of critters back there that I don't know about; but as long as they stay out of my yard, I'm ok with it.
I got a new feeder this year with larger openings, so there's quite a bit more seed ending up on the ground. I saw a small gray furry critter going after the seed, and DH told me it was prob. just a field mouse. Well, I saw about 4 of them there at the same time, got out the binoculars and yelled for DH. He confirmed that they're rats.
Any tips for how I can still feed the birds and not attract rats? Luckily, they're not in our house, but I want them to get the idea that our entire yard is off limits. Any products you've used that seem to deter them? We have a dog and there are young kids in the neighborhood, so I don't want to use anything that might harm them. I've heard about mothballs, but those are poisonous to pets.
I got a new feeder this year with larger openings, so there's quite a bit more seed ending up on the ground. I saw a small gray furry critter going after the seed, and DH told me it was prob. just a field mouse. Well, I saw about 4 of them there at the same time, got out the binoculars and yelled for DH. He confirmed that they're rats.
Any tips for how I can still feed the birds and not attract rats? Luckily, they're not in our house, but I want them to get the idea that our entire yard is off limits. Any products you've used that seem to deter them? We have a dog and there are young kids in the neighborhood, so I don't want to use anything that might harm them. I've heard about mothballs, but those are poisonous to pets.