Frustrated because you attracted the detestable rat as well as the birds?

Here are a few tips to deter, discourage, and remove rats from your wildlife areas.

1. Use Hulled Birdseed

Rats eat the shells under your feeders. Reduce the amount of litter by using birdseed that's already shelled, like thistle, safflower, or hulled sunflower.

2. Use and Clean Frequently Certain Feeders

Several feeders on the market spill less seed or trap litter in a tray that you can clean on a regular basis, providing less seed litter on the ground for the rats.

3. Prevent Rodent Access to Your Feeders

Stop rats from eating directly from your feeders by using protective devices like baffles. You can also either locate feeders far enough from jumping rats or use specially-designed feeders that prevent access by large rodents.

Squirrels are rodents, too, so also see my posts on keeping squirrels away from your feeders or positioning feeders.

4. Keep Birdseed in Rodent-Proof Contains

Store your birdseed in containers that rats can't chew through. I've learned they can chew through quite a bit of thick plastic.

5. Remove Pet Food

If you feed pets outside, remove the food, cleaning every last crumb, every day before nightfall.

6. Clean Up Pet Feces Promptly

Yes, rats eat dog poop.

7. Tightly Seal Garbage Cans

Again along the lines of decreasing the rats' food supply.

8. Fruiting Plants Cleanup

If you have fruiting plants or trees, try to clean up the groundfall. It'll further decrease the rats' food supply.

9. Enlist Neighbors

Talk to your neighbors about using the same prevention methods. Rats usually only travel 150 feet from their home to feed.

10. Trap Rats

Hire an exterminator to trap the rats, or use a live trap to trap the rats yourself.