Hi folks,
I’m hoping to get some advice from people who’ve dealt with this before. Over the past few months, I’ve noticed rats hanging around my garden — mostly at night, but I’m seeing fresh burrows and chewed plants during the day too.
My biggest concern is that I have a dog and an outdoor cat, so I’m really hesitant to use anything that could put them at risk. I’ve read about traps, deterrents, and even natural methods, but the advice online is all over the place.
For those of you who’ve successfully handled rats outdoors, I’d love to know:
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What actually worked long-term
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What you tried that turned out to be a waste of time
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How you kept pets safe during the process
Any real-world experiences would be appreciated.
I dealt with something similar last year. What made the biggest difference was removing anything that attracted them in the first place — fallen fruit, compost access, even bird feeders. It didn’t eliminate them overnight, but activity dropped a lot within a few weeks.
Totally get the concern about pets. I avoided poisons completely and focused on blocking access points and keeping the area clean. Motion lights helped more than I expected, especially near fences and sheds.
Same situation here. I tried a few “natural deterrents” people swear by, but honestly most of them didn’t do much. What worked better was persistence — checking the garden daily and not letting new burrows go untouched.
One thing I learned the hard way is that rats are smart. If something feels unsafe to them, they’ll usually move on, but it takes time. Short-term fixes didn’t help me much, consistency did.
Has anyone else noticed they tend to follow fence lines? Once I focused my efforts there, I started seeing fewer signs overall. Curious if that’s been the case for others too.
I have kids and pets, so I was extra cautious. What helped was making the garden less comfortable for them — less cover, fewer hiding spots. It’s not glamorous, but it worked gradually.
@FenceFixer Yes, 100%. In my yard they were basically using the fence like a highway. Once I disrupted that path, they stopped coming through as often.
I’ll be honest, I expected a quick fix and got frustrated when that didn’t happen. Once I accepted that it’s more about management than instant removal, it got less stressful.
@GreenThumbAlex You’re right to be cautious with pets. I’ve seen people regret not thinking that part through. Slow and safe beats fast and risky every time, especially outdoors.
It took me a couple of months, but the combination of cleanup, reducing shelter, and staying on top of new signs finally paid off. Haven’t seen fresh activity in a while now, knock on wood.