Have you seen a rat in your garden? Or have you noticed holes, droppings or other signs that make you suspect rats are present?
Rats in the garden should always be taken seriously. A garden can provide rats with easy access to food, water and sheltered hiding places, but the rat may also have come up through the drains. That is why it is important not only to focus on the rat you can see, but also to find out where it is coming from.
Here is an overview of the most common signs of rats in the garden – and what you should do if you spot them.
Signs of rats in the garden
You will not always see the rat itself. Rats are usually most active when it is quiet, so it is often the signs they leave behind that reveal their presence.
Common signs of rats in the garden include:
- Rat holes in the ground
- Rat droppings
- Gnaw marks
- Regular tracks or runs through grass and vegetation
- Activity under decking, sheds or other sheltered areas
- A rat running across the lawn or patio
If you suspect rats are present, it is worth investigating further – even if you have only noticed one sign.
What do rat holes look like in the garden?
Rat holes in the garden are one of the clearest signs of rat activity.
A typical rat hole in the ground is around 6-8 cm in diameter. Rats may dig close to walls, fences, decking and other areas where they can move around relatively undisturbed. However, not all rat holes look the same.
If a rat has dug a normal burrow from the surface, there will often be loose or excavated soil around the entrance. A more rounded hole without an obvious pile of soil may, on the other hand, indicate that a rat has dug its way up from a damaged drain or sewer pipe.
If you find a suspicious hole in your garden, simply filling it in may therefore not solve the problem. It is important to find out where the rat is coming from.
What do rat droppings look like?
Rat droppings can be another sign of rats in the garden, particularly around places where rats feed or hide. Droppings from an adult brown rat are typically around 17 mm long and 6 mm thick. They are usually dark and elongated.
You may find droppings around areas such as:
- Bins
- Bird feeders
- Compost
- Decking
- Sheds and outbuildings
If you are unsure whether the droppings are from a rat or a mouse, it is better to have them identified rather than making assumptions.
What does it mean if you see rats in the garden during the day?
Rats are mainly nocturnal, so they are most commonly seen in the evening or at night. Seeing rats in the garden during the day can therefore indicate increased activity in the area. For example, competition for food may cause some rats to forage during daylight hours.
One sighting alone cannot tell you how many rats are present. However, if you see a rat in your garden, whatever the time of day, it is worth looking for other signs and investigating where it may be coming from.
What do rats eat in the garden?
Rats are not particularly fussy eaters. An ordinary garden can therefore contain several attractive food sources without you realising it.
These may include:
- Bird food and seeds on the ground
- Fallen fruit
- Food scraps
- Compost
- Chicken and pet food
- Rubbish that is not kept in closed containers
Bird feeders are a particularly common food source. It is not only the birds that find the seeds that fall onto the ground. If you have rats in your garden, remove as many accessible food sources as possible.
However, remember that the food does not necessarily have to be on your own property. Rats move around, so a neighbour’s bird feeder, compost heap or chicken feed may also attract them to the area.
Where do rats hide in the garden?
Rats look for places where they can move around and shelter without being disturbed.
Common hiding places include:
- Under decking
- Under sheds and garden buildings
- In dense vegetation
- Around wood piles and garden waste
- Near compost bins
- In underground burrows
Rats under decking are particularly common because the space provides shelter and protection. But even if you discover rats living or moving under your decking, the decking may not be the actual source of the problem. It could simply be a convenient hiding place between the drains and a food source.
Rats may be coming up through the drains
When people see rats in the garden, their first reaction is often to put down traps or remove anything that could be attracting them.
But this does not necessarily solve the underlying cause.
Rats commonly live in drainage and sewer systems and can reach the surface through damaged pipes or other defects. A rat hole in the lawn can therefore sometimes be the visible sign of a problem much further underground.
In the UK, rats coming up the drains is a well-known cause of rat problems. If rats have access to your property through the drainage system, dealing with one rat at a time is unlikely to solve the problem.
Rats in the garden – what should I do?
If you discover rats or signs of rats in your garden, you can start with the following steps:
Can a rat blocker prevent rats?
If rats are accessing your property through the drainage system, a rat blocker can form part of the preventative protection of your home.
A rat blocker is fitted inside the drain and acts as a physical barrier, preventing rats from travelling further through the pipe towards your property while still allowing wastewater to flow away. You may also see similar products referred to as a rat flap, one-way valve, rat stopper, rodent interceptor or NRV.
A rat blocker does not replace repairs to damaged drainage. However, it can help prevent rats from travelling from the public sewer system into the drains serving your property. Correct installation is important, and the rat blocker should also be inspected and maintained regularly.
Stop the problem at the source
A rat in your garden is not necessarily the problem itself. It may be a warning sign that rats have found a route onto your property. Effective rat prevention is therefore not simply about removing the rat you can see. It is about finding the source of the problem and preventing more rats from using the same route. At Rat-blocker.com, you can get advice on how a rat blocker can help protect your drainage system against rats coming up from the sewers.
