Rats!

my dog tay would take care of them lol, meg too i guess . i did read that planting mint gets rid of them as they dont like the smell, my sister has the same problem. she is going to give the mint a try as she cant bring herself to let the neighbours terriers loose on her land.

I've a pot of mint by the back door, so as long as they stay down the steps and on the grass and dont try to come in I dont mind.

I think I would leave them alone too as long as they're not doing any damage to your plants. You mentioned that they were seen last year as well. They obviously trust you because I don't think that they would be running around in the open during the day. I think my dog Maxi would also give them a run for their money :) We have a chipmunk who comes in my back garden and goes straight across the garden and under the fence to the neighbors and she goes nuts when she sees it :)

We have the same problem , they almost seem to be tame and not frightened of us , we have had the " rat man " out , he has said that he can,t lay bait in our garden because they don,t live here and are passing through , how doe,s he know that ?.

Our old cat lays in her favourite patch and watches , she,s no intention of having a go .I watch one up the birds feeder lashing out at a magpie .
Help
Amy

Hi Trees think you should try and deal with as if get comfortable will breed at an alarming rate.If you put food out on ground for birds stop and use only feeders - use humane traps.These have spring loaded doors that trap the rat when bait pulled off hook.Found most effective bait to be bird fat ball feeders left in the net and rats pull at it thus springing trap caught 6 like this and no problem since.Took them to woods and released.

YUK! I would HATE to have rats as close as that and so blatant as if they own the place! Get rid of them - they are vermin!

Yes I agree with Spritz and Bonkers.Do try to humanely eradicate them.Their urine can be a problem as well as it can spread nasty diseases to humans..They will be attracted to the bird foods in your garden so as Bonkers says make sure its in Rodent (squirrel proof) feeders.Make sure you wear gloves when you work on the garden.
Best wishes,
Grenville

My big problem is the woods at the bottom of the garden, the overgrown garden and run down house next door.

But the bird feeder tray on the ground is no more.

Hopefully they will stay down the garden if not I will have to buy a water pistol to let them know they are not wanted. This used to work for my friend when he had every cat in his area use his garden as a toilet.

Well good luck with pistol water dont think even high pressure hose would bother them - doesnt seem to in sewers.

Rats and mice are a real problem, especially if they get into the house.
We live opposite a riding stable on the edge of woodland. The stable has an ongoing problem with them. Initially it was the mice that crossed the road and tried to live with us. They got into the cavity walls and were soon all over the house. Book, carpets, curtains and clothing were chewed and used for nesting, they even set off the house alarm presumably by chewing the wiring. We used humane traps and drove them to the next wood to release them, but eventually had to resort to poisoning because they were breeding at such a rate.
The following year the rats moved in. They chewed through wood, plastic and metal and tried to settle in the loft. The dishwasher wiring was attacked, they chewed their way into the fridge through the defrosting system and blocked the kitchen drain when they chewed through the drain-pipe. It was a nightmare. I understand that it is illegal to control rats humanely as they are classed as rodents.
I am very glad to say we haven't had unwelcome guests for quite a while now.

Xela has the right idea, they need to be gotten rid of. They can be very destructive and can even cause electrical fires, and for every one you see there are many many more you don't see. We have had this house for over 20 years and it was originally a semi-rural area, but with urban expansion, 2 years ago a huge shopping center and sports arena were built less than a mile from us. The amount of garbage produced by these places on a daily basis is prodigious, and the rat population has increased and spread out into the surrounding neighborhoods. Now it is an ongoing battle to control them and keep them out of the house and yard.

Well Xela your experience truly horrendous and obviously when your familys health and safety at risk clearly need to use professionals to eradicate.Very glad to hear your problem resolved .Humane traps not illegal as why trap humanely to then kill them.They only of any use when rats first spotted few of us would want them to the extent you had.