Hedgehogs and rats

[Allentate]

Try some DIY methods such as rat traps, rat poison or some spray. If these DIY methods do not work then better hire some pest control professional to remove rats.

[Nic]

It has already been discussed, at length, why rat traps, poison and spray aren’t a good idea with hedgehogs around, for fear of killing/harming the hedgehogs. Various other deterrants have also been suggested.

[Palladium]

I have managed to eradicate the rats I had last year. They had made a network of runs underneath the builders trugs that I use to catch discarded bird seed. Its got a big stone in it so doesn’t move. The runs were entirely underground so not accessible to either the birds or hogs. Placed bait carefully in the run underneath and then removed the uneaten part completely when they had stopped taking it (about 5 days). I still have mice in the garden but I dont mind them as much. I have seen signs of the hogs again this year so there is at least one about, our hedgehog house seems to be in use so perhaps one there, there are several other possible locations, log pile, compost heap, twigs and old hanging baskets heap, pile of old fence posts (its not a tidy ‘service’ area!)

I am feeding now and the dry food is taken each night using a home made feeding station with an entrance labyrinth to deter cats. I have seen hedghog poo inside the feed station as well as around the grass area but I must get a camera to see whats actually happening. The hogs dont seem to come out as soon as its gets dark as they did last summer and it gets cold hanging around to see them!

A question on feeding. Has anyone used an automatic feeding system for the hogs using the dry food? There are several such appliances available designed for cats, hamsters etc. and it would be useful when on holiday otherwise the hogs go without for that period. I keep telling my wife we should stop having holidays but she then appears upset and thus disagrees vehemently so lost that one! I will post this question on the feeding boards as well.

[celinecaux]

Hi I am also having a problem with a rat that has started to raid the hedgehogs feeding station, I have caught on the trail cam the rat being aggressive towards the hogs and also a hog and rat eating next to each other. But the last 2 nights no more hedgehogs. I think the rat is scaring them and/or chasing them.
I have been trying to capture the rat (or rats?) using a humane trap like this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000QVSCH6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and bought the bait to go with it but the mice manage to get in eat the bait and get out. The rat doesn’t seem to get any near it.
I have heard from my local rescue that a rat ate a hibernating hog so I want to have the rat(s) removed and release in the wood further away. I have 3 overwintering hogs due to release so I want to make it safe for them. Any suggestions? The rat has avoided the trap for about 2 weeks now.

PS: I am not feeding the birds in the same area, I only feed them in my front garden away from the cats.

[rossyb]

After feeding hogs for a while now I have just caught a rat on camera going into the hog feeding station, I hate rats. Would it be safe to get a bait box as I not sure a hog would be able to fit in one or not.?

[Nic]

Hi rossyb

I’m not familiar with bait boxes, but am pretty sure that if an adult rat can get into it then hoglets would be able to too. This time of year, it is quite likely that there are hoglets around. Even some adult hogs can get through surprisingly small holes.

I would try some of the deterrants mentioned previously under this title, or maybe try different food – some rats aren’t keen on cat food.

[Nic]

Hi celinecaux

It’s probably a bit late now, but you should be aware that hedgehogs can and have been caught in ‘humane’ (rat) traps. Also, as someone suggested previously, it may even be illegal to release rats, if you catch one.

[Hedgie Lover]

I have seen a rat feeding in my feeding station. But it doesn’t go in if a hedgehog is feeding, it runs away scared, which is a blessing.

I don’t mind too much if the rat only has a nibble, but other than eating the food, is there are reason why it could be bad for a rat to go in? would it spread disease? is it unhealthy for the hedgehogs?

Because if it doesn’t harm them, I think I’m just gonna leave things as they are. What I don’t want is loads of them turning up. And that could be a possibility eventually. When it gets to that point, I might have to think of some genius way to deal with it, but for now, I’ll just let nature do what it does.

The slugs and snails used to really bother me, but I don’t mind them now, now that I’ve got foxes to be more worried about – that’s my main concern, trying to get rid of that problem, I have found a deterrant, which appears to be working for now, but it’s not the complete solution, as it doesn’t stop the foxes catching the hedgehogs outside of my garden.

Having a rat having a bit of a nibble, at the moment for me, feels like a minor concern in comparison to the stress I’ve got with the foxes.

Please God, don’t send me any badgers! I don’t think there is any in my area anyway, I’ve never seen a badger in my life as I don’t live in the country.

[Coley]

I might have mentioned this earlier, but hogs and cats sharing the same feeding sites= no rats, we have a number of feral cats who come in for a feed from the hogs dinner plates, and what we did was to try and find ‘preferences’

We thought we had ‘nailed it’ earlier in the year when the ferals went for the wet cat food and ignored the ‘mealworm/dried cat food’ we also offered.
Only to find (courtesy of people on there) that we were making a major mistake in offering up mealworms in substantial quantities.

Now we just put out enough food that both the hogs and cats can safely enjoy, if we end up with lots of fat cats and hogs and few rats…end of problem.

[Nic]

Hi Coley

I think you must be lucky with the cats you have there. It doesn’t always work out quite so well. I get loads of cats visiting, but whenever a rat has visited the cats are nowhere to be seen!

[Hedgie Lover]

same here, tons of cats that the video picks up on, but Mr Rat only comes out when the cat’s aren’t around – haven’t seen the rat lately, but i think I there was a rat dropping in the feeding station this morning, so cleaned it up and got rid of it.

Are their droppings poisonous to hedgehog’s?

[MarkUK]

I am still feeding two hogs.. one quite small but fattening up and one just greedy. Discovered I had a big rat influx with a family of 5 at the feeding station! I am prepared to tolerate one or two but these were eating all the hog food and my bird fat blocks.
I purchased a bait box and have been putting that alongside the feeding station.. the rats have taken it and I no longer have a rat problem. I was a bit worried about my small hog but saw it feeding one evening and then exiting over the top of the bait box… rats gone.. hogs still fattening up.. problem solved!
Surprsingly easy to tell who is who… hogs are messy eaters and tend to leave a thin layer of food spread by their spines… rats clean up the lot up!
Mark

[MarkUK]

.. and not sure about the droppings but rats do carry leptospirosis, sp[read in the urine, which is certainly dangerous to humans.

[MarkUK]

.. just checked.. can also be dangerous to cats and dogs. Apparently hedgehogs can catch it and become carriers but no research as to whether it has any adverse effects.

[Hedgie Lover]

that’s not good. I put a puppy pat down in the feeding station, so that should soak up the urine, if a rat wee’s in there – which would be a bit better than a puddle of it.

[Author]

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