How to feed the birds without feeding the rats?
I have a lot of birds in my garden and last winter in the morning I put out a hanger with one fat ball. I watched the birds eat and the fat ball was gone by afternoon. I put a new fat ball in the next morning (no food out overnight). I also have a bird bath that I clean daily. On the third day I put the new fat ball out, went inside to make coffee to drink whilst watching the birds eat their breakfast ..... and then I saw it. A huge rat had climbed up the tree out on the limb and was hanging off the feeder eating the fat ball. Do rats normally come out in the day time? I rushed out and it took it's time getting down and running off. I left the feeder up for the birds but I saw the rat (same one?) back again an hour later. So I took the feeder down and when I asked about I was told to stop putting food out for a few days so the rat would move on. I put the hanger out again about 2 months later as it was really cold and I wanted to help the birds. Same thing happened again. So I stopped putting the feeder out for the rest of the winter.
Here we are a year later and for Christmas I was given a lovely bird feeding table. I put it out with a chopped up fat ball and the birds loved it. Then 2 days later I saw a large rat on the bird table. I cleared the remaining food and cleaned the area and stopped putting food out for the last 2 days. The birds keep coming back to the area but I've also seen a rat on the empty bird table.
Any ideas of how I can keep feeding the birds without attracting a rat? I am keeping the area clean, only put out one fat ball per day which (if left to the birds) is gone by late afternoon so there is no food left out overnight and I have tried moving the food to different locations. I'm not sure what else to try. This/these rats are coming out in the day time and even when me and my large dog are about. I have no idea where the rat/s are coming from as I don't see any droppings or evidence of a rat and I've only seen them when I put out the bird food. Any ideas?
Here we are a year later and for Christmas I was given a lovely bird feeding table. I put it out with a chopped up fat ball and the birds loved it. Then 2 days later I saw a large rat on the bird table. I cleared the remaining food and cleaned the area and stopped putting food out for the last 2 days. The birds keep coming back to the area but I've also seen a rat on the empty bird table.
Any ideas of how I can keep feeding the birds without attracting a rat? I am keeping the area clean, only put out one fat ball per day which (if left to the birds) is gone by late afternoon so there is no food left out overnight and I have tried moving the food to different locations. I'm not sure what else to try. This/these rats are coming out in the day time and even when me and my large dog are about. I have no idea where the rat/s are coming from as I don't see any droppings or evidence of a rat and I've only seen them when I put out the bird food. Any ideas?
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