Rat attacking Hedgehogs

Sheps

Evening everyone...in the last week or so there has been a rat coming in the garden and attacking the hogs and stealing their food.

It looks to be coming from nextdoor, under the fence and into the garden. It keeps digging out the gravel below the board leaving a shallow entrance hole.

Due to the hogs poison isn't an option, so how to go about getting rid of the rat?

Any advice would be welcome.

SueAtoo

A wire rat trap over the entrance, but what to do with it then is beyond me.

nutcutlet

the only way to stop rats is to stop providing food

Sheps

@SueAtoo good idea...but like you say, what to do with it once captured.

Slow-worm

Get a humane trap off amazon, put peanuts/chocolate/whatever on the plate, put the set trap by the hole, cover it with something rainproof. Hopefully catch the rat, take it off to the woods and let it go as soon as possible, because it can die if it's stuck in there too long.
Move things around in the garden (they don't like change, hence ratty may not fall for the trap immediately) - put bits of wood out between the hole and the food, move pots about, etc.
Put camphor oil or mothballs, or mint/mint oil around the garden, but check that first to make sure it won't harm or deter the hogs.

Sheps

Thanks @nutcutlet and @Slow-worm

I will have to try both methods re the trap and the food, hoggies might not be happy but it will be for their benefit.

Slow-worm

Just check the trap for a hog - hopefully they won't be able to get in if it's close enough to the fence, and if they're full of the food you put out they may not even be tempted. 

Sheps

Will do @Slow-worm looking to get a wire trap tomorrow and position it near the hole, will try and get one that is as hogproof as possible.

Slow-worm

I got one of these off amazon, after seeing a rat the size of a labrador caught in one by friends, the husband wouldn't touch it so I did the release bit. 😄
I didn't catch the rat, next door's Jack Russel did. Poor ratty, but I was glad it had gone 

CH1973

I won't be feeding birds after this month. Nothing comes onto my table apart from Jackdaws, Collard doves, a mouse and a giant rat that jumped over my shoulder one morning as it was getting light. I'll pass next winter on feeding the birds till I get more shrubs and trees in. Don't want rats. It shot under next doors shed 😕

philippasmith2

This issue has come up several times over the years.  If rats are in the vicinity and have a ready supply of food, they will proliferate.
The usual advice is to stop feeding the birds until the rats get fed up and move on.
However, it depends where you are situated - urban, suburban seems to be more of a problem as ratty will simply move on to the next garden where the owner continues to feed the birds/leave attractive waste available. Unless all the neighbours do the same. the problem will just continue.
The most humane method to rid your garden of rats is to use a Snap Trap - correctly set, death will be instantaneous ( somewhat like the guillotine ).  
Using a humane trap and then taking the rat elsewhere is not only pointless but also irresponsible - you are either leaving it to a slow and unpleasant death or you are risking it being extremely happy and breeding - the latter result is passing the problem on to another land/garden owner who may not be quite so careful about eradicating them.
If you aren't prepared to have rats in your garden, then why would you assume someone else would be happy with them ?
No one likes killing another creature but we snip slugs, swat flies, use deterrants for various "pests" so where do you draw the line ?
Either accept or do the decent thing.