Some things to consider when you have rats in your garden
Rats can be a pest in the garden. Here are some ways to prevent them from making a home in yours.
Published Mar 22, 2023 09:00 am
By Eleanore O. Hatta
If there is one animal that is dreaded by both rural farmers and urban gardeners, it would be the ordinary yet potentially harmful rat. Why are rats given such a negative image? The most common reason is that rats eat crops from both farms and gardens.
No, rats don’t eat all types of crops, but the ones that they do target might just be yours. So, let’s take a closer look as to why rats have a terrible reputation amongst plant-loving humans.
*The common rat. (DSD/ Pexels)*
If, however, your farm is being besieged by rats, there isn’t much you can do about that except let natural predators like cats take over the rat control tasks for you. Some farmers trap rats for household consumption, which can be doable since field rats are usually herbivores who live in the wild, so they are “cleaner” than the city rats, which thrive in dirty sewage pipes.
*The common rat. (DSD/ Pexels)*
Types of rats
Here in the Philippines, there are generally two kinds of rats. One type of rat is called the black rat (*Rattus rattus*). The other type of rat is dubbed the brown rat (*Rattus norvegicus*). Though both rats may seem similar in appearance, they do have some differences. For instance, the black rat’s size ranges from 16 cm. to 24 cm. in length while the brown rat is much bigger, with a maximum size of 40 cm. The black rat likes to climb while the brown rat is not really known as a climber, even though it can do so. The black rat tends to favor fruits for its food, but the brown rat is omnivorous. Not surprisingly, since each type eats different kinds of food, their respective sizes differ as well. The black rat’s weight can reach 200 grams but the brown rat can weigh up to 500 grams. Regardless of which type it is, these two varieties are generally considered pests.Reasons to dread rats
Since certain parts of the Philippines tend to flood more readily, one major problem folks might have after wading in floods is having open wounds infected by leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is an illness transmitted through the urine of rats that tends to mix with floodwaters. Rats are also known to spread other diseases as well, especially if they have been living in sewer pipes. One does not have to actually touch the rats to get an infection. Simply touching a surface that a rat has been on might be enough to transmit an illness. Another concern caused by rats is destruction of farms and gardens in both rural and urban locations. Rats have to eat too, just like other animals. Unfortunately, the vegetables and fruits that you might be raising in your farm or garden might look mighty tasty to a hungry rat. In the wild, this is natural and normal. But if you are a farmer whose crops are the fruits of your livelihood, or an urban gardener looking to raise your own veggies, you will regard rats as invasive and destructive. Even your compost heap could be targeted by hungry rats. I remember that here in my residence in Paranaque City in Metro Manila, I used to use open rice sacks for my initial attempts at composting kitchen scraps. The rats were attracted to the presence of the kitchen scraps and started invading my little garden to eat from the sacks (Incidentally, rats are also attracted to the smell and taste of rice water, also known as “hugas bigas.” I would save rice water daily before to water my vegetables with. Not surprisingly, the rats learned to eat my vegetables too because of this. That ended my attempts at raising vegetables in my backyard in my city residence). This is one reason that it is important to segregate your garbage daily and to use trash bins that have secure lids. Rats will be attracted to the organic matter in your garbage and can easily break into your garbage bags to get to the food scraps. Unfortunately, since many urban residents and homeowners simply dump everything into garbage bags without segregating, that means that rats will invade your garbage and create a big mess (And, naturally, urban garbage collectors don’t have the time or energy to sweep up your scattered trash for you when they come to collect daily garbage). If you segregate your garbage, you can bury your organic trash in your backyard garden. Or at least put the organic stuff inside your secure garbage bin, separated from the recyclable matter. Another reason to dread rats is that they may feel right at home inside your own residence. Rats are animals too so, just like your pet cats and dogs, they may want to stay inside your home where it’s nice and dry. We encountered that problem where I live in Metro Manila. The rats discovered a window in our dining room where they could easily squeeze into the house. Then they found a cabinet that was ideal for them to live in because it was dry, cozy, and rarely opened, so, they made themselves right at home over some months, before we discovered them.How to deal with your rat problem
It can be hard to find humane solutions to prevent rats from entering your home, garden, and/or farm. If you are familiar with some rat control ads, one risky strategy is to use the commercial type of rat poison that you may find in supermarket and grocery shelves. A word of warning though: since some people entrap rats to eat, or they may have pets who tend to chase rats, you should be sure that the rats you or your furbaby will be capturing have not eaten rat poison. Otherwise, you or your pet might be the one getting accidentally poisoned. It is best to use poison as a last resort when there are no other options and the rat problem has really gotten out of hand. If you don’t use poison, that is good news especially if you have cats and dogs inside your residence. Often, your pet cats, and sometimes even your pet dogs, can eradicate your rat problem by capturing and killing rats for you. Cats and dogs don’t always eat the rats they kill, but it is a good idea to only let your pets loose against the rats if you’re sure the rats have not eaten poison. I now have a huge population of cats in my city residence, which partially explains why we no longer have rats visiting from the nearby sewage system. There is a downside to this particular solution: the rats may be carriers of diseases. So if your pet cat or dog captures and kills an infected rat, your pet could get infected too, and that would mean additional expenses for you in seeking veterinary assistance in treating the illness of your pet. If you intend to keep rats out of your house and garden, you may have to get really creative by sealing off all possible entry/exit points in your house and putting in rat-proof fencing around your garden plants. An accredited rat control or pest exterminator may be able to assist you in this.If, however, your farm is being besieged by rats, there isn’t much you can do about that except let natural predators like cats take over the rat control tasks for you. Some farmers trap rats for household consumption, which can be doable since field rats are usually herbivores who live in the wild, so they are “cleaner” than the city rats, which thrive in dirty sewage pipes.
Conclusion: Should all rats be eliminated?
According to my sister, who lives in a rural location outside Metro Manila, it isn’t really good for all the rats to be exterminated. She said that snakes in the vicinity eat rats, too. This means if all the rats are killed off, that will harm the snakes’ food supply, which may lead to the snakes expanding their hunting territory. After all, the snakes also need a stable source of food. This implies that you might find snakes invading your farm or garden if the snakes have run out of rats to eat. It is also unrealistic to expect that you can kill off all the rats in your community. One reason is that you can’t possibly enter your urban location’s sewage system to hunt for all the rats that live there. Rats can also easily escape into the wilderness if you live in a rural location. Your best option is to remove the potential for the rats to invade your territory by having a lot of predators like cats around, by not keeping kitchen scraps in your garbage, by burying your kitchen scraps in soil in your backyard or within metal containers with a secure lid such as a trash bin, and by sealing off all possible entry and exit points that the rats can use to make your home their permanent home as well. This makes it harder for the rats to survive so that they will look for a stable food supply elsewhere, rather than thrive where they are.