What Are Signs Of Rats In The Garden?

Rats in the garden are the massive problem for many people. This often happens when your garden becomes wild and overgrown. The danger here is that once you have rats in your garden, you’ll soon have them in your house. This is why it’s so important that you keep rats out of your garden. The first step to doing this is knowing the signs of a rat infestation.

How to know if there are rats in the garden

So what, apart from actual sightings, should you look out for? First of all, rats build nests when inside, but will often build tunnels when outside. If you start seeing holes in either your lawn, or flower bed, then you may have rats in the garden.

That being said, rats don’t always build tunnels, and you may see actual nests. You’ll find these in dark, hidden, out of the way places, such as beneath your shrubs. You’ll also find them in overgrown areas that you cannot get to, or near your compost heap. Rats may also nest in your shed. Rats’ nests are generally constructed from twigs and may look almost like a birds nests. In other cases, they may weave these twigs into a circular ball.

Something else to look out for are “rat runs.” These are basically paths made by rats. These pests usually follow the same route when moving between their tunnels and a source of food. Over time this will wear a path, so look out for that.

Another huge sign of rats in the garden are droppings. As the rat numbers increase, you’ll start to see these scattered around your garden. Rats droppings are usually pitch black and shiny, and about half an inch long.

Are rats gnawing on items in your garden?

If you have rats in the garden, they will eventually begin to gnaw on everything. You’ll see these gnaw marks on anything which is made from wood which is why you need to stop rodents. This could include trees, outside furniture, dog kennels, decks, or garden tools. Rats may also gnaw on things made from plastic, or even brick and metal. The point is that if you see gnaw marks, you definitely have rats.

Another definite sign are dark marks along fences. Rats engage in something known as “wall seeking behaviour.” This means they stay close to walls in order to protect themselves from predators.

Because these pests are so filthy, they eventually leave darks marks on these walls. These may be hard to spot from a distance, so take a good look at the bottoms of your fences. If you see dark marks, it’s a good sign you have rats. Something else you can do is fill up your bird feeder, and then watch it from your house. Hang around for long enough and you may actually spot these pests emerging from their hiding places.