In the winter and spring months many people feel obliged to put out bird feeders in their gardens to help birds with the struggle for food in the colder seasons.
However, this positive and considerate gesture can create a big problem for your home and garden by attracting rats who are – like birds – on the hunt for regular sources of food in the colder months.
Do bird feeders attract rats?
It is no secret that rats are scavengers and will eat almost anything they can get their claws on which makes a regularly topped up bird feeder an ideal source of food for rodents.
The worst part of their attraction to bird feeders is that commonly rats carry diseases such as salmonella that can be transferred to birds who feed in your garden and in the worst case scenario can transfer to the people in your household which could make your family very unwell.
Indeed, there is no guarantee that rodents will 100% be found in your garden if you have a bird feeder as it completely depends on your surroundings, however, it certainly increases the risk of rats making your garden their home if they are in desperate need of food resources.
How can you stop rats from using your bird feeder?
Now that it is clear that rats are attracted to bird feeders, it is time to consider the different ways to stop rats from coming into your garden and taking advantage of your good nature.
Installing bird feeders that are rat proof is a great way to deter the pests away from your garden, because if they can’t get the seed they will quickly give up and look elsewhere for their lunch.
The quality of your bird feeder will play an important role in avoiding rat infestations and purchasing a slightly more expensive feeder that only birds can access could save you much more money in repairs to damages that rats can cause in your garden and home.
You can also remove water sources surrounding the bird feeder and in your garden which will also have a positive effect on discouraging rats to gather around your home.
Rats may be initially attracted to your garden by water sources as they can’t survive too long without it, but will stay for the free food dangling in front of them.
Believe it or not, birds can be picky eaters and will often flick away seeds to get to their favourite pieces hanging in your feeder with the scraps being left on the ground.
As a result, keeping a close eye on the area surrounding the bird feeder and making sure you are clearly up any less desirable seeds that have ended up on the grass or patio is essential to ensure rats don’t find food just laying out in your garden waiting for them.
If you think you may have a rat infestation or need further support to deter rats from entering your garden, Advantage Pest Control have years of experience in dealing with and preventing rodent problems in domestic settings.
