How to Keep Rats Away From Bird Feeders
Bird feeders are a wonderful addition to any outdoor space. However, leaving food in your garden can attract more than just some feathered friends; it can also entice unwelcome guests like rats. Once these pesky creatures have chewed or squeezed through your garden fence, they can rapidly reproduce and take over your outdoor space. To help prevent infestations, this article explores how to keep rats away from bird feeders and the best rat control methods if they happen to infiltrate your garden.
Bird Feeders and Rat Infestations
Rats are opportunist animals; they can sniff out free food and will pounce at the opportunity to steal it. Once they are near a reliable food source, such as a bird feeder, they will nest and reproduce extremely quickly, causing serious issues for you and your cherished garden.
Notorious for inflicting damage inside and outside the home, rats can leave your manicured lawn looking unkept; from eating prized vegetables to burrowing through property foundations, they can become a real nuisance.
In addition, rats can also be a danger to our families. As a transmitter of diseases, rats can infect pets and humans with life-threatening ailments – the longer they stay in your garden, the higher your chance of contracting a rat-transmitted disease.
How to Keep Rats Away From Bird Feeders
To prevent infestations, you must first understand how to keep rats away from bird feeders using the methods below:
- Rat-Proof Your Garden
We recommend exposing all areas of your garden by securing or removing any small nooks in which a rat could nest. Although they may still visit your outdoor space to enjoy the bird seed, it is unlikely they will become a permanent issue if they don’t have a safe space to reproduce. - Don’t Overfill Your Feeder
Rather than overfilling your bird feeder, we recommend keeping secure bins full of seed so you can refill using small amounts more regularly. In doing so, you reduce the amount of bird feed accessible to rats, deterring them from entering your garden in the first place. - Use Baffles
If you’re wondering how to keep rats away from bird feeders, consider using a baffle. There are two main types of this device, a dome baffle and a tubular baffle. The former resembles an upside-down bowl, placed approximately halfway up the bird feeder pole. Due to its shape, the rodent will be unable to manoeuvre around the obstacle, preventing it from accessing your seed. Alternatively, a tubular baffle acts as a smooth, slippery drain pipe around the bird feeder pole. As a result, rats cannot grip the stand and cannot reach the seed above. - Spice Up Your Seed Mix
If you need an inventive idea to keep rats away from bird feeders, try adding a little kick to your seed mix. Interestingly, birds do not have taste buds, so combining hot chilli flakes with your seed is a harmless addition for birds but a great deterrent for rats.
Keep Rats Away From Bird Feeders – Summary
The list above outlines our key ideas on how to keep rats away from bird feeders. However, if rats have already infested your garden, a surefire way to remove these pesky critters for good is to contact a professional. With over 25 years of experience, Confirm A Kill offer unbeatable pest control rates and exceptional service. Please get in contact with one of our friendly experts today to organise a free inspection.