I was told by an exterminator that black-oil sunflower seeds are
particularly attractive to rats. However, even without those, I still
have to have baited traps put out occasionally (by the same exterminator).
Bob Hartman
Colesville
Jason Waanders wrote:
> My feeding experience is more limited than Fran's, but I would guess
> that the attractiveness of the feeders to rats will partly depend on
> what you're putting in them. Assuming the feeders are not directly
> accessible to the rats, the rats are probably depending on the birds to
> scatter seed on the ground. Seed mixes are bad because some birds
> (especially House Sparrows, which are messy eaters anyway) will scatter
> large amounts of the seeds they don't like while picking out the ones
> they do like. Non-mixed seed with low waste is the best bet, and I'm
> sure there's some seeds rats don't like as much--safflower, maybe? In
> my case, my feeders are only a few feet from my neighbors' yards, so I
> avoid feeding entirely in summer, when rats seem to be most active. I
> don't know if any of this is new info for someone who's been feeding for
> 14 years, though!
>
> If the rats have moved in for the first time after 14 prior years of
> feeding, I'd guess there's a good chance they've got other food sources,
> so even taking away the feeders may not cause them to leave.
>
> Jason Waanders
> NW DC
> jwaandersATstarpower.net
>
> |