Fact-checked against 2 sources · Updated 14 October 2026On this page
Signs of rats in the garden
- Burrows: round holes roughly 5–10cm across, often under sheds, decking, patios, paving, along fences and at the base of walls. Fresh burrows have clean, smooth edges and no cobwebs or leaf litter in the entrance.
- Runs: narrow, beaten paths through grass, along fences and beside walls, sometimes polished smooth by repeated use.
- Droppings: dark, pellet-shaped droppings about the size of large grains of rice, often clustered near bins, feeders, sheds and compost.
- Gnawing and damage: chewed bird-feed bags, dustbin lids, timber, or plastic pipework.
- Sightings at dusk or dawn: a rat seen in daylight often means the colony is large, or that food is easy to find.
What attracts rats to a garden
Rats aren’t attracted by dirt so much as by three simple things: food, water and shelter. The common culprits are:
- Bird feeders and seed that spills onto the ground overnight.
- Compost heaps with cooked food, bread or meat in them, especially open heaps.
- Chicken feed and pet food left out, and eggs in poorly protected coops.
- Fallen fruit and un-collected windfalls.
- Cover: thick ivy, log piles, stored materials, dense shrubs and the dark gap beneath decking and sheds.
- Damaged drains, where a broken pipe gives rats a sheltered route from the sewer into the garden.
Newark-on-Trent has plenty of these routes: gardens backing onto the Trent, the River Devon and the town’s waterways and allotments sit next to permanent rat habitat, and older properties can have ageing drains. If your garden is near water or allotments, mention it when you call, because it changes where a technician focuses the inspection.
What proper garden rat control involves
- Finding every burrow, not just the most obvious one. A single burrow entrance often connects to several exits under decking, paving or a shed base.
- Secure external bait stations, positioned along the runs rats actually use and kept away from pets, children and wildlife. Rats are wary of new objects, so it can take a few days before they start feeding — a good sign of a well-run treatment is that stations are checked and refilled until activity stops.
- Checking the drains. If rats are burrowing beside a downpipe or manhole, or a drain is suspected, a drain inspection can show whether a broken pipe is the real route.
- Advice specific to your garden: where to move feeders, what to do with the compost, and what to tidy or clear so rats have less shelter.
- Follow-up visits to confirm activity has stopped and fill any burrows that are no longer in use.
What you can do yourself
- Use a bird feeder with a seed tray, or move feeding to a raised table; sweep up seed daily.
- Keep cooked food, bread and meat out of open compost heaps, and use a rat-resistant bin if you compost.
- Store pet food, chicken feed and bird seed in sealed metal or thick plastic bins.
- Keep bins closed and pick up windfalls regularly.
- Clear clutter and stacked materials from against walls and fences, and cut back dense ground cover close to buildings.
These steps make your garden less appealing, but they rarely clear an established colony on their own, and DIY poison can harm pets, children and wildlife. If you can see burrows or a rat in daylight, professional treatment is the sensible route.
When it’s more than “just the garden”
Garden activity that goes untreated for more than a few weeks has usually already found a way towards the house. A shed or garage is frequently the halfway point before rats reach a loft or cavity wall. If you’re also hearing anything indoors, mention it when you call — see loft rat removal for what that visit involves, and rat proofing for how to stop them getting in afterwards. If the rats seem to be coming from a neighbour’s plot, read our guide to rats coming from next door.
Garden rat control questions
Are rats in the garden dangerous?
Rats can carry infections and contaminate surfaces with urine and droppings, and they can damage pipes, cables and structures. Avoid handling droppings or dead rats with bare hands, wash your hands after gardening, and keep children and pets away from burrows.
Is it safe for pets and wildlife?
A competent technician uses tamper-resistant bait stations placed away from pets and wildlife, and will tell you where every station is. Tell them about cats, dogs, chickens and any hedgehogs or birds you look after so they can position stations carefully.
Can I just fill the burrows in?
Filling burrows while they’re still in use usually just makes rats dig a new one nearby. Burrows are best filled after treatment has stopped the activity.
Why are there more rats in autumn?
As the weather cools and the harvest and hedgerow food runs out, rats look for shelter and reliable food, so gardens, sheds and houses see more activity from September until the first hard frosts.
Does garden rat control cost less than loft work?
It can, because outdoor treatments are often simpler, but it depends on the size of the problem and how many visits are needed. Typical UK prices for a standard treatment run roughly £125–£320, and the technician who attends agrees the exact price with you first.
Droppings near bins, sheds or compost are a common early sign. See what rat droppings look like.
Seen one in daylight? Read is a rat in the garden in daylight dangerous.
Wondering if your pet will help? See do cats or dogs keep rats away.
Sources and further reading
Facts on this page were checked against the sources above on 14 October 2026. Laws, prices and council services change, so check the current position before relying on them.
This site connects households and businesses in the Newark-on-Trent area with an independent local rat-control technician. We are not the servicing contractor and do not carry out treatment ourselves. See our terms & disclosure.