Rats

We stopped feeding birds and composting at home a few years ago when we first saw a rat in the compost. They weren't spotted again until last autumn.

Unfortunately our neighbor often leaves (left? not sure now) whole peanuts out for the squirrels. My husband also discovered that the neighbors a few doors down, with whom we share an access road at the back, have piled up green waste in the access road into a veritable rat palace. The rats were coming from the access road and the nut-neighbor, burrowing under the fence. The access road seems to have been successfully blocked off, but they keep tunneling under the fence. My husband just goes out and fills the holes every day or two. All of this has slowed them down or at least made them less bold - I used to see them just trundling across the garden any time of day, but they are now rarely spotted even though the holes reappear every week or so. I don't think we're really a source of food or water for them, but more of an access point perhaps. I'm hoping the wire will be enough to put them off since there will be easier ways to get to the peanuts next door.

We have a wendy house in the back for the kids as well as the plant stuff, so I'm really keen to get them out of the garden because I can't stand the idea of them where the kids play.