How to Get Rid of Rats Organically in the Vegetable Garden
- 1). Use fox urine to repel rats from the yard. Rats fear the presence of these predators and tend to stay away if they smell they are near. Fox urine comes in a powder you can shake along the perimeter of your yard or garden.
- 2). Determine how much you need by measuring the perimeter of your garden. Generally, 20 ounces covers 600 feet, three lbs. will provide coverage for 1,500 feet and 12 lbs. can be used to keep rats away up to 6,000 feet.
- 3). Reapply fox urine after each time it rains or if your area is near an irrigation system.
- 4). Use the mixture in open areas around your home to keep rats from being tempted to enter your garden.
- 1). Set up live traps in your garden by holes where rats can crawl out. Be sure the traps have a 1/2-inch grid so the rat doesn't escape.
- 2). Bait your trap with a piece of food; rats love grains or meat. Check the trap every day to see if you've caught a rat.
- 3). Wear long sleeves, protective gloves and boots when you release the rat in case it lurches toward you.
- 4). Drive the rat to an open field to set it free. Avoid going to an area near any homes or planted crops.
- 5). Keep the trap door open if the rat doesn't scurry out of the trap. Try carefully dumping the rat out close to the ground if it won't leave the trap on its own.
- 1). Build a wall around your vegetable garden. Several companies sell walls specifically made to protect gardens from pests. The benefit is that rats won't be able to get in, yet the downside is not being able to view your garden.
- 2). Add electric fencing around the garden for a slightly more open feeling than a wall.
- 3). Hide your fencing with tall plants that will provide an attractive covering for the fence.