Rats love dog feces and bird feces. Clean up after your dog as soon as he is done and encourage your neighbors to do so. Make sure your garbage is in a can with a tight fitting lid. The seed left over from bird feeding is also inviting to rats.

The rats won't go anywhere as long as they find something to eat. They will stay, breed and raise their families there.

Thank you brooksiefan. We try to be as clean as possible with our dog and trash, but the bird seed/droppings may need better management. I'd like to think that the neighbors are doing their best to maintain cleanliness, but may need to make sure of it.

Also, I noticed that I spelled neigboring wrong, pardon me.

Okay, so I spelled it wrong a second time. Let's hope I do it right this time. N-E-I-G-H-B-O-R-I-N-G

Hope that is right!

Rats tend to be a neighborhood problem.

Leftover birdseed, also dropped birdseed, contribute to the varied food sources rats feast on.

Some counties in CA have a Vector Control District. If that's true with your county, call them as they will help you with the problem.

Hi Growngarden - I can tell you from experience, roof rats (which is what it sounds like you have) are disgusting. Last summer, my fiance and I moved into an older home in a fairly wooded area of Fresno. One rather hot August night last year, I was feeding some kittens that had taken refuge in our yard, only to hear noises coming from the large trees above. I zeroed in on what I could not believe: roof rats---many of them.

My fiance went to the County Ag Commissioner (like the Vector Control District that Jean001 recommended above) the next day and received some bait which is supposed to only attract (and kill) the rats, not the birds, squirrels, and other wildlife. You wire it into the trees and it's a wax-type substance that they gnaw on. Rats like to gnaw. Be sure to watch your dogs for a while, as you wouldn't want them to get into the deceased rats. Also, after we researched the whole rat thing, we learned that they are also attracted to fruit trees (which we had many) and ivy. Hence, we tore down all the ivy growing against the entire length of our back fence, as they took refuge between the ivy and fence. Basically, it's important to get rid of any habitat that they are fond of. There is much info on the internet on what to do.

Rat infestations are horrible. It's not good for your animals ---or you---to be around the rats, as they carry disease.

Good luck!

I think it's prudent to remember a couple of things:

First, rats aren't horrible animals. People carry unfounded phobias about rats, the same way they do about snakes and spiders. It's ridiculous. You like squirrels don't you?

Second, there will always be rats outside. You can't do much about that. The key is, you don't want them inside your home, where they actually can do damage or spread disease.

Third, please don't use poison for rat control, especially outside. It is inhumane, AND IT DOESN'T WORK. It kills a few rats, a few rats don't touch it, a few learn to avoid it, and no matter how many you kill, new ones will keep on coming. If you leave poison outside, a raccoon or dog will eat it and suffer.

All you have to worry about when it comes to rats is that they can't get into your home. To ensure this, block off any rat entry points.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rat Prevention & Rodent Control

My intention was not to offend anyone who might be partial to rats. I agree that prudence is important in anyone's approach to problem solving, if, in fact, it is deemed a problem.

I would collect information from various sources such as the county extension/ag commissioner; websites; etc., and make an informed decision.

Rats do get in peoples homes. It happens all the time. I've known and worked with several people that had rats in their house and didn't know it. In one case, a co-worker didn't know she had a nest of babies under her refrigerator until she agreed to take care of her ailing mother's cat and the cat went bezerk around the fridge. This person was not a slob. The Norway rat does find its way in the home very easily.

The Roof Rat (which is what I believe we're talking about here) commonly takes refuge in attics. If one prefers not to have this situation take place, it is prudent to seal any holes and trim any branches that come close to or hang over the roof. They often take refuge in attics when the weather starts to turn cold, in the fall.

Blocking off entry points depends on the type of rat. Norway rats commonly live and move on the ground. Roof rats literally live elevated in trees, roofs, etc., They are excellent climbers and can scale wires, posts, etc., very well. These are the two main types of rats in the US, aside from a third rat that is only found in Hawaii, and not yet here on the mainland.

Hello all!!
I am so grateful for all of your insight. Yes, an informed decision is always best. In this case, I've decided to eliminate or perhaps limit the bird feedings because limiting the dropped bird seed and bird waste otherwise would be more of a challenge. I will also do more frequent dog poop pickups and continue to make sure our trash can and trash bags are well sealed.

The rats personally aren't destroying my way of life. We do have some fruit trees that are small or presently without fruit but so far so good. Am I being optimistic? Yes, at least until I see a reason not to be. The dog acting up around the fence does get annoying, but dogs are that way around animals that are foreign to them or even other dogs.

If I were the neighbor I would remove the plant next to the fence to discourage them from staying there. Then again they could end up someone else's yard, so what good that ultimately would do (other that redirect the rats to a new unknown location), might be questionable.

Since the tree where any rat poison might be used is not on my property, I have limited access and ability to do that. The poison would be a last resort. As one of you said, having dogs or other "wanted" animals that could access it and not knowing the extent of poison effectiveness with the rats, is a turn off to me at this point. It is an option though, and I would rather have it than not.

I know that mentioned feces and I may have somehow heard about an association between rats and feces somewhere (news, other tv program), so that is why I brought it up. Although trash and feces were brought up, I don't wish to suggest that all people with rats are dirty and I'm glad someone made that point. I know that these creatures just want to survive and just sometimes happen to end up in our yards and home. They and other animals make no distinction on what we consider personal or non-personal property and that is just how it is.

The information provided by lola1, on roof rats, was really helpful.

Here is more that I should have mentioned. There is a roof right next to tree where the rat(s) are. The roof belongs to what appears to be either a wooden shed or shack. So, with what was stated, it would make sense that they are living on that roof and/or inside. Actually, last night, I saw a rat go from the tree to the shed, which I had not seen previously. I wasn't sure if they lived on the ground and just liked climbing trees, but now it makes sense.

It seems that if the tree were trimmed or even removed, the shack would probably have to be demolished, to prevent rat access, because of its design.

It sounds like you are on the path to eliminating anything that is inviting them into your yard. If you do find them becoming a bigger problem, you can always get a Rat Zapper which will kill the rats as they come onto your property. Here is a site with more info, www.ratmousezapper.com.

Try this one. Make up a mixture of plaster of paris and wholemeal flower with a small amount of caster (icing) sugar for smell and put that out for the rats. Must be enough to fill their stomachs with the plaster of paris (more for plural rats), so they block up and cannot eat or digest food.
Here in Australia there is no problem with other animals geting at it, but there may be one in the USA I.E. Squirrels and Chipmonks.
The rats do not know what is going on and eventually black your establishment, the older ones may work it out, not so the younger ones.
The best part is that being non toxic animals that eat the dead rats don't get poisoned.

This rat issue is quite a challenge. Soon after I posted this, I found out that there were rats living in my house. I've inspected the home and closed up some areas that could be letting them in. I stopped the bird feeding in May and keep the outdoor and inside home area as clean as possible, but the rats persist.

I have two non-lethal rat traps which the rats have avoided. I got them when I saw a small rat and thought it was the only one in the home (I would have released it to a location away from homes). Why non-lethal traps?...I like small animals and have owned hamsters in the past, so I can see all small animals in a positive light. However, rats eating (my) human food, chewing holes in walls and other items, putting feces everywhere, seemed too much for even a rodent/small animal lover, like me. So, I've put some small (lethal) mice traps out, still uncertain that they will be effective and not completely at peace with the idea of having to kill them, but it appears to be the only other option.

The only dead rat I've seen was killed by accident. I have a wicker chair covered with a floral cushion. I found the dead rat with its head sticking through the seat-part of the cushion... it had suffocated itself, by making the hole the size of its neck. Seeing the animal in that condition was not a nice sight, so I cut around its neck to release it and to simultaneously check, that in fact, it was deceased, and then I disposed of it. I found it odd that it could have gone in the cushion, but could not come out through the same opening I presume it went in through.

Our neighborhood has a bad rat problem. I've been told that it's because of all the canals nearby and fruit trees. I have a neighbor who actually got rid of her birds to get rid of the rats.
We have a pair of beagles & 4 cats that control them pretty well but I'm reluctant to get any fruit trees.
Also I'm stuck with the dilemma of using chicken wire around the garden to keep the dogs & rats out but I want to allow the lizards in!
Could someone tell me how I could have any fruit trees?