Rats and Mice need do little more than just be seen to have people in a panic. Sadly it is all too easy to walk into a hardware or pet shop and pick up a packet of poison. Not only a hideous death for the intended victim but potentially for pets, other wildlife and even humans if used carelessly.

Some well intentioned people are taking a more compassionate approach by purchasing humane traps and releasing caught individuals. Whilst we admire their attempts to deal with the problem without killing, this method is as ineffective as killing them. It is also not really humane as rats and mice are territorial and will attack any new comers to their area.

There is widespread public belief that live capture and relocation is a humane solution to wildlife conflicts in and around the home and garden...Research to date shows that the technique is not particularly humane. Relocated animals released in areas already containing the species move extensively in an effort to find a new home not already occupied by other individuals. Mortality of such relocated animals is high...In addition, removal of animals may create a vacuum at the problem site that is quickly filled by new animals
-Maryland Task Force on Non-Lethal Wildlife Management

Why are lethal methods ineffective?

Rats and mice are naturally cautious animals and are very suspicious of anything new in their environment. They will therefore tend to avoid traps and poisons.

They have a highly developed sense of smell and can distinguish between poisoned and untainted food easily.

They are quick to learn and once they have seen one of their family killed by a trap or by eating certain foods they will then avoid it.

They have also evolved an immunity to commonly used rodenticides and they are becoming increasingly ineffective.

Rats and Mice are attracted to your garden or home by two things - food and shelter. If you have the rodents killed or removed but the availability of these things remains constant then the remaining animals will simply breed to replace them.

So What's the Alternative?

Simply removing these two desirables - food and shelter.

Removal of the nesting, shelter, and roosting places can significantly reduce many types of vertebrate pest problems.
- BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF VERTEBRATE PESTS Walter E. Howard

First of all - where are they finding food? Do you have pets who are spilling food on your property? Are you feeding birds in your garden? Do you have fruit or vegetables in your garden? Are you storing packets of food where they can be accessed? You need to remove the food source and this will make your property a great deal less attractive. A plentiful food supply will encourage the rodents to breed so if you try simply to remove the rodents they will carry on breeding all the while that food is there for the taking.

Secondly, where are they finding shelter? Are there any burrow holes leading under a shed? Do you have a log pile or compost heap in your garden? Or a coal bunker? Fill any gaps and store compost, logs, coal etc in sturdy sealable containers. Or if they're actually in your house check your doors, skirting boards, air vents, where pipes go through walls etc for gaps - bear in mind that they can squeeze through extremely small holes - rats through half an inch, mice as little as half a centimetre. Fix brush strips to your doors and fill any gaps with mortar.

By removing these two things you will discourage the rodents from breeding and they will disperse and eventually decline in number. It is not as "quick win" as lethal methods perhaps but it is the only long term solution.