The end of October and the start of November is one of the busiest weeks of the year for many families. There are pumpkins to carve, Halloween parties, trick or treaters, and then bonfire night gatherings in back gardens and on local playing fields. It is also a week when a lot of extra food waste ends up outside, often just as rats are looking for reliable food and shelter to see them through the winter.

None of this means you cannot enjoy the season. It simply helps to know which habits attract rats, and how to avoid turning your garden into their favourite feeding station.

Why rats are active around your home at this time of year

The brown rat is the species found across the UK, in towns, suburbs and countryside alike. Rats breed through most of the year, and populations are often at their highest in late summer and autumn after the warmer months. As the weather turns and natural food becomes scarce, rats range further for food and look for sheltered spots near buildings, such as under sheds, decking, in compost heaps and in log piles.

Rats are cautious, clever and have excellent memories. Once they find a reliable food source, they will return to it night after night, and they will establish runs between their shelter and that food. A single week of easy pickings can be enough to draw them into a garden that they then continue to visit.

Pumpkins: a feast for rodents

Carved pumpkins look wonderful on a doorstep, but they begin to soften and rot within days, especially in mild, damp weather. A decaying pumpkin is soft, sweet and full of seeds, which makes it an attractive meal for rats, mice and squirrels. It is not uncommon to find a pumpkin on the front step with a neat hole gnawed through the back.

  • Bring carved pumpkins in, or dispose of them, within a couple of days of Halloween.
  • Put pumpkin waste in your garden or food waste bin with the lid closed, rather than leaving it in the garden or on a compost heap where it will sit exposed.
  • If you compost pumpkins, chop them up and bury them well inside an enclosed compost bin, not an open heap.
  • Do not scoop out the seeds and leave them for the birds on the ground or on a bird table. Rats will happily take them.

Party food and overflowing bins

Halloween and bonfire parties produce a lot of waste in a short space of time: paper plates, food scraps, sweet wrappers, hot dog rolls and leftover treacle toffee. The problem usually is not the party itself but what happens afterwards, when bags are left beside the bin because it is already full, or a bin lid is left propped open.

  • Plan ahead for extra waste. If you expect more than your bin will hold, hold bags indoors or in a closed garage until collection day, rather than stacking them outside.
  • Make sure bin lids close fully. Rats can climb, and a lid that does not shut is an easy invitation.
  • Clear up food dropped in the garden the same evening. Sausage ends, crisps and sweets on the lawn will be found overnight.
  • Rinse food containers before putting them in recycling. Food residue in recycling bins attracts rodents just as much as general waste.
  • Collection arrangements can vary around bank holidays and busy periods, so check with your local council, whether that is Nottingham City Council, Rushcliffe Borough Council or Gedling Borough Council, if you are unsure when your bins will be emptied.

Bonfire piles and wildlife

Bonfire piles built days or weeks before 5 November can become shelter for wildlife. Hedgehogs are the animal most at risk, and it is always good practice to rebuild or check a bonfire pile on the day before lighting it. Rats, too, may take advantage of a pile of wood and garden waste, particularly if it is close to a food source.

  • Build bonfires on the day, or move the pile to a fresh spot just before lighting.
  • Do not dump food waste on bonfire piles.
  • After the event, clear away unburnt material and ash rather than leaving a heap in the corner of the garden.

Other autumn attractions in the garden

The festive week tends to add to problems that are already present. Common year-round attractions include:

  • Bird feeders. Spilled seed beneath feeders is one of the most common reasons we find rats in gardens. Use a tray under the feeder, bring feeders in at night if activity starts, and never throw bread onto the lawn.
  • Compost heaps. Open compost heaps containing cooked food, meat or dairy attract rats. Stick to raw fruit and vegetable peelings and garden waste, and use an enclosed bin with a solid base or fine mesh underneath.
  • Pet food. Food bowls left outside for cats or dogs will feed rats too.
  • Clutter. Piles of wood, old furniture and dense undergrowth next to fences provide shelter. Keeping the edges of the garden tidy makes it less appealing.
  • Gaps under sheds and decking. These are favourite burrowing spots. Mesh can be fixed around the base to stop rats getting underneath.

Signs that rats are already visiting

  • Burrows, typically holes around 6 to 9 centimetres across, in banks, under paving, beside sheds or in compost heaps.
  • Droppings, capsule-shaped and around 10 to 14 millimetres long.
  • Worn runs through grass or along fence lines.
  • Gnaw marks on sheds, bins or garden furniture.
  • Seeing a rat, especially during the day, which can indicate a larger population nearby.

Staying safe

Rats can carry diseases, including leptospirosis. Wear gloves when clearing up in areas where you have seen droppings, wash your hands afterwards, and keep children and pets away from burrows and any bait that has been laid. If you notice activity close to the house, check air bricks, gaps around pipes and door seals, because rats and mice that start in the garden will often try to get indoors as the weather gets colder.

When to call us

Call us if you see burrows, find droppings or spot rats in the garden more than once, or if activity moves towards the house. We cover Nottingham, West Bridgford, Mapperley and the surrounding areas, seven days a week. See our rat control service, read about mouse control, or request a personal quote and tell us what you have seen.