Rodents occasionally nest in the arbor or garden house as uninvited guests. Although these animals themselves have an important place in the ecological structure, they can also transmit diseases and cause great damage. In this article we will show you how you can get rid of your roommates in an environmentally friendly way.
How do you remove small rodents from your garden in an environmentally friendly way?
In order to remove small rodents from the garden in an environmentally friendly manner, food sources should be made inaccessible, live traps should be set, loopholes should be blocked and cat litter or noise should be used as a deterrent. Always wear gloves and a mask to prevent illness.
Why are some rodents considered pests?
Around two hundred to three hundred of the mammals with the typical gnawing teeth are pests. They either eat food or, living underground, the roots and tubers of plants. Some rodents also tamper with insulation materials and can even damage electricity and water pipes.
Rats are considered dangerous carriers of disease because there is a persistent rumor that these animals spread the plague in the Middle Ages. This is not the case, because this was the rat flea, which lives in the fur of rodents that are actually very clean and also passes to humans.
Who is nibbling on my house?
The little lodgers can be easily identified in quiet hours, preferably in the evening and at night:
- Do you hear gnawing, scratching or scratching noises?
- Can you find gnawing marks on waste bins?
- Does it smell strongly of ammonia somewhere?
- Tiny paw prints are also an unmistakable sign.
- Feces in the form of small pills as well as traces of grinding or smearing also indicate uninvited guests.
Sensible measures against small rodents
First of all, it is important to make all food sources inaccessible. Do not leave any leftover food in the garden shed and close the waste containers tightly. A good supply of food magically attracts the little animals.
The subtenants can be successfully evicted even without poison bait, which can be dangerous for children and pets:
- A cat keeps mice and rats away. Used cat litter from your cat, which you fill into a cloth bag and place where you suspect the rodents are, is sometimes enough.
- Small rodents are extremely sensitive to noise. If you let it go wild every now and then during the day, the little animals might look for another shelter.
- Do not place garden furniture and objects near the garden house in such a way that they create hiding places.
- Find the loopholes through which the rodents come into the house and plug them.
Relocate uninvited guests
You can use live traps (€15.00 on Amazon) to catch lodgers already in the arbor in an animal-friendly way. However, you usually need several traps because the animals are very smart.
- Peanut butter or sweet mashed potatoes are suitable as bait. Marzipan also magically attracts the little animals.
- Check the traps regularly so that the rodents don't have to stay in them longer than necessary and die miserably of thirst.
- Cover the trap with a cloth before moving.
- Wear sturdy leather gloves when picking up and moving.
The captured animals should be released into the wild at least one hundred meters away from the garden house.
Tip
Attention, some rodents are hosts to the dangerous Leptospira pathogens. You can become infected with the pathogens through contact with the urine of infected mammals (rats and mice, but also hedgehogs or dogs). Therefore, always wear a face mask and gloves when cleaning and pest control.