What beast is excavating under my patio?

[braniff]

I do see a small rat in the garden sometimes, and I'm after them because wires and silicone tubes have been attacked in the prized car that lives in the garage.

Is this the work of a rat though? You can see the original concrete slabs have collapsed after the rubble underneath has washed away, and the biggest gap between slabs is about an inch. So the creature is digging stuff from beneath the slabs, bringing it up through an inch gap, then moving it a slab's width before pushing some of it out the edge. There was loads of rubble atop the slabs, and that pyramid of rubble is as found.

I will add boards to seal this and the other end. The only access then will be the 5 mm gaps between planks.

Squirrels live in trees don't they?

Thanks for any comments - Regards - braniff

 

[JohnD]

Typical

There is never "a" rat.

You can fill in that entrance to the rat mansion, but do it after you have killed them all, or they will dig it out.

Put down some poison in numerous little containers, covered to prevent pets or birds getting them, along probable routes, preferably next to walls, hedges and other cover. Check and refill them daily until it stops being taken.

Stop putting out rat-food on bird tables or scattered around bins or in bags

Remove sources of water

 

[Gorners]

As above, if you see a rat in the daytime this likely means the nest is overcrowded - they normally only come out at night.

If you have a rough idea where they are, get the poison that are small bags, if you’re lucky they’ll drag it back to the nest.