This year I grew tomatoes, and found rats are stealing them. I am certain it’s rats because I have seen them. Have tried netting the tomato plants, but rats found ways in. Called an exterminator to bait in the roof and under house. Feel ambivalent about it, because if a predator bird takes an affected rat it may get ill. But I’m located deep in suburbia and have never seen an owl or eagle so I think it’s unlikely. Didn’t work though, still have rats. Have given up on the tomatoes, plants are destroyed. What are your strategies for ridding yourself of ratty pestilences?
Rats will completely ignore that poisoned food when they have other good food sources. I ended up getting a Gamo air rifle and shooting the rats in the head. Instant death, and somehow the other rats knew it wasn’t safe as soon as I shot one, so they’d disappear for 3 weeks, then I’d have to shoot another one. I hated shooting them, but nothing else worked. Eventually I just gave up and let them live in our backyard. They never tried to get into the house, so we just called a truce. If their burrow isn’t near or under the house, then you could use those mole bombs and smoke their burrow. That would kill them all at once if you can be sure to seal all the exits first.