Wee, sleekit, cowran, tim'rous beastie, O, what panic's in thy breastie!
This fellow came to watch me tidy my square foot of lawn and patio edges (a job so long overdue that it was probably advertised in rodent-world as a once-in a lifetime experience.) I noticed him slowly make his way across the patio from I-don’t-know-where. He looked a bit dazed and as if he had bigger things to worry about than my presence or that of the growling lawnmower – I’m guessing either a recent run-in with next door’s cat or an existential crisis – and sat motionless under the sage for at least ten minutes.
I think it is a full-grown mouse, rather than a young rat, though that might be wishful thinking. I find it very hard to tell the difference. Any rodent identification experts out there?
Last week, I found two dead rodents in a bucket that had filled up with water in the rain – but these were definitely rats, twice the size of this fellow. I don’t think there’s anything in particular in my garden to attract rats (the compost bin is well-sealed and only contain garden waste), but we’re told that you’re only ever 10 metres from a rat in London.
(Who told us this, and when they told us, I don’t know, but it’s been repeated many times, by many people, so it must be true. Except some of those that tell us these things say six feet not ten metres, which even if you’re not good at your imperial/metric conversions is clearly uncomfortably closer. Sometimes I wonder how I get to work each day without my rat-waders on…)
On the right is a glorious character I’ve never seen stop inside my garden, but I certainly hear a lot from her and her hooligan friends. Someone down the street puts out peanuts for the local gang of parakeets, and they drop the shells on my runner beans as they joy-ride overhead.
Frugilegus 
July 20, 2009 at 15:12
I’m definitely not a rodent expert, but I do remember a rather large family of rats setting up home in my last flat’s garden in North London! They truly are everywhere here. I’m afraid that does look awfully like the baby rat we had there… I just can’t get over them wandering around during the day! I did pass one sauntering across a railway bridge on my way home once so maybe you’re on to something with the rat-wader idea.
July 22, 2009 at 21:58
I’ve seen lots more running about lately too, especially on the tube – perhaps there’s a new breed of fearless rats on the loose.
My flat has decking outside, and I expect that provides a lovely rat home. Just hoping they don’t get any more confident and move in.
July 23, 2009 at 06:01
That tail does look rat-likely-long.
We have a big black compost bin that sits directly on the earth and, a few years ago, we had rats burrowing up through it, right to the new ‘food’ at the top and pulling it down and away.
This went on for quite a while, me getting more and more puzzled about how things seemed to be composting much quicker than usual (well, they weren’t; they were being extracted) yet the compost level wasn’t going up.
When I realised there were rats, I thought I’d have to put down rat poison . . . or call the council . . . but it turns out they don’t like noise. So I banged the compost bin and the shed (they were in and out and under that as well) with a big stick several times a day for . . . about a week? (Roughly that, I think.) And they went.
Your post is a timely prod. I saw a young rat in the garden a few days ago and simply thought ‘oh, there’s a rat’. I think I had better do some precautionary (preventive?) (preventative?)banging.
Esther
July 27, 2009 at 18:37
Thanks for the tip. Our bin’s on paving so it should be safe, but they might like it under the decking. Perhaps I’ll try dancing on it thrice daily. Another apparently inexplicable activity for next-door to puzzle over.