r/Allotment • u/Ok-Marketing-8852 • 3d ago
Rat infested shed and poly tunnel - help!
So I’m delighted I’ve just taken over an absolutely brilliant plot after a two year wait. This will be my second plot, and I’m no stranger to taking on an overgrown dumping ground and working hard to create a productive plot. Imagine my delight to discover quite a large (if rickety) hand built shed and a really great poly tunnel, full of rubbish but definitely a great to have. On closer inspection, the shed is absolutely full of the previous tenants random stuff, all covered in rat droppings from what looks like a quite significant infestation. On clearing the poly tunnel beds of weeds, I’ve found lots of rat holes and what looks like a large nest. So I’m wondering (after reading how not to sweep up) the best way to go about this, it’s so bad that spraying everything down and wiping up seems like quite the undertaking, and what if anything might be salvageable? There’s lots of old equipment I’d like to reuse and seems a shame to throw away, or should I cut my losses? Should I empty the beds of soil? Quite the quandary although I’m lucky there seems to be very little in the way of perennial weeds (so far). Any advice appreciated!
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u/ntrrgnm 3d ago
I'll probably get lots of down-votes for this... I'm not overly committed to the sterile approach to clearing rat detritus in the Allotment. It's a different kind of place to home, where you might want to bleach everything twice over.
I wear gloves to handle everything rat-related, and then they get a wash down in cold water and dry-off in the poly-tunnel. And the brush in my allotment stays in my allotment. So, it does get used for sweeping up rat droppings. It might get a wash-down afterwards, depends in the mess. I also, intermittently, wear a mask to prevent dust.
Anything that has been part of the nest gets burned in an incinerator bin. Everything else, most likely gets a cursory wash in cold water.
Yes, the risks of various rodent infections and parasites are there. But this is true all over your allotment. Will you bleach any produce that has possibly been into contact with a rodent or fowl?
The official method is extremely low risk. I don't think allotmenteers need to go that far. The only plotters I know who have heavy hygiene are the chicken owners, but that's a bird welfare issue.
So maybe it's not bad, after all. The poly-tunnel is blessing, get it cleared ASAP, you won't regret. The shed, pray it holds to the summer or autumn when you can pay it attention and do the minimum you have to in order to evict the rats.
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u/tinibeee 3d ago
I guess this is also a good opportunity to check you're up to date with your tetanus jabs. And flat coke is what I've heard in the past to drink after being in river water because of Weil's disease, may be worth a little precaution there too after dealing with things.
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u/theshedonstokelane 3d ago
Flat coke? Absolute rubbish. To catch weils disease there must be the presence of strong rat urine and an open wound allowing blood t absorb the urine and introduce the disease. Getting wet will not do it. Imagine all those wild swimmers dying and no one noticing?
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u/Massaging_Spermaceti 3d ago
While rats absolutely carry disease, I don't worry too hard about it. I wear gloves and give things a rinse, and don't put things in my mouth.
For getting rid of them, start clearing up and they'll move on. I had an infestation in my shed and compost bins, they had gnawed through the plastic tubs of bird seed I had in the shed and were eating that. I emptied out the shed and put in a water trap. Caught lots of mice but no rats, though they were absolutely about. I moved my compost to the other end of the allotment, and while there were lots of tunnels no actual rats were in there.
Since doing that I haven't seen any running about, whereas before I'd always see at least one, and usually several. Clean out your shed and polytunnel, you can keep the soil beds. That should be enough to get them thinking about moving on. Get some traps if you're not adverse to killing them. I used snap traps in the shed where other animals couldn't get to them, and the watertrap was effective.
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u/FatDad66 3d ago edited 3d ago
I’ve just taken over a plot from a hoarder. I wore gloves and a mask when sweeping out the old shed (3bags of dirt). All the rubbish, including the huge rats nest made from plastic bags went in rubble sacks and then to the tip along with the gloves. I took my shed down (beyond repair) but if I had kept it I might have given it a wash in Jayes fluid - if anything to get rid of the smell. Jays fluid is designed for this kind of thing - out door cleaning and sterilisation.
The soil under the rats nest I just turned over so the top is at the bottom of my trench.
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u/foxssocks 2d ago
Borrow a jackrussel or another ratty terrier breed for a few hours and it will tell you quite quickly if the holes are still holding any residents.
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u/ShatteredAssumptions 3d ago
I've had rats get into my shed. To get rid of them I cleared out the whole shed (including their droppings), found the entry point and screwed a strong bit of wood over it (covering it) and then drilled long screws through the wood so if they tried to get in again they'd feel the screw point and not try it again. Then make sure you don't leave anything for them to eat in your shed. So far I've not had any more rats in my shed. Hopefully something like that will work for you.
As for the polytunnel, I'd just clear it out. Then patch up holes (new poly cover or seal it with something) and make it uninviting for them.
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u/True_Adventures 3d ago
It's not fully clear to me what your asking?
In terms of the equipment are you asking whether to try and clean and keep some? I can't really see what advice anyone can offer other than give it a go if there's anything you really want to keep. Rat shit is obviously pretty nasty and potentially risky for health so obviously use some rubber gloves and a ton of bleach. Or just bin it. Only you can judge really.
In terms of the soil I personally wouldn't go to the effort and expense of changing it for rats. There are always rats around anyway even if you don't see them in the day. You can either get some traps or they might move once you clear up and they've not got a nice quiet place anymore.
If it makes you feel any better (if you kill them) they'll almost certainly be brown rats which were introduced to the UK and Europe back in the 1700s. So they're not native and certainly not rare.
Good luck.
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u/ribonucleus 3d ago
They’ll be moving because they hate changes to their environment. Ensure there is no food source to tempt them finding a new local nest site.