Wiltonians, your Gardening Guru has been dealing with a problem: it’s annoying and embarrassing, it carries disease and at this point, it appears to be multiplying.
The problem is a Norway rat that decided my bird feeder would be a perfect place to dine, night and day. In the beginning, a “shoo!” and a wave of my hands sent it back into the cover of the ivy, but eventually even that only caused my new unwanted visitor to flinch slightly and then continue to munch away.
According to the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection ’s website, Norway rats can have up to twelve babies in a single nest and over five litters a year. They also can carry Hantavirus and rabies and can be extremely destructive to structures such as sheds and even houses.