How to Keep Rats from Under Composite Decking

Rat infestation is a problem if you have composite decking in your garden. They can destroy your flowers or the fruits in your garden. Or, they can use your composite decking as a hideout when moving from their holes to their food source. If you notice rats under your composite decking, there is no need to panic. Homeowners have employed various methods to keep rats from under composite decking. 

Why Rats Hide Under Composite Decking

Before you know how to keep rats from under your decking, you have to understand why rats hide under them. If you have a garden that is close to your kitchen or food store, then the kitchen can be a food source for rats. When moving from their hideout to their food source, rats can take advantage of the dark spots under your composite decking and hide there.

This is possible if you have elevated composite decking. Besides that, if you have a pet like a dog that plays in your garden, you can feed your dog there. If you feed your dog on your decking, food particles might drop on your decking and eventually fall under it.

These food droppings will attract rats. Keeping birds is another thing that can attract rats. This will happen if you feed your bird without a bird feeder. The dropping will attract rats and other rodents, and they will camp under your composite decking. 

Keeping Rats from Under Your Composite Decking

This process is easy after identifying why rats hide under the decking. To keep rats from under your composite decking, you have to ensure that your garden is well protected.

Build a Composite Fencing around Your Property

If you notice rats under your decking, it will help if you try to protect your property by building a fence around it. When covering your property, it is best to use a durable fencing material like composite fencing for the task. Note that good fencing will not only protect your compound from rats; it will keep away other rodents like a raccoon. Aside from rodents, good fencing will keep your compound free of reptiles like a snake.

After building the fence, you should ensure that the space between the fencing panels should not be too large so that rats will not pass through it. Note that for optimal result, you should build a privacy fence in your garden. A privacy fence will do the task of keeping rats away from your composite decking and your garden.

Keep Food Source Away from Rats

Note that composite decking itself does not attract rats. Rats only use decking as a hideout when moving from their holes to their food source. To stop rats from hiding under your decking, you should ensure that you keep them away from the food source.

It implies that you have to lock your kitchen well if your kitchen is their food source. If you have a food store, you must seal all the ways that rats can enter it. When rats find it impossible to reach their food source, they will look for their food elsewhere without hiding under your composite decking. 

Install Net around the Base of Your Composite Decking

Rats cannot hide under a flush or ground level decking because it is close to the ground. If you have an elevated decking, then rats will hide under the decking. The best thing for elevated composite decking is to install iron nets around the base of your decking. Posts are used to raise elevated decking above the ground, so you should attach the net top the posts. Ensure that you use a strong net that will not get destroyed easily if rats try to bore holes into it. 

Use Feeders to Feed Your Bird

If you don’t want rats and other rodents to hide under your composite decking, you have to use a feeder to feed your birds if you have birds. Feeding your birds on top of your decking will attract rats. If you have bird feeders, then there won’t be droppings.

Feed Your Pets in Plates

Another thing that will bring rats to your composite decking is to feed your dogs on top of your decking. So, you should use plates when you want to feed your dogs.

Conclusion

If you want to keep rats from under your composite decking, you have to build a fence to cover your property. Aside from that, you have to keep all food source locked and use feeders to feed your birds.