Over the last decade St. John’s  has  experienced a   proliferation of rats in residential  areas .  This is attributed in part to the large amount  of city and road construction in recent decades.  Our neighbour alone has faced a mass exodus of rats to our neighbourhood as , to the east of us, the old  Sanatorium was plowed down  to make way for Waterford Valley  high school and  land was cleared  to the west of us to  make way for the  TGH extension  .  Restaurants to the north of us on Topsail Road plus  the Waterford River  and the 165 year –old  Waterford Hospital to the south have likewise exacerbated the problem in our neighbour.  Also,  rats  nowadays face little in the way of natural predators  since city by-laws prohibit  cats and dogs  from roaming the streets  as freely as they once did.   Only recently have city by-laws required  taxpayers to place garbage in storage containers. 

A female rat typically births six litters a year consisting of 12 rat pups, although 5—10 pups is more common. Rats reach sexual maturity after 4—5 weeks, meaning that a population can swell from two rats to around 1,250 in one year, with the potential to grow exponentially.   This fact combined with the movement  of rats  from  all directions  into our neighbourhood  should be a cause for concern for all who live in this area. 

While I have seen rats in this neighbour  for  years,  they seem to be getting much worse lately.  This past month alone,  I saw two rats running down  Thomas  street in the daytime and  in the last two weeks I’ve seen several running along my back fence  under my shed and to and from neighbouring yards.

I’ve spoken to my immediate neighbours about my concerns and we are taking steps to do what we can to  eliminate rats  from our yards and  if possible to  discourage them from returning  again.   According to the professionals I’ve spoken to ,  however,  unless  we take collective  action,   this problem will persist and ,  in fact , get worse  with each passing year. 

The key is to drive them away from our neighbourhood by eliminating three things necessary to their daily survival – food, shelter, and water.    Here is what you can do to accomplish this:

Food :  Eliminate bird feeders  which are prohibited anyway according to city by-laws.  Dispose of pet feces immediately as I’m told rats, if necessary,  will  survive solely on animal excrement .  Hence they are disease carriers.   Store all household garbage in heavy plastic or metal bins with tight fitting lids.  Make sure you know how to properly  compost  food wastes.   Place a rubber mat under your barbeque and take care to pick up any food  droppings.  Don’t leave pet food outside. Store grass or other  types of seeds in  metal or plastic containers with tight fitting lids.  Avoid throwing bread and other food on your lawn for birds.

Water:    Rats need to have a water supply near their nesting area as they require ample water in order to survive.   As they can only see a distance of two or three feet,  they rely on  the smell of their urine as a means of marking their territory,  identifying  other  family members, and following established travel routes.   Eliminate any standing water  around and under your property  and eliminate any source of running water.. Leaking hoses, pipes , pumps and the like.

Shelter :  Norwegian rats, the type that inhabit the city,  like to burrow under sheds,  the edges of pavements and concrete,  decks,   low lying shrubs and trees,  tall grass and weeds,  leaves , wood piles -  anywhere where they can be warm and especially where they feel they can be unchallenged by humans, animals, or birds.   Therefore it is really important that you routinely maintain a  clean and tidy yard by ensuring that you regularly cut your  grass and weeds,  trim the bottoms of your trees and shrubs,  rake up  your leaves especially  under decking  and other structures around your property.  Don’t  leave any plastics or other debris  around your yard as rats will use anything as nesting material to keep warm or provide shelter.  Stack wood at least one foot off  the ground.

Unbelievably,  although the city bears a lot of the responsibility for creating this problem in the first place,  there  is no organized rodent control program in St. John’s .  The responsibility for rat control lies solely with the owner and/or the occupant of the  land, dwelling or business.   That is much like saying that regulations  regarding the rules of the road  lie solely with the driver of  a vehicle.  Not only is that preposterous but also is not in keeping with the by-laws implemented  in other cities across Canada  where rats are a concern.  

To remedy this problem,  we plan with your support to petition St. John's City Council  to pass  by-laws  mandating  property owners  follow  rodent control regulations.

If you share our views and want  to pioneer with us in establishing  rodent control by-laws for the city of St. John’s ,  please support us by signing this petition which will be included in an upcoming agenda at St. John's City Council session.