I know where some colonies are. One is behind my chair in the backyard in a table that houses pool chemicals. It stinks of rat piss. I’ve seen some of them and they’re huge. Yesterday, my dog and a massive rat (that I’m now concerned is pregnant and not just fat) had a stand off. My dog isn’t a hunter and he wouldn’t eat a kill even if he did, but he drives himself a bit bonkers chasing them around.

I don’t know why the rats are in my yard as there is no free access to food here. My dog’s kibble is in a tightly sealed metal drum. I feed him inside and if I feed him outside, I pick up the food not eaten and trash it within an hour or two. Also, I’ve never seen any of these rats eating from his bowls.

We don’t have any food plants (except a lemon tree) in the yard. We don’t have bird feeders. We don’t have anything back there, so I don’t know why they’re there or where their food supply is.

What is a non-toxic way of getting rid of these rats?