Rats are everywhere. No matter how I try they are ever present in the garden sometimes stealing the bird food. They never bother me at all.
Keeping them under control in the country is impossible as they will happily munch through the farmers crops of maize and I have often seen them on the peanut feeders and maize in the field.
  Many are relocated using humane traps.

A nest found in the compost heap contained seven young, I paced them in the bucket and took a pic , see below. Placing them aside whilst I fetched a more suitable container, in minutes on my return the bucket was empty and no sign of the young. Two puzzled cats were there…… no sign of death…so I assumed the parent collected them, and our cats are a little worried about dealing with a fully grown rat.