Fortunately the rats will not eat your veggies, because rats eat what people eat, and americans don't eat veggies.
Oh, that his statement were true! Roof rats are decimating my garden in Tacoma, Washington this summer. First, they ate the beets and carrots out from under the tops. Then they climbed the pea vines ant ate the small pea seeds out of the pods. Next, my precious plot of 20 tomato plants had every tomato eaten as it approached the light green stage. They also ate
every apple off of my espaliered Jonagold. They're eating the Blue Lake beans now and also gnawing the tassels off the corn stalks. So far, they've left the pumpkins, cukes, garlic, and onions alone.
How do I know they're roof rats, you say? I see them scurrying along the top rails of the fence. They leave their droppings halfway up the corn stalks and pea vines, on the leaves. I've caught a few on sticky traps in the garden.
Since I've retired, my vegetable garden is my primary avocation, and I'm so disappointed and frustrated. I even paid a pest control firm over $400 to stop the problem. That made zero impact. If the rats were just a nuisance I could accept them getting their share, but they take it all.
Can ANYBODY out there give me a glimmer of hope?
