That neighbor who told me my bird feeder was attracting rats

So last month I'm out refilling my tube feeder with black oil sunflower seeds and my neighbor Carol walks over from two houses down. She says "You know those things are why we have rats in the alley right?" and points at my feeder. I was kind of stunned because I've been birding in my backyard for like 6 years and never once saw a rat. I asked her what she meant and she said the seeds fall on the ground at night and the rats come out. She suggested I get a tray to catch the mess underneath. I actually looked into it and got a cheap plastic tray that clips onto the bottom pole. It's been 3 weeks and I still see plenty of finches and cardinals but no rats. Has anyone else had a neighbor blame your bird feeding for something?

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andrew9161h agoTop Commenter

Yeah I had the exact same thing happen with my neighbor who lives behind me. I got a tray with a wire mesh bottom that lets water drain but catches the seeds so the birds can still get them. That pretty much stopped the whole rat problem and my neighbor actually thanked me for fixing it.