Getting rid of rats/mice (merged threads)

cyclonebri1

Had a relative with a similar issue although it was actually in the loft.
Ony traps and poison moved them.

Even with an electronic device in the house itself they were spreading. They even made a nest in the insulation in the back of the electric oven that was rarely used. The stench when it was turned on was like nothing I have ever smelt:eek:

What I'm saying is that you need to get rid, raise a small section of floor, there will be areas where flooring has previously been lifted for wiring unless the home is very new. Put down bait and traps.

The fact that it's timber framed makes it more worrying, sorry, but their will be "rat runs" all over the place, and timber can be damaged by vermin.

Treat them now, and I don't mean buy them cakes;)

Stooby2

Lethal spring traps are the only way to go I've found. We had an infestation several years ago. I bought half a dozen traps, baited them with either peanut butter or apple paste. Caught about 16 mice before the proplem eventually stopped.

Put the traps wherever you think the mice are and keep emptying them and replacing them until no more mice are being caught.

This sort of type are what I used...

http://www.xtools.co.uk/silverline-classic-mouse-trap-2pce-2pce-647990.html?language=en&currency=GBP&gclid=CKeMudn3i7oCFTIQtAod-y8AEg

And if you catch nothing, but still hear noise, find droppings and so on, it's a sign that it's rats not mice!

cyclonebri1

Stooby2 wrote: »

Lethal spring traps are the only way to go I've found. We had an infestation several years ago. I bought half a dozen traps, baited them with either peanut butter or apple paste. Caught about 16 mice before the proplem eventually stopped.


!

A slice of mars bar or a sticky quality street choc are my favourites, stay on the trap well;);)

lettucekl

I think I have some sort of rodent in my loft also, started about a week ago, and since then heard noises from the loft on about 4 occasions. It always appears to be around the same time early morning approx 6:30am, it doesn't appear to be a scurrying sound, it sound like it is nibbling/norring away at the wooden struts holding the ceiling up it only happens for a few minutes and then nothing until the next day. It's odd, as the walls have been cavity insulated so I don't think this 'thing' is getting into the loft via inside the walls and also the loft is completely boarded and it sounds like the animal is between the ceil and the boards in the loft otherwise I doubt I would be able to hear it if it was walking on the board surface but how is this possible as there is insulation between the ceil and the loft boards?. I had a look at the start of the week but couldn't see any signs of droppings, but have so many boxes up there it could be hiding anywhere, I will take another look today but don't fancy the task of moving a lot of boxes out the loft to open up a clear area to investigate. Any suggestions, what on earth could it be??

SG27

We have mice in our loft too. Caught 3 this week and heard another one last night. Unfortunately as our house is so old the roof is full of various access points for them which would be impossible to block them all up. Looks like we will just keep trapping them.

SG27

Caught number 4 now over the last two weeks. Not heard anymore for a couple of nights so hopefully that's it!

Coveredinbees!!!!

I got mice in my attic too PITA, I use spring traps and Nutella, it sticks well and can take days for it to all get licked off by unsuspecting mice. I have got some powder that glows in UV light but still can't find where they are getting in.

This is the sort of trap you want the never miss fire http://www.amazon.co.uk/GALVANISED-SELF-SETTING-MOUSE-TRAPS/dp/B000UOF96Q

SG27

Coveredinbees!!!! wrote: »

I got mice in my attic too PITA, I use spring traps and Nutella, it sticks well and can take days for it to all get licked off by unsuspecting mice. I have got some powder that glows in UV light but still can't find where they are getting in.

This is the sort of trap you want the never miss fire http://www.amazon.co.uk/GALVANISED-SELF-SETTING-MOUSE-TRAPS/dp/B000UOF96Q

I think I have found where they are getting in ours. A pipe from the bathroom on ground level has a hole round the edge and little chewed bits so I expect they are going up the wall to the loft. I've blocked it with wire wool. So now trapping them.

lettucekl

Still hearing scratching noises coming from the loft every now and again does last long maybe for like 10 second spells. Have gone up in the loft but can't see any signs of anything, no droppings, teeth marks, strange smells and nothing has been disturbed but there is defiantly something up there. The thing is I don't know if it's a mouse or a rat, I have bought the mouse trap suggested above but what I'm thinking now is if I set this trap up and it's a rat not a mouse then it's not going to have much of an impact and might make it worse (rat walking around with a trap attached to part of its body). What would people suggest is the next best step?. I was think of placing some bait (cheese, chocolate, peanut butter??) and then shaking talcum powder over the floor to see paw prints and where they go, only thing is I don't want yo encourage it by leaving food out.

Still haven't a clue who the thing has got up there, have checked the tiles on the roof outside and nothing looks out of place, the drainpipe still has the mesh dome filter still on it so hasn't come up the drainpipe and the cavity walls have all been filled with insulation foam about 3 years ago so I doubt it got up inside the wall, I'm at a lose here

SG27

Have a walk round the outside of the house and look for any gaps they could be getting I to walls by. I think it's unlikely that mice/rats would climb walls to get in via the roof. In the meantime leave the trap up there and see what happens.