Getting rid of rats/mice (merged threads)

Gabson81

We bought our home last September and a couple of weeks later realised we have a rat problem in the roof.
The loft has been boarded out and is in effect a room with walls ect. The rats are living (or at least running through) the eaves and the space between our bedroom ceilings and the loft room floor.
We have had pest control out. They put down poison, for about a month we had quiet but a horrendous smell somewhere in the cavity walls. Then other rats took their place.
My husband is spending almosr every weekend rat proofing. We have used wire wool and expanding foam in every gap, checked the perimeter, the garage, taken up floor boards, pretty much anything you can think of. We also had the drains camera'd but no issues there.
Occasionally I get a few quiet nights and then suddenly the scratching and knawing starts again. Currently using snap traps pretty successfully in that we are catching up to five rats over a weekend but we really need a permenant solution as this (silly as it sounds) is taking over our lives. I lose sleep worrying about disease and fires (two small children in the house).
I'm just hoping someone has had a similar experience and found a solution? All advice welcome.
Ps. We have a cat.

rach_k

I expect it would be expensive but there are companies that mouse/rat-proof your house for you. I would only use them if it came with a money-back guarantee or something! We had mice and it nearly drove me crazy, thinking the things you're thinking, so I was considering it but we managed to sort it just before I got to the end of my tether.

Gabson81

Thanks for the reply.I spoke to one such company previously and they basically do a "survey of the property". I asked for him to explain this and it's a quick walk around pointing out possibly entry points, a check of the garden and a look in the loft. They don't go under floor boards or do anything we haven't already done and will not offer any guarantee.
I think my poor husband will be lifting the kitchen floor tomorrow. It's the only one that hasn't been taken up so far, because the dead rat stink was the opposite side of the house.

warehouse

Where are they coming from? Is there an access to a sewer open somewhere? Is your property part of a set of flats/houses?

Gabson81

Where they are coming from is exactly what we are trying to establish!
It's a semi detached house. We have had the drains camera'd but no sign of anything broken or damaged. No signs of chewed brickwork etc. We have filled even the smallest of holes, gaps around pipework etc.
We do suspect they are coming from somewhere below ground due to the fact that they have been active early evening before and I can't imagine a rat would scale an outside wall in daylight. I have not seen one alive, only in the traps. Absolutely no sign of them in our living areas of the house or I'd have packed up and left by now!

ST1991

I wonder if you could set up cameras in the loft/outside overnight and review it afterwards?

They may be getting in somewhere that you didn't know about or didn't even think about.

illusionek

Have you checked with your council? I had a problem with mice in the past. Cant remember why but I checked my council website and it was saying that mice is my problem but if I had issue with rats they would deal with it.

Gabson81

Council here only use subcontractors who just put poison down. We are not entitled to a discount on this. Last time the rats rotted in the cavity wall and more arrived to take their place so not going to keep paying 2-3 times a year for this. Poison is just a short term solution.
We considered a webcam set up of some type but it wouldn't work because you could only see one section of the area they are using because of the joists. Thinkn
Ing of sprinkling talc all over to see if that gives any clues. At least it may show which areas they are not active in so we can better target rhe problem.

ST1991

Talc is a great idea! Reminds me of a scary movie lol, but I think once you have found their most commonly used areas you'll be a step closer to getting rid of them for good. Then you can use a webcam for those areas to see how they are getting in.

Whilst poison does work, it doesn't (like you say) stop the problem and can create smells when they die inside the house. Perhaps try traps which you can empty and re-use?

Keep your chin up, these things can really get you down. It sometimes feels like a reflection on your house or your cleanliness and it isn't!
It will get sorted

Gabson81

Talc is a great idea! Reminds me of a scary movie lol, but I think once you have found their most commonly used areas you'll be a step closer to getting rid of them for good. Then you can use a webcam for those areas to see how they are getting in.

Whilst poison does work, it doesn't (like you say) stop the problem and can create smells when they die inside the house. Perhaps try traps which you can empty and re-use?

Keep your chin up, these things can really get you down. It sometimes feels like a reflection on your house or your cleanliness and it isn't!
It will get sorted

Thank you! We are using big wooden rat traps however(and this is a bit rank) I don't have the stomach for dealing with them and won't go scratting about in the loft leaving my children unattended downstairs. This means my poor husband who works away Monday to Friday will have the pleasant task tomorrow. I heard a trap snap on Tuesday morning and with the warm weather I feel awful that he has to deal with it.
We did get really down about it and considered selling up but decoded to be tough and get our house back. Easier said than done!