Getting rid of rats/mice (merged threads)

Denene

Sorry if I missed someone mentioning this already.

If your house is a semi, what condition is your neighbours' half in? Could they be coming over from that side?

Would you be able to ask them if they are having similar problems?

rach_k

If your husband has no luck sorting it out, I would definitely try calling other pest-proofing companies. I definitely found ones who did the survey, fixed the problem and provided a year's guarantee for mice so I would expect something similar to be available for rats. No idea on cost though so probably only a last resort.

Gabson81

Denene wrote: »

Sorry if I missed someone mentioning this already.

If your house is a semi, what condition is your neighbours' half in? Could they be coming over from that side?

Would you be able to ask them if they are having similar problems?

Our neighbours are a lovely retired couple. Both almost deaf. This is great when are children are running around but not great when they say they have not heard or seen anything on their side.
I can't say I have much faith in theor investigative skills but also can't keep asking them to scamper up ladders to look.

keithmac

We've had this a few years back, had the Concil pest control round as next door is still rented luckily.

He baited the main drain in next doors front garden, apparently they run up the fall pipe and into to eves via the guttering so first job would be to cap the fall pipes with wire mesh.

We trapped and baited in our loft as well, you just have to keep going at it unfortunately.

Re-bait the traps weekly if they haven't gone off.

Gabson81

Sorry if I'm being stupid here but which is the fall pipe? Is that from the sewer line to the house or the pipe that runs from the street in?

keithmac

It's the pipe that drains the guttering, you'll have one front and back.

You'd have to cap your neighbours as well though as they can pass from one house to the other across the eves..

keithmac

The "Rat Man" said baiting was the only sure way of getting rid of all of them as they take it back to the nest.

We used Rent-o-Kill blue packets, easy to handle.

another_casualty

If you are able to go to the loft, try. Putting ammonia up there.
Keeping lights on , as they might not like noise.
Getting a very high power plug that you leave on all the time may help
Dont get the cheap ones that effect cats and birds.

Maybe if you contact your surveyor and see if they know a builder or they
themselves could survey and find out where thevrats are coming from.
Maybe they're coming through gaps in the eaves/ gutter pipes?
Neighbours can't be ruled out .
Good luck

Gabson81

keithmac wrote: »

The "Rat Man" said baiting was the only sure way of getting rid of all of them as they take it back to the nest.

We used Rent-o-Kill blue packets, easy to handle.

Yes, effective short term. We did poison them in the beginning which worked well in that we had a few weeks peace but then more found their way in. We also had a horrendous (do not underestimate this) smell to contend with where one died in the wall cavity somewhere.
Really, really need a permenant solution to this as I'm exhausted

50Twuncle

We have an unwanted small furry guest our house - presumably brought in by one of the cats
My wife had a stand off with it, yesterday and it won !!
It ran off in to the hallway but we have no idea where it is in the house now
We put down 2 humane traps - but they failed to capture it last night
What is the best procedure to get rid of it ?
The cats are useless at this kind of thing - they do it on purpose, knowing that my wife is terrified of 10gram balls of energy.....