Getting rid of rats/mice (merged threads)

Jim_Chem

I am using rat traps yes. So i dont know where i would get bigger traps

redmandarin

Please can someone help?

I had a wheaty bag (instead of a hot water bottle) in a tub of dishes in a kitchen cupboard next to the back door. I found the bag with holes in it and half the wheat gone! My cat keeps sitting by the cupboard (and the one further along at the sink) staring intently! I think it's mice. I've emptied and cleaned the cupboard and there's no droppings or noises! The problem seems to be in the gap which runs along the back of the cupboard below plinth height (where me and the cat can't access). Inside the cupboard at the back there are also two old gaps in each corner where "intruders" could climb inside.

Do I need to remove base of each unit to look for evidence and pull the cooker and washer out (in between the two separate units)? Should I get some filler to block up the holes inside and out, then call an exterminator? Or should I just ring leave it for an expert deal with? I rent the property and the landlord lives miles away, so I usually attend to problems and deduct the cost from the rent. I can’t bear to remove squashed or dead mice from traps.

I'm panicking - please help!

mrsr

skiTTish wrote: »

Rats are opportunists ,they will go where the conditions are best so first off try to make sure there is nothing there for them ,make sure all areas of rubbish/materials that can be used for nesting/cover are removed and make sure they cannot access food ,bear in mind a sole teabag is enough to sustain an adult rat for several days and the less they eat the longer they live.As for getting in ,even of you cover all holes ,if the conditions are right for them ( as above) then they will get in a rat can chew through a door /plaster or even brick given enough time and determination.
I personally wouldnt use poison ,if a rat dies in a wall /under floor boards the smell will be awful and then you get problems with flies/maggots.
I would lay traps with melted chocolate as bait and have you tried one of those ultrasonic repellers ?

I posted a while back with a rat problem in my mothers house ,One of the replys was from Skittish which made sense .We did have lots of wood and hessian in the loft which we inherited from previous owner ,i think he had a fetich for wood anyway we have cleared all that out now .The tennats arn't convinced this is going to solve the problem because we still can't find where there getting in.My question is IF this still dosn't stop them where to we go next to get help.We have had council ,private pest control companyand builder.

redmandarin

Hi mrsr, thanks for the info - I do hope you get your problem sorted.

Update: Yesterday afternoon I was in the lounge using the computer. I heard a noise from the kitchen and found a packet of cat treats had "fallen" on the floor. Then I heard the noise again and went back to investigate. There was a big rat on the kitchen unit! :eek:

I screamed, ran out of the room, and closed the door behind me! I was shaking with shock! My first thought was to get out of the house, so I picked up my coat and car keys! Then I thought "try to be grown up about this", so I googled the number of the council, who said the earliest appointment was the next day. I left the house and drove around til my partner finished work and then we went to B&Q and bought some large containers with lids. We spent most of the night emptying kitchen cupboards, throwing things out, washing stuff, scrubbing the whole kitchen and packing up food and household items.

A bloke from the council came today (in an unmarked van) and put down seven containers of rat bait! He said to keep the cat out of the kitchen and that he'd be back in a week to see if the bait had been eaten! I'm really freaked out by this (we both are) and I didn't get to sleep til 4am! I've never had a problem like this in my life and I'm still in a state of shock! I really don't want to put poison down for rats, but I don't want them to live with me either! :sad:

ukjoel

We dont have probs in the house (touch wood) but last winter they invaded my shed and didnt go in there for about 6 months so the horror that met me when i went in was shocking.

Bikes had been stripped of rubber tyres, handlebar covers, seats (no mess just completely down to bear metal bits, holes had been made in the floor and the place stank.

I was mad, and I wanted revenge. No council bloke to sort this out it was personal.

I wired up all round the shed with close mesh wire (quarter inch) and this went two foot high up the shed and then at 90 degrees along the floor and then covered the wire on the ground with slabs.

I had a load of readymix instant concrete so slapped it down each and every hole they had made and then added water. The last couple of holes got fillled and filled until anything in was well and tryly drowned before adding the concrete mix.

I then bout a bulk load of traps on the cheap - 20 traditional snap traps, plus also this australian trap called a nooski (google it - fantastic idea) not a nice way to go though. And also one of these electric shock ones.

May sound like overkill but despite filling in all the holes and proofing the shed have still caught 9 of the sods in the last 3 weeks. They are still about but the secret isnt to kill them - its to get them to think next doors shed is a more attractive prospect than mine .

Treat it like war - take no prisoners :rolleyes:

instaunt

We put poison down a few days ago and it reminded me of the last time we did it - there is a distinct change in behaviour as they panic and start scrambling for food and water beyond what they normally do.

Wish I'd remembered that from last year as the morning after putting the poison down the kitchen had been raided and we had to throw out a lot of food and super-clean 3 rooms.

If you do use poisons that affect the digestive system (dehydration normally) keep all your lights on full blast for the next few days to try and put them off coming in to the kitchen at night.

vincent81_2

We used poison on mice in our bungalow a few years ago. It did the job, but left smelly mice corpses hidden in nooks and crannies - not pleasant!! I didn't like doing it either, it's never nice to have to kill something just because you don't like it. It's a strange human trait to kill for convenience.

We got the mice back recently and, eager to find an alternative to poison and traps I did some googling.... and found an ultrasonic repeller. Now I've seen some mixed reviews for this kind of device but I can honestly say we have had great results - it's been plugged in for 2 months now and not a peep!! It's also money saving - it's already cost less than we spent on poisons and traps last time. :T

http://www.primrose-london.co.uk/rat-and-mouse-repeller-whole-house-p-36.html

mrsr

i wish the ultrasonic worked on are rats we have two pluged in they make no differance.I have had to call the council again today we had them last year when this prob started they just put bait down ,this time they are going to do a survey I told them we had this done with a private pest control and about all the other things we have done ,i was really ringing them to find out where to get help.The only thing left is for them to do there own survey they arn't going to charge i think they felt sorry for me i was in tears i can tell you i felt a right idiot.I just couldn't help it my neice and nephew who are living in property and starting to suffer ill health from not getting any sleep and i am really stressed with the worry of it

redmandarin

Thanks for your replies.

The council guy said that in his experience (of residential properties, I guess) rats don't usually come in groups, and that there may only be just the one I saw and that it might take the bait. I hope he's right. Thanks for the dehydration tip. All the tubs are still in the lounge, so that the smell of food will not to be an invitation for rat/s to come into the kitchen and we've been leaving the light and radio on. The bait isn't where the cat can get at it, and I'd like him to sleep in the kitchen to stand guard and as a further deterrent. The problem is that I was told a friends dog was bitten by a rat and subsequently died of leptosperosis and I don't want anything bad to happen to our cat.

I think that I should probably put the sealed food containers back in the kitchen and remove the cat at night so that the rat/s will be attracted to come in again and take the bait. We're afraid of going in the kitchen and we can't access food and cooking items easily, so it's interfering with out lives! Looking on the bright side, at least it's helping me keep to my diet! Will let you know how things progress!

pickledpink

RATS are very intelligent and cunning creatures, so you have to plan your attack on them carefully. They often avoid eating bait, as they seem to know it's toxic, and many of them have built up an immunity to some of the poisons. The best way (though not the most humane) of killing a rat is to mix a bucket of flour with dry cement and leave it open where te the rat can get to it. Place a bucket of water right next to the flour/cement mixture and the rat will tuck in like crazy. It will then drink some water, and the cement will 'set' in its stomach and kill it. Rats cannot regurgitate so this method always kills them.

Rats need to drink water every day, so any water features you have in the garden should be drained or covered with bricks, especially in the winter when most people tend not to use the garden. Rats like to eplore derelict places, so in the summer gardens have less appeal to rats when people are in and out their gardens regularly.

It's essential not to leave out any food whatsoever; bread for birds, seeds etc...and always pick up fruit which has dropped on the ground from apple trees etc. When eating outside in the garden, or barbecueing, people often spill grease, or let crumbs fall to the ground thinking it doesn't matter as it's outside. But you should always sweep up outside after eating as those tiny crumbs will attract rats.

Rats also love to build nests under sheds, or stacks of wood/logs. So make sure rats cannot get access to underneath your shed etc. Rats will happily live under decking too, and it's no coincidence that rats have increased since decking has become so popular. Although, becasue the government are not putting enough money into maintaining sewers etc, that too is making the problem worse.

It's unusual for a rat to come into an occupied house, but on occasion they will do. Especially in the winter.

Both rats and mice start looking to come indoors in the winter, and they can squeeze through a hole the size of your little finger. Rats can even chew through wire and brick, but they probably won't bother if they can find another place nearby that already has an opening.

Filling all holes with cement and wire wool/barbed wire is essential in keeping them out.

Mice and rats seldom live together, but mice can be VERY difficult to get rid of. You can guarantee that if you see a mouse you have a family of them. They can live in your house for months before you notice them, and they've been known to make nests inside wall cavities and under floorboards on the landing.

All of the usual poisons, traps etc will help, but you can be assured it will not eradicate them totally. They will always come back unles you find the source of where they are gaining entry. Late autumn/winter is their favourite time to move in.

They will eat almost anything, so NEVER leave out bread, fruit, sweets or nuts.

Most breed of dogs will not deter them, and in some cases dogs can encourage them - especially rats. However well you clear up your dog poo, there will still be a tiny amount left on the grass or ground and the rats can smell that a mile off. Yes, rats even eat dog poo!

The best thing to do if you have mice or rats is to get a cat. The scent of the cat will deter any rodents from coming in the house.