Scratching in the attic, ooooooh !

Wolfhound

Hello, my sister has told me that there is something scratching
and jumping about in her attic. She has been up to have a look
and can see nothing but an old newspaper that has been shredded.

A neighbour of hers had a rat in her attic a while back so she is
guessing that its maybe a rat or squirrel.

Does anyone have any solutions ?

Thanks, wolfhound.

gazza975526570

We heard the same noises for weeks and after being nagged by the missus went for a look. No signs of anything. It carried on for an age so we got the council vermin control out. The put some bait down which was tampered with but didnt kill anything. We are pretty sure it was a mouse - they can get through the tiniest gaps and are really hard to keep out. Id suggest some bait/traps

Good luck

Wolfhound

Thanks for that, do you buy these traps in B&Q etc or do you have to go to a specialist shop ?
Thanks, wolfhound.

gazza975526570

You can pick them up in any DIY store.

Have a look outside as to where it could have got in. Try and cement up any small gaps, especially near pipes where maybe there is a small gap

perc

We had this in our last house. Every winter (for about three years) a rat would get in. One year I lured it out of a gap in the airing cupboard and wished I hadnt - it was a huge dirty thing. Put some poison down (bought at DIY store) and aftera couple of weeks it must have died because the smell was something else!

Wolfhound

Hello perc and thank you for your reply.
That was exactly the outcome my sister was trying to avoid!!
Someone told her that there is this stuff on the market that you can put down, which, when eaten, makes the pesky vermin very thirsty, so they leave the premises looking for water to drink. Its a great idea don't you think ?
Where can you get it?? Anyone?

If I heard scratching on Hallowe'en I wouldn't be thinking rat's !!!

skim

Wolfhound wrote:

Hello perc and thank you for your reply.
That was exactly the outcome my sister was trying to avoid!!
Someone told her that there is this stuff on the market that you can put down, which, when eaten, makes the pesky vermin very thirsty, so they leave the premises looking for water to drink. Its a great idea don't you think ?
Where can you get it?? Anyone?

If I heard scratching on Hallowe'en I wouldn't be thinking rat's !!!

It's warferin - Contact your council vermin control - they'll sort you out.

Kinnairdy

Please be very very careful if you choose to use Warferin, if any other animals ie. cats/dog's ingest it they will most certainly die. Warferin is a blood thinning drug which causes profuse bleeding from the gums, nose, ears etc if not given under controlled situations. If you suspect any animal may have eaten some get them to the vet immediately for a Vitamin K shot, if you act quickly the animal may be saved however the stark facts are that it is usually too late.
Sorry I am not trying to frighten you however some years ago I found my Dog licking the ground beside a pile of rat poison, I got him to the vet immediately for a Vit. K shot, luckily he either did'nt ingest any or only a very small amount as he suffered no ill effects but my point is the Warferin was put down the rat hole by the vermin control chap yet the poison my dog found was next to a wall over 70 yards away so there is no guarantee that the poison will remain where it was laid, it may be carried by rats/mice to be stashed for later use or because they know it is harmful to them, do not underestimate the Rat he/she is very very intelligent. They also like chocolate & peanut butter, smear lightly over a rat trap and wait for Ratty to enter, can take a bit of time but they ultimately make a blunder and Voila!. Otherwise if you don't have one borrow a cat and put it in the attic overnight.
Luckily on the farm we can also shoot the blighters but I would'nt recommend that in your attic, too many holes in the roof and you may upset the neighbours.:eek:

perc

It was Warferin that I used - it obviousley didnt search too hard for water

Ken68

I heard a similar sound in the summer, easily identifiable tho, was a bird fell down the chimney.
Had to unblock a the fireplace which had been boarded up 30 years, the starling was OK but found a dead pigeon.
Now had the chimneys wired up. Cost £25.

tawnyowls

Kinnairdy wrote:

Please be very very careful if you choose to use Warferin, if any other animals ie. cats/dog's ingest it they will most certainly die.

I agree. It's a horrible way to die, even for a rat. Get some traps and kill the beastie quickly. You can get plastic ones (the Big Cheese or something silly like that), which are sort of like a giant clip (different sizes for rats & mice). You set them by squeezing them open, then bait them, and when the rat/mouse gets caught, you can just pick it up, squeeze it open again and dispose of animal without having to get too near! Think Focus used to have them - might also pick them up cheap in discount DIY places like IN-Excess if there's one near you.