Can't figure out how rats are getting in

Smithy99

We've had rats twice this year. The first time was in the cavity wall of the kitchen extension. It ate through the plaster to get into the kitchen so we were able to lay poison and traps and kill it. We had no idea how it got in the cavity (nor did pest control as no obvious entry signs or holes etc outside). We put some rat flaps/one way valves on the kitchen drain pipe and an old disused pipe in case they were getting in there and burrowed up into the cavity wall.

We now have a rat in the same extension but in the loft space. It's single storey with no access to the loft bit (apart from through the up lights in the ceiling). Again we can't see how it got in from outside so I'm assuming it's got in the cavity wall again and climbed up there?

how do we prevent it happening again when we can't figure out how they're getting in? 

twopenny

I used to get mice climb up inside the cavity wall to the loft in cold weather (can't think of any other way unless it was the rampant ivy my neighbour grew). They got in through a small hole that developed next to a gutter end that had worked it's way out of the original rendering and wall.

Or up the ivy and crawled along the guttering and into the loft.

Have you looked up as well as down?

Smithy99

Yes we've looked along the roof line/gutters/soffits etc . Blocked a few gaps with wire wool a few days ago but it didn't make any difference. I took down a trellis and some lights we had up the wall and downpipe yesterday and we didn't hear anything this morning but unsure if it's related or just coincidental. We've actually just had pest control out today who are a bit baffled. No signs of any rats in the area, said it could be a bird or something else as the times we hear it is usually 9-11am. Going to set my trail camera up to see if we can spot anything (got it for Christmas, this wasn't what I was planning on using it for but never mind lol). 

twopenny

If there's no sign of rats then it could be a bird, unlikely at this time of year, or it could be bats.

I stayed with friends and said I was kept awake by the scratching in a corner wall of the house. 2nd night the same.

Then we found a bat clinging to the wall in daylight, same spot but outside.

With both of us following the noise they were roosting in the cavity wall and the noise was them leaving at night.

Friends weren't happy with me Takes a lot of reporting and management.

Trail cameras are fun. Envious of that.

Smithy99

Pest control did mention bats. Whatever it is was very loud!