Rodent problem In the loft

[HopefullySoon]

hi

I think (well know) I have a rodent of some description in the loft (heard it scratching )

The local council want 100 quid ish to deal with it .... As rat poison is licenced apparently .....

... However anti freeze isn't and has a sweet taste .... So I was thinking of a couple of drip trays for flower pots filled up a little .... And a couple of these baited with peanut better/cheese/ham

Wondered if anyone could tell me if they work .

Going for a belt and brace technique


Regards

Malc

 

[gordon stephenson]

I had quite a few mice coming into my garage, Found evidence of chewed materials and leather gloves etc, I put some anti-freeze in shallow containers and it solved the problem, Had previously tried proprietary mouse poisons to no effect at all, in fact they seemed to love the stuff, and just kept coming back for more, I posted a thread on here somewhere at the time,
I figured out that they were coming in through the gap under my side door, So i piled up road salt, to fill the gap at the same time, So which ever was more effective I don't know but problem solved,

 

[GW8IZR]

yes poison works but dont do it! they move off and curl up and peg it in some inaccessible corner, the smell is terrible and the recurring maggot and fly problem is a nuisance to get rid of.

They pee continuously as they move leaving a rodent equivalent of a facebook friends invite so find out where they are getting in and what the runs are, use a weak solution of Jeyes fluid in a spray to clean / cover up the scent and you *might* stop their mates turning up.

Snap trap baited with chocolate or peanut butter and do the job once.

 

[dannyp]

traditional mouse problem best delat with with a traditional mouse trap in a bit of pipe.

bigger vermin need bigger trap

 

[brightspark]

funnily enough last week got a couple of rats in attic bought 100 rat blocks the big cheese for 18 quid of ebay .dug a few floorboards up and placed blocks in a few in the roof and some in the cavity 4 round the house covered in 1st nite a few blocks disappeared second nite just a nibble 3d nite no scratching and problem solved baited the sheds and garage as well

 

[fizzy]

Poison is very cruel - they die in agony!
Also as mentioned they crawl off and die - stinks for weeks.
A good old fashioned trap is much quicker and more humane.
Personally I use a live trap - then drive them 2 miles away and leave a supply of nuts - they may die anyway but it gives them a sporting chance.

Little git ate my nuts!

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Humane traps, if thy eat poison thy will crawl of and die. Then you have a worse issue, other than the smell.

Place 4 or six traps on any runs you find. They will only get into a house etc for food and warmth. find out why.

4 years ago we had a mouse issue, we trapped about 7 alive, but found a few more dead. The issue was due to our neighbour leaving the rabbit and guinee pig food in their shed against my garage wall. Up the wall, into the loft of garage and through into our loft.

 

[brightspark]

my main trap used to be a live catch trap and my trusty Bedlington whippet let them loose in the field and she nabbed them real fast

 

[HopefullySoon]

If the dog In my avatar saw it / got hold of it he would dispatch it .

Unfortunate 5 stone of dog pouncing onto a rat (I think) will end in disaster on a plasterboard ceiling lol

Just ordered a couple of traps .... There's always plan B

Malc

 

[Cobbler]

I tried antifreeze to sort the mice in the loft, they didn't touch it. I tried 2 types of mouse poison, they ate the lot & came back for more! They moved out in the spring, but I expect they're back now, but I haven't heard them though.

 

[Migmac]

Build a trap

Poison works and works well but sometimes because you dont see the bodies you think your not getting anything. With traps you know you are killing and know what your killing

 

[mr_splatter]

I have had similar rodent problems and used an electronic trap that electrocutes them. They are dispatched almost instantly and I just tip the carcass on our lawn and the local Red Kites have taken the carcass is less than an hour. I have a CCTV rigged up in the loft so have seen it work. Very effective. Agree about their scents telling their mates where to get in. If it rains hard you can guarantee there won't be any in for a few days. Haven't had any for a couple of years now. I was blocking any gaps I could see with wire wool squirted with expanding foam. Apparently they don't like chewing the wire wool.

 

[postie jon]

since when was rat poison licenced? local shop sells it by the bucket full, little clear bags full of blue pellets ,has allways worked in the past.

 

[magnet]

You could make a good few of these for next to nowt

 

[fizzy]

The problem with plastic traps is they soon gnaw their way out.

 

[WorkshopChris]

You could make a good few of these for next to nowt

What stops them eating their way out?

 

[postie jon]

What stops them eating their way out?

a tabby cat....

 

[ronan]

Do not poison them if they are in the roof or the walls, they crawl away and die, where you cannot find them, and the stink is terrible and lasts quite a while.

 

[armalites]

It is so frustrating and it still amazes me how they get to the places they get. We had them get in our junk room, by the time we realised they were there we had loads. I bought a load of traps, the new ones are really good and easy to set. I think I caught 37 of them. There were lots of babies and on 2 occasions I caught 2 in the same trap. They were so small they weren't heavy enough to trigger on their own.

The other issue with poison is they do go outside and an Owl pick them up.

I like the evidence that they are gone. In a loft it's worth putting the trap on a piece of string in case they do manage to travel a bit.

You can still buy poison but not in the same quantities as before.

 

[zx9]

If the dog In my avatar saw it / got hold of it he would dispatch it .

Unfortunate 5 stone of dog pouncing onto a rat (I think) will end in disaster on a plasterboard ceiling lol

I would not be using poison if I had a dog or cat in the house, you don't know what runs the mice have would not want my pet finding poisoned vermin.

Just ordered a couple of traps .... There's always plan B