Rodent problem In the loft

[daedalusminos]

Don't use poison for all the reasons mentioned.
'Snap traps' are perfectly adequate, but you need to determine if you've got mice or rats (look for droppings or set up camera).
If you've got rats then make sure you tether the snap trap down for two reasons:
A partial hit on the leg or tail and a tethered trap will prevent it carting the trap off.
Rats are disgusting rodents and if hungry will eat family members dead or alive - if not tethered another rat could be off with your kill and trap!

 

[MattF]

Rats are disgusting rodents and if hungry will eat family members dead or alive - if not tethered another rat could be off with your kill and trap!

Hardly disgusting. They merely are what they are. No bad thing, to be honest. How much refuse would be around if rats weren't attracted by it and devoured it? The destruction of non waste on occasion is merely a consequence. If people didn't leave potential food everywhere, things like rats wouldn't be quite so rife.

 

[selectedgrub]

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.

I thought I would be the only one that did this.
I don't leave no snack but I hate the things, I don't like to be killing anything.
The 2 mile advice is solid, they will return if released close to they scent.

 

[Dieselman 63]

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

Same action as we took. I put traps in the places I saw dropping-fests and four blocks in a square - slathered a bit of peanut butter on to entice interested parties.

Then the wait. A good lot of banging as the cubes got dragged around, three days and then nothing. Bliss

 

[angellonewolf]

had mice a few years ago under the kitchen kick boards went and bought mars bar and jamed it on the trap only had to wait 5 mins i cought 7 of them over 2 days then i went round and fillled the holes in the wood floor to stop them coming in and i think the only reason for it was when we brushed round the edges very little bits was pushed under so after that we where a lot more carefull when cleaning up and every few weeks took the kickbords off and cleaned behind them

 

[Gareth J]

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.

I've just done the test. Can't buy any substantial amounts of poison here anymore. Takes a while but I learnt a lot doing it. Ironically, having done the test, I'm much less likely to be inclined to use lots of poison.

In your house situation, try traps. It's much easier to trap mice than rats and conversely, harder to poison them.

Edit: I just re-read the original post and realise you suspect rats. In which case try trapping but expect them to ignore the traps for a week or so. Put traps on any runs you can spot. If accessibility is difficult or they are too wary, you may have to resort to poison.

Basic stuff then, remove the food, stop access and try to minimise how nice a place it is for them to live.

 

[arthur]

We had this issue a few times, rats are smart! They have spent hundreds of years learning how to avoid humans and the bait and traps they(we) lay for them, however needs must, and what needs to be done depends on how smart and where the rats live etc etc, in our case they gain access through the cavities of the walls, my guess is a drain or a tunnel that the rats have access to leads to the inner foundation of the house (drain inspection done by CCTV), here they can access the walls and climb up into the loft space, our rats avoid traps at all costs, they will not touch even the best baits, laying poison was the only way, it needed to be baited around the property as well as in the walls and loft, in the end the rat activity has gone, again... Problem is the rats leave a trail as said, did you know they can find that trail for up to ten years later! Unless you can fix the access problem the risk of rats may be high at a later time, but what else can you do. Electronic traps work but as I say rats are smart, so smart that even with poison they will at a little to see if they become sick, good luck with them, I hate the things, luckily around the farm I have Mr Benelli and Mr AP74, they don't like the taste of lead. A tip with traps is try not to touch them, the rats smell you and avoid them, trap and bait along the edges of walls, bait boxes work great!

 

[Dieselman 63]

Then there's this, the heavy artillery which they have trialed over here with great success!

https://www.goodnature.co.nz/products/rat-stoat/

 

[Migmac]

Hardly disgusting. They merely are what they are. No bad thing, to be honest. How much refuse would be around if rats weren't attracted by it and devoured it? The destruction of non waste on occasion is merely a consequence. If people didn't leave potential food everywhere, things like rats wouldn't be quite so rife.

Rats themselves probably aren’t disgusting, the diseases they could be carrying are. Weils disease for instance, you don’t have to come into contact with the rat just it’s urine.

 

[arthur]

I knew I would jynx myself by posting here!! Yesterday true to the 10 year rule (well within it) we have another rat in the walls, thing is unless as in our case you can track where they get in - and we can't you can expect more over time, and bingo.. This is the fourth or fifth time now, anyway it seems last night at 2.30AM I am to be in the loft trying to find the little bastid, this one WAS NOISEY!! After three or four attempts (nothing would scare it away even lights left on) it seemed to be under the water tanks, I have a broom handle in the loft for poking around, anyways.... tried to go back to sleep and my wish came true, CLUNK, little sucker is caught in the old fashioned rat trap, this trap has nailed a few now, the new ones both Nipper and plastic have never caught nothing! So after I finished pounding its brains in....back to bed.

Gin traps (Rabbit):- Old is best!

EVIL things but needs must!

 

[GW8IZR]

I knew I would jinx myself by posting here!!

I know! the cold weather brought one into my kitchen loft this week, the usual measures are already in place but nothing in the traps so far.

I think its gone as I haven't heard from it for a few days or maybe it will be back with its mates..

Savage felis catus maximus killer on four paws will be spending Christmas in the attic if she doesn't get her fat paw out from up her ass!

 

[brightspark]

2 nites and mine snuffed it no smells either blocks put all round house and sheds and nothing has been touched. feeding the birds cause the problem

 

[Lordspectre]

Big cheese rat trap did the job for me after 3 nights. The bait that came with it didn't seem to work so put in some nutella and peanut butter. One rat was all it was but quick death for the Rat vs a horrific one

 

[Migmac]

I knew I would jynx myself by posting here!! Yesterday true to the 10 year rule (well within it) we have another rat in the walls, thing is unless as in our case you can track where they get in - and we can't you can expect more over time, and bingo.. This is the fourth or fifth time now, anyway it seems last night at 2.30AM I am to be in the loft trying to find the little bastid, this one WAS NOISEY!! After three or four attempts (nothing would scare it away even lights left on) it seemed to be under the water tanks, I have a broom handle in the loft for poking around, anyways.... tried to go back to sleep and my wish came true, CLUNK, little sucker is caught in the old fashioned rat trap, this trap has nailed a few now, the new ones both Nipper and plastic have never caught nothing! So after I finished pounding its brains in....back to bed.

Gin traps (Rabbit):- Old is best!

EVIL things but needs must!

Think you’ll find it’s illegal to use gin traps, fenns and the like are ok though

 

[arthur]

Think you’ll find it’s illegal to use gin traps, fenns and the like are ok though

Your right!

edit:- for the record, I dispatched the rat not the trap

Its illegal to use gin traps since 1958, No leg hold traps for anything.

 

[Farside]

I've just noticed this thread. That same week I was bothered by mice suddenly appearing in the house - I trapped 3 in the kitchen and four upstairs. First time for years I've had so many move in, as the cats normally do a good job intercepting them before I've even seen them. This year I'm down to one lazy cat with bad vision, so the furries were just waltzing in.

 

[Jlg]

It may be illegal too use gin traps but lots of things are illegal but you know needs must and all that

 

[Migmac]

It may be illegal too use gin traps but lots of things are illegal but you know needs must and all that

There are better traps than gin traps to use that are legal. The problem with gins is they are designed as leg hold traps which are not humane. Even vermin deserve to die quickly and as painlessly as possible.

 

[arthur]

Your right about the traps. IMO the simple reason my older traps work is zero scent, trapping is about disguise, failure to detect or see something, thus any kind of scent gives the game away. I'd not condone the use of anything that caused suffering, however the rats don't seem to mind me suffering sleep deprivation. :S

 

[Migmac]

Your right about scent but if you put new traps in boiling water that takes the new scent away then oil them with cooking oil or similar. When I was trapping a lot all new traps were hung out side for months before use. Setting them in the correct place is vital too, you can make them interesting to your target species too.