Rat problem

[MM]

My family urgently needs help in dealing with rats who have burrowed into our old ironstone and clay mortar house. The rats are now a health hazard and a threat to the structure of the building: tunnelling through the walls and knawing wood and cables.

We keep all food in containers and have tried conventional traps and ultrasonic devices with limited success. We have tried blocking the holes but the rats re-open them and now they are wary of the traps. Our daughter's dog keeps them out of sight when he is here but they do not go away. We are very reluctant to use poison, both from the humanitarian point of view and because we do not relish the smell of decaying rats in the walls. We have heard of electro-magnetic devices but cannot find an unbiased source of advice. In the long term we know we shall have to repoint the walls with lime mortar but we not have the time, money or weather now and we are not convinced that this will be a complete solution to the problem.

We feel some of the answer is to know the habits of the creatures better but cannot find help in this direction either.

 

[Gervase]

To be honest, the most efective means of control would be cats or a terrier. In my experience the ultrasonic gadgets are ineffective, and humane traps and the like present you with the problem of what to do with a live and angry rat.
Ordinary snap-traps can be of some use, but you're unlikely to be able to eradicate a colony with just traps. Our place was over-run with rodents - until the cats got to work. I can honestly say that the only rodents I see now are dead trophies dragged in from the barns by the cats.

 

[Tom]

If the structure of your home is at risk put aside any notion of 'humanitarian' points of view!! Get yourself some Slaymor (rat posion) and some bait stations. These are readily available at livestock feed merchants and the like. Do NOT scatter it about where other animals and birds can get at it. Basically, it is poisoned wheat. It's coloured with blue dye. A decaying rat will not smell for long and, in this weather, you'd be lucky if you smelled anything. Now, you're not going to like this but stick with me! The way the poison works is this; it makes the rat very thirsty, the rat heads for water which then activates the poison, causing internal bleeding. So, one of the best things to do is this. After placing your bait stations along the rat runs (ie around the base of your walls), place along the same run some deep buckets filled about one third full with water. This will attract the rats but once they're in the bucket, they can't get out, so they die in the bucket (and not in your house walls!!). You then have a convenient way of collecting their bodies to dispose of. Not very nice (if you care about rats) but you are now a hunter trying to save your property!!

Be careful how you handle rats or anything they may have been on or around. Their urine carries Weils Disease. Wear disposable gloves. The same has to be said when handling the poison but that's just common sense!

Hope this helps.

Jaqy

 

[Nemesis]

I sympathise - we had a rat which recently took up residence in the understair cupboard. The gnawing of wood and mortar is staggering. How such a small thing can do so much damage is astounding. It avoided going into the trap, no matter how tempting the bait. It did however seem to carry out stealth raids on the cat's dish - a stash under the sofa was found and a very smelly one under the fridge (the heat from which made it pong rapidly!).

However, after coming face to face with me it took fright and seems to have gone back to living outside... hope that's permanent...

 

[MdB]

Do not read the following if you are eating....


My boss woke to hear his daughter screaming her head off. Turns out that maggots where falling out of the main light fitting onto her bed as there was dead rat in the roof space.

 

[middi]

If you insist on using the humanitarian approach to get rid of rats, you need the pied piper of Haemlin.

Declair indiscriminate WAR.

 

[elm]

We've just had a rat invasion in the attic, ultrasonic did not deter them but bait bags seem to be working.

As for the cats - here's a shot of a couple of them in action ....


[Open Image] [Hosted by PhotoGalaxy.com]

 

[Nemesis]

Oh they are lovely! I had one that colour for eighteen years.

 

[biffvernon]

As cats grow old the rats get bold

 

[andrew gayton]

Once the rat problem has been solved, you will need to gravity grout the walling to fill rat-run voids.

 

[MM]

Many thanks for all the advice, including Agony Uncle! Following a chat with SPAB we have filled all cracks, holes etc with lime mortar mixed with broken glass. The work was timed to coincide with a longish visit from our daughter's dog during which the rat activity diminished considerably. In the long term we may have to render the outside walls to approx 400mm high...or give a dog a good home.

 

[MdB]

...we have filled all cracks, holes etc with lime mortar mixed with broken glass...

I would hate to be the person that renovates your house in the future. I can understand why you have done it though.

 

[Penners]

I support the "whatever it takes to get rid of them" camp. In your situation, I would deploy spring traps, bait boxes - the lot. If that means you have to put up with a smell for a couple of weeks, then so be it - your house is worth it!

I would not faff about with humanitarian traps - they just pass the problem on to someone else.

Jaqy's advice is excellent.

 

[Me!]

If you are using new rat traps, the rats avoid them far less if you get rid of the new and human smells from them first. I've found soaking them in ditch water for a few hours works well, or I've been told sticking them in the compost heap for a bit does the trick as well.

 

[Moo]

Why, oh why, is it ok to suggest all sorts of vicious cures for a rat problem, but not for the feral pigeons that infest our towns and cities?

 

[Nemesis]

I find much of this thread appalling actually - why they command such mediaeval responses I know not.

No, not nice in the house - we seem to have deterred ours - but outside I don't mind them, they are actually quite bright and interesting to watch. Some people keep rats as pets and I can see why.

Weil's disease - it's not too likely really, unless you actually drink infected water or get urine in an infected cut.

As for pigeons - are they actually in your house?

Frankly I can think of many people who are more pests than birds.

 

[plumbers mate]

We had rats as pets - they are very intelligent and if I lived somewhere and wanted a dog but wasn't allowed one, I'd have a couple of black-eyed rats. Two males brought up together will be perfectly happy.
When cage cleaning time came round at the weekend we used to let them wander around in the living room - a rustle of a chocolate drop wrapper called them back when it was time for them to be locked up again.
Tame ones really are quite sweet when you get to know them.

 

[Nemesis]

The gymnastics of ours getting up to the bird table and onto the peanut feeder is wonderful to behold.

 

[Penners]

Why, oh why, is it ok to suggest all sorts of vicious cures for a rat problem, but not for the feral pigeons that infest our towns and cities?

I'm not sure about the word "vicious", Moo, but I'm with you on that. Pigeons aren't much better than rats - except I don't think I'd ever eat a rat casserole (unless I was really peckish).

I find much of this thread appalling

Oh come on - if the little b*ggers were eating your wiring and your house, you'd resort to whatever was necessary to get rid of them.

A rat in a field is welcome to do whatever it is that rats in fields do. A rat that enters my house uninvited will get what's coming to him.

 

[Nemesis]

Our rats went out of the house and back outside without too much trouble.

And I don't have a problem with pigeons - they aren't eating my wiring or gnawing holes in my house.

In fact I like them rather more than so many people I've encountered in life - rather less harmful actually.