Rats in garden and noises in loft

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by rats!

There is something BIG in our roof space (we have a huge roof space accessible through cupboard doors upstairs.)
The big problem being that we want to sell the house and have a structural survey in 10 days. What can we do?
I don't really like the idea of glue boards or poison, but according to the pest control people I have spoken to on the phone rats are just too clever to get caught by traps unless there is a very limited space they have to use as a corridor. I am not completely squeamish, I just don't much like the idea of using something that causes a long drawn out death if there is a more humane method available. If I have to though, I will - I don't want to lose this sale.
I am tempted to try a sonic repeller, but it sounds as though they don't always work - and to be honest, I now don't have the time to try any experiments.
I am guessing that a terrier wouldn't work in a loft space? If it would, does anyone know of a west country ratting terrier?!

Are you sure it's rats?
We have the same problem. Fortunately for us it's a squirrel. We had a pest control company confirm it.
The first thing to do is find their method of access and block it. Not always easy, we struggled to see how on earth the squirrels were getting into ours. In the end we decided they were getting in on our neighbours side and running inside behind the soffit boards.
I've set a trap, but I'm not holding my breath to catch it.
It's now a war of nerves. I wait until I hear it and then I noisily open the hatch door to our loft.This makes the squirrel go out. I'm hoping he gives up before I do.
I've tried one of the sonic devices and at first I thought it worked but now it doesn't make any difference.
The one easy way to confirm what's up there is to look for signs of droppings. If they're everywhere and it's very obviously smelly, then it's probably rats. If its not overly smelly and droppings are mainly in small areas, it's far more likely to be squirrels.

[snowdrop]

If we heard any noise we banged on the wall/ceiling with different objects to make different sounds and, I think, generally made life very nerve racking for rats who apparently hate new/different, sights, sounds and smells............


How right you are. I had a new kitchen and bathroom fitted earlier this year, the noise of hammering and the workmen shouting to each other, which went on for over three weeks, cleared the house of all patters, scratching and rustling.

The downside was everything from the two rooms ended up in the living room. I reckon I had a 3x5ft area of space, all I needed was a skeleton in the corner and Steptoe could have called it home.

[Concerned]

Reading up about rats I do beleive its continued disturbance which is the best deterrent, and mabe the sonic repellers help too by making the situation a little less comfortable for them.

Its November now and we had some noise in one wall about 3 weeks ago, lots of banging/scent spraying and focusing a powerful sonic devise in the area got rid of it very quickly. We are keeping our ears open all the time and our fingers crossed that we don`t get an influx when the weather gets really cold.

Hope this information helps.

[shirl]

Well my rat moved in again a few weeks ago, live traps are up there and I am waiting patiently. Kept the sonic device on since Spring and that didn't stop it. Just got a motion sensor camera yesterday and I am determined to find out exactly where it's getting in and block it! It can be a long process I am afraid, but definitley go and look for droppings so you can confirm it's a rat rather than a squirrel or something else - mice can sound like elephants in the loft!

Good luck

Shirl

[nightshade]

Originally Posted by shirl

Well my rat moved in again a few weeks ago, live traps are up there and I am waiting patiently. Kept the sonic device on since Spring and that didn't stop it. Just got a motion sensor camera yesterday and I am determined to find out exactly where it's getting in and block it! It can be a long process I am afraid, but definitley go and look for droppings so you can confirm it's a rat rather than a squirrel or something else - mice can sound like elephants in the loft!

Good luck

Shirl

As can Starlings, at 3AM (Bats are a bit quieter)

[Beekeeper]

For me Rats are totally disgusting creatures, if anyone has had the wonderful experience of working in a loft as i have, the ceiling of rooms below being totally covered in rat faeces it is not at all nice, the smell is enough to make you feel sick, all the time i was working there i had to wear a special mask to reduce the smell to an acceptable level, apart from the illnesses they carry and the damage they do.

As an electrician, i was called into the house of a good friend who had a rat problem, the first thing he knew about them was when water started coming through their utility room ceiling, the rats had eaten the pipes to the water tanks, also all the wiring from the mains gear (consumer units) to the main of the house was ruined.

On another occasion, a house which had recently been rewired by an local electrical business who's boss is a good friend, had a call to say the house was on fire, it turned out to be rats, one had chewed through a cooker cable which electrocuted the rat but also set fire to him, which in turn set fire to the house, the house needed months of work of rebuilding, all because of one rat.

Another disgusting thing about rats is that they defacate in their own nests, i had to remove a large nest from a loft space last year as it was where downlights were being installed, the nest filled the space between two joists and was around 2 ft long, a pile of straw, chewed paper and bits of carpet etc and about 4 bucket loads of faeces.

Although rats are firmly established in our country and breeding probably out of control now due to the amount of buildings now sat on our once green and pleasant land, i think i am right in saying thay they are not native to our country but were brought here as unwelcome passengers on ships during the days of exploration of the world.


Ian

[rats!]

ok, i think it is rats and I don't want to put poison down because apparently that is what the previous owners did before we bought the house and one of the rooms absolutely STANK for several weeks probably due to a decomposing rat. So, I am banging on the ceiling and generally trying to make as much noise as possible in the evenings, but I am seriously considering glue traps.
I hate hate hate the idea of rats (however disgusting they are) being in agony for days on these things, chewing off their feet etc, so I am thinking get a pest control company to do it properly, put them down at twilight and come and check on them first thing in the morning, we will maybe check on them at midnight. Anyone had any experience of these traps - do you think that will work??

[salukiwhippet]

Glue boards are horrible. Why not get someone who knows what they're doing to set good kill traps? (Having first checked that it is rats) No suffering, quick clean and efficient. Where in the country are you?

James

[shirl]

I hate the thought of some wild creature being stuck on a glue trap, writhing around in desperation trying to free itself until someone comes along and puts it out of it's misery. That is horrible. How are you going to kill it after it's been stuck on the glue trap for hours?

If you have to get rid of it by killing it, let an expert do it and kill it quickly so the poor thing doesn't suffer. In the short term though please try and find out where it is getting in and then stop it from doing so.

Shirl