Rat in my loft.

soupdragon

soupdragon

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I have a rat or a very large mouse in my loft.
Today I will be putting bait stations and snap traps where I think the thing frequents.
My main concern with poisons is, if it kills the rat and it dies somewhere I can't get at (I'm guessing it would smell for a long time)..

Anyone got real advice or experience regarding banishing rodents?
 
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soupdragon said:
I hope someone can.
Is he an expert or am I hoping he'll live up to his name.
Click to expand...

All I can say is, if it is a rat, then normal mousetraps will not be good enough, you really need expert rodent control. probably from your local council. Rats are disgusting creatures, so my thoughts are with you.
 
As said we have the expert on TP who I'm sure will be able to advise, but could you just use snap traps and not poison?

If it is a rat(and even mice can make a lot of noise) then it might avoid the killing trap, rats seem to be very adept and this - we had rats close to the back door a few years ago and caught seven with a killing trap but all were youngsters, the adults avoided the trap.

As you say a dead rat in an unreachable place is likely to be smelly. A while ago we had a mouse or vole die in a wall cavity and it took a good while for the smell to go.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
As said we have the expert on TP who I'm sure will be able to advise, but could you just use snap traps and not poison?

If it is a rat(and even mice can make a lot of noise) then it might avoid the killing trap, rats seem to be very adept and this - we had rats close to the back door a few years ago and caught seven with a killing trap but all were youngsters, the adults avoided the trap.

As you say a dead rat in an unreachable place is likely to be smelly. A while ago we had a mouse or vole die in a wall cavity and it took a good while for the smell to go.

Dave
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Whatever it is finds its way into the cavity and I can hear it scratching above both the downstairs and upstairs windows.
I think it's fair to think it gets in the loft too.
 
andya700 said:
All I can say is, if it is a rat, then normal mousetraps will not be good enough, you really need expert rodent control. probably from your local council. Rats are disgusting creatures, so my thoughts are with you.
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Thanks.
I just looked on the council web site and they charge £80 for domestic problems.
That's actually not to bad a price.
 
Tringa said:
As said we have the expert on TP who I'm sure will be able to advise, but could you just use snap traps and not poison?

If it is a rat(and even mice can make a lot of noise) then it might avoid the killing trap, rats seem to be very adept and this - we had rats close to the back door a few years ago and caught seven with a killing trap but all were youngsters, the adults avoided the trap.

As you say a dead rat in an unreachable place is likely to be smelly. A while ago we had a mouse or vole die in a wall cavity and it took a good while for the smell to go.

Dave
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I hear you.
I watched a couple of you tube videos showing rats releasing snap traps with sticks and stuff.
 
Fuji Dave said:
Many years ago when growing up as a child we had a squirrel in our roof, pest control at the time could not sort it, my father did though with a Mars Bar with poison in it, not one to try now days as it was back in the 70s.
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I don't think it's a squirrel, there is normally obvious signs of coming and going.
What bothers me is I can't see how it got there in the first place.
 
We had the same problem, and yes, poison works, but the smell of decay when it works is truly awful! Watch out for chewed cables, etc. too. Good luck, but my advice is if you can trap them do so!
 
Whitefiver said:
We had the same problem, and yes, poison works, but the smell of decay when it works is truly awful! Watch out for chewed cables, etc. too. Good luck, but my advice is if you can trap them do so!
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Have you actually had a rat die in your house?
How long does the smell last.
 
I'm also worried about where it is finding water.
I'll be checking the header tank is sealed to day as well.
 
soupdragon said:
Have you actually had a rat die in your house?
How long does the smell last.
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Yes, we have, somewhere in the cavity wall! the stench was truly awful fo about a month, and then faded away, Ours got in by digging into the sewer, then we presume through the toilet. Lovely. Suffice it to say that the hole is securely blocked now,
 
soupdragon said:
Have you actually had a rat die in your house?
How long does the smell last.
Click to expand...
I used to work in an office where rats got into the cable runs below the floor. They would run around all day and nobody really minded them because they stayed below floor though I suspect network weren't happy. After I moved office, pest control set poison for them and they all retreated below the floor to die.

Weeks and weeks, apparently.
 
Whilst you may have a rat in your loft and you sure it is not a bird?

Check your eves/facia boards for any gaps that birds can get in through - It is nesting season and lofts provide a great place for birds to raise their young or gather nesting materials from.
 
Milo King said:
Whilst you may have a rat in your loft and you sure it is not a bird?

Check your eves/facia boards for any gaps that birds can get in through - It is nesting season and lofts provide a great place for birds to raise their young or gather nesting materials from.
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I'm fairly sure it is a rodent.
I can hear scratching above the downstairs bay window inside the cavity and above an upstairs window in the cavity.
From ground level I can see no obvious point of entry.
 
soupdragon said:
Is he an expert or am I hoping he'll live up to his name.
Click to expand...
Just over 30 years experience before I retired.

soupdragon said:
I just looked on the council web site and they charge £80 for domestic problems.
Click to expand...
That's not a bad price, assuming its for 3 visits, do a web search for a local independent, he might be cheaper, but also look for a profession accreditation.
BPCA is the industry standard.

soupdragon said:
I'm also worried about where it is finding water.
Click to expand...
Its either going out for water or licking condensation off your water tank.

One size never fits all, and this time of year it could be a squirrel with a nest.
Check the droppings they are quite different.

Professional 3rd generation Anticoagulant baits are 10x stronger than anything you can buy from the likes of B&Q etc.
These also make the target thirsty, and 99 times, they'll go outside and die, ( looking for water) they also desiccate the target, and there is very little smell, the smell comes from the live, rat having scent marked its territory.

Having said that of course if you are unlucky and it dies inside, they do smell bad for about a week.
Get some proper deodoriser, and put that around the place, on cotton wool type pads, not not only masks the smell, but also attracts it.
It in itself smells a little like disinfectant, its quite strong but not that unpleasant in its self.
Just throw the pads away after about a week.

If you have thick insulation, its running under that, and that's where you put the poison or indeed snap traps,
buy the old fashion ones, not the modern "crocodile" type.
A fen MkIV is even better, but learn how to use them, they break fingers. Bait this with a smear of jam or peanut butter on the tread plate.
The other alternative is a "live cage trap" baited with mixed fruit and or nuts Salted (KP type) peanuts work best.

soupdragon said:
From ground level I can see no obvious point of entry.
Click to expand...
They will tunnel underground some distance away, and go up the cavity wall.
Do you have tall trees within 8 feet of your house, squirrels will jump this distance and go under your roof tiles.

Do you have a trellis or some type of "climbing plant" on your house?
Both rats and squirrels will climb this.
Is your rain pipe close to the wall? I've seen rats climb a wall with their backs to the pipe, wedging themselves against the pipe,
and then getting under the roof tiles.

I can't really offer a specific solution without actually investigating it first hand,
But hopefully that is all food for thought...
 
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When our neighbour ripped down an old shed all the houses around got visited by rats. We had a lot of success with the electric shock traps and the rat doesn't leave the trap.

My son once came downstairs during the night, saw a rat in the middle of the kitchen floor. He dropped a heavy cookbook on it, Nigella Lawson I think. Very effective.
 
We noticed a terrible smell in our kitchen once, but couldn’t find the source for ages. Then one morning I noticed a pool of dark liquid under the radiator. It was a dead, slow-cooked mouse that had been gently decomposing behind the radiator. We think one of our cars must have brought it in, live but injured, then it had escaped and hidden behind the radiator. :puke:
 
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boogie man said:
We noticed a terrible smell in our kitchen once, but couldn’t find the source for ages. Then one morning I noticed a pool of dark liquid under the radiator. It was a dead, slow-cooked mouse that had been gently decomposing behind the radiator. We think one of our cars must have brought it in, live but injured, then it had escaped and hidden behind the radiator. :puke:
Click to expand...

Waw! You have a pet car!
 
Cobra said:
Just over 30 years experience before I retired.


That's not a bad price, assuming its for 3 visits, do a web search for a local independent, he might be cheaper, but also look for a profession accreditation.
BPCA is the industry standard.


Its either going out for water or licking condensation off your water tank.

One size never fits all, and this time of year it could be a squirrel with a nest.
Check the droppings they are quite different.

Professional 3rd generation Anticoagulant baits are 10x stronger than anything you can buy from the likes of B&Q etc.
These also make the target thirsty, and 99 times, they'll go outside and die, ( looking for water) they also desiccate the target, and there is very little smell, the smell comes from the live, rat having scent marked its territory.

Having said that of course if you are unlucky and it dies inside, they do smell bad for about a week.
Get some proper deodoriser, and put that around the place, on cotton wool type pads, not not only masks the smell, but also attracts it.
It in itself smells a little like disinfectant, its quite strong but not that unpleasant in its self.
Just throw the pads away after about a week.

If you have thick insulation, its running under that, and that's where you put the poison or indeed snap traps,
buy the old fashion ones, not the modern "crocodile" type.
A fen MkIV is even better, but learn how to use them, they break fingers. Bait this with a smear of jam or peanut butter on the tread plate.
The other alternative is a "live cage trap" baited with mixed fruit and or nuts Salted (KP type) peanuts work best.


They will tunnel underground some distance away, and go up the cavity wall.
Do you have tall trees within 8 feet of your house, squirrels will jump this distance and go under your roof tiles.

Do you have a trellis or some type of "climbing plant" on your house?
Both rats and squirrels will climb this.
Is your rain pipe close to the wall? I've seen rats climb a wall with their backs to the pipe, wedging themselves against the pipe,
and then getting under the roof tiles.

I can't really offer a specific solution without actually investigating it first hand,
But hopefully that is all food for thought...
Click to expand...
Thanks.

It might be a squirrel as there is a large oak tree near the house.
I live in a semi and my neighbour has a single storey extension back and side plus more climbing plants than I can count.
I would not expect a squirrel to go down the cavity and start scratching at the canopy of our bay window though.

I'm going into the loft this afternoon to see if I can find evidence of any sort and put down whatever poisons/traps I can find in B&Q.
I get the feeling I'll have to employ a professional soon but I need to take steps as soon as possible.
 
soupdragon said:
I would not expect a squirrel to go down the cavity and start scratching at the canopy of our bay window though.
Click to expand...
Agreed it is unlikely. Unless there is an access point there somewhere, and they go from there, upwards.

soupdragon said:
I'm going into the loft this afternoon to see if I can find evidence
Click to expand...
If there is nothing obvious, pull back the insulation, and look for droppings, particularly in the area of the water tank.

soupdragon said:
whatever poisons/traps I can find in B&Q.
Click to expand...
As above don't waste your money on over the counter poisons.
 
Well that is a bit norty, professional bait on Amazon. I'm not sure how they get away with this, unless its because its only sold in small quantities.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roshield-S...ywords=brodifacoum&qid=1684751016&sr=8-1&th=1
( or anything else containing brodifacoum)
If its Rats or mice ( it won't kill a squirrel) nail 3 or 4 blocks to the rafters in the loft, and or under the insulation, and leave it alone.
It'll take a few days to take effect.
 
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@Cobra. Is Rodene banned nowadays? Or just available for professional use? I found a big tub full of sachets at our house when we moved in a couple of years ago. There’d obviously been a historic mouse problem in the loft at one time, there were still bait trays dotted around but they were now untouched. I used it in the garden shed to get rid of another batch of the little blighters and it cleared them all in about a week.
 
boogie man said:
@Cobra. Is Rodene banned nowadays?
Click to expand...
Did you mean Rodine? Its still available, its a Rentokil product containing Bromadiolone 0.005% w/w.
It's likely that someone called in Rentokil following a problem,
Not as strong as something containing Brodifacoum
 
Cobra said:
Agreed it is unlikely. Unless there is an access point there somewhere, and they go from there, upwards.


If there is nothing obvious, pull back the insulation, and look for droppings, particularly in the area of the water tank.


As above don't waste your money on over the counter poisons.
Click to expand...
Well I wasted my money.
I'll put the whole lot around where I think the critter is and hope it's hungry.
 
Cobra said:
Did you mean Rodine? Its still available, its a Rentokil product containing Bromadiolone 0.005% w/w.
It's likely that someone called in Rentokil following a problem,
Not as strong as something containing Brodifacoum
Click to expand...
Yes that’s the stuff. Thanks. (y)
 
Well I was in my loft yesterday afternoon.
I can find no evidence of anything living up there. No chewed boxes, gnawed cables, droppings or squashed moved loft insulation.
My header tank and pipes are insulated and show no signs of attack.

There is still (audibly) something in the cavity though.

What a pain.
 
soupdragon said:
Well I was in my loft yesterday afternoon.
I can find no evidence of anything living up there. No chewed boxes, gnawed cables, droppings or squashed moved loft insulation.
My header tank and pipes are insulated and show no signs of attack.

There is still (audibly) something in the cavity though.

What a pain.
Click to expand...

Interesting there are no signs in the loft.

You mentioned in previous posts you could hear something above windows and that the downstairs window is a bay.

Could it be something (mouse, rat, bird) in the gap above the bay window but it hasn't got into your loft? Are there any small holes in the fascia or soffit boards, or under the roof of the bay?

Sorry can't suggest anything for the noise in the cavity.



Dave
 
When we had a rat problem, they were getting in through the cellar, then knawed a hole in the kitchen floorboards. I reinforced the bottom of the cellar door with a piece of aluminum, put a tile over the hole in the floor. One day I was cooking in the kitchen and saw a rat in the garden by the back of the garage. I then got the .22 Weihrauch and waited for it to appear again, thankfully managed to drop it first time. I carried on with the cooking, wondering how I would dispose of the body, when two more rats appeared. I dropped one of them and the other just cleared off. After that we didn't have a problem. It all started because the people in the bungalow below our house kept goats and the next door neighbour never cleared up the dog mess in his back garden.
 
We had a squirrel living in our loft once, it was a nightmare, not just because of the noise, it used to come down at night, eat a little food and ruin the rest of the food.
When nobody else was at home I used to sit with an airgun, but it never came down when I was holding a gun.

Eventually, it ran out of luck. I was walking back to the house with a shotgun when it appeared under the eaves, just about to jump onto a nearby tree, and I caught it mid-air, No.5 - 32. And that solved the problem, because it didn't have a mate or family.
 
Tringa said:
Interesting there are no signs in the loft.

You mentioned in previous posts you could hear something above windows and that the downstairs window is a bay.

Could it be something (mouse, rat, bird) in the gap above the bay window but it hasn't got into your loft? Are there any small holes in the fascia or soffit boards, or under the roof of the bay?

Sorry can't suggest anything for the noise in the cavity.



Dave
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My wife can hear it above her office window which is upstairs so I'm guessing it can get into the loft.
 
Garry Edwards said:
We had a squirrel living in our loft once, it was a nightmare, not just because of the noise, it used to come down at night, eat a little food and ruin the rest of the food.
When nobody else was at home I used to sit with an airgun, but it never came down when I was holding a gun.

Eventually, it ran out of luck. I was walking back to the house with a shotgun when it appeared under the eaves, just about to jump onto a nearby tree, and I caught it mid-air, No.5 - 32. And that solved the problem, because it didn't have a mate or family.
Click to expand...
Are you sure it was dead?
I once knew someone who was an avid gardener, and was plagued by a squirrel that started destroying anything which flowered.
It was now May and the Moroccan Broom was under siege.
One day, I heard a shot, and he was ecstatic that he had got it, there it was, lying on a tree branch.
So I approached the corpse with a bamboo cane which brought it back to life
 
kennethwfd said:
Are you sure it was dead?
I once knew someone who was an avid gardener, and was plagued by a squirrel that started destroying anything which flowered.
It was now May and the Moroccan Broom was under siege.
One day, I heard a shot, and he was ecstatic that he had got it, there it was, lying on a tree branch.
So I approached the corpse with a bamboo cane which brought it back to life
Click to expand...
Are you serious?
It was shot at very close range (what the press and police wrongly call point blank range) with 1 1/4 ounces of shot. There was very little of it left. . .
 
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