Rats

[cbclotus]

Hi all .Hope it's ok to post this .Been having a problem with mice .We are in a rural position .Nearly had a heart attract before Christmas ...ARat fell down behind some units .hell of a racket .knew it was a rat .Now stopped in holes in floor under kitchen units .put down rat traps got three mice .Now this is not good heard a hell of a din under sink near trap .Now the bad bit looked down from above to see ARat chewing on the mouse in the trap ........So I now need to pull out washing machine full height fridge freezer.And try to stop in where some one could not be bothered to finish the floor to the walls .we have got a Jack Russell little girl .i know it sounds silly stupid .dont fancy letting her go under the units .with me and the Mrs up on chairs .yup both of us .any rat trap down .cant Gretat the other one Untill I pull out units ....Not good ....Mike and Melanie .....

[eeyoreish]

[Bibs]

Get a cat

[cbclotus]

Bibs we had a cat for twenty years .Now sadly gone .The dog hated the cat ..I don't think you will ever stop the little critters .But not nice ....Mike

[Stuart Monument]

I have used this for Mice and works Really well. 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/pest-stop-super-mouse-rat-killer-25-pack/21546

[PhilW]

I had rats in the late 80' s. Everywhere but had no idea until I got an old local man out one night. He used something that he didn't buy at Woolworths!!!  A few days later he was back and there must have been 500 dead ones in the field out the back. It was unbelievable. 

From my experience if you've seen 10 there will be 100. 

[eeyoreish]

If you're filling gaps to prevent access, don't forget they will eat straight through stuff like expanding foam unless you 'reinforce' it with something like wire wool or chicken wire.

[cbclotus]

point  taken . Neil.i used sand and cement  .As I said just need to pull out fridge washing  machine .Mike

Thanks for all your help Just putting some elastic bands around  my socks before bed ...Mike

[march]

Once you have rats the only way to really get rid of them is poison - I have tried all sorts in the past (traps, sticky pads - only really any good for cleaning the rats feet, throwing cats at them , Humane animal friendly poison - all failed) but proper rat poison will do the job just make sure no pets can get near it. Unfortunately the government in it's wisdom has just banned lots of poisons (that will be the ones that actually work) unless you are licensed.

Have a word with Barry he seems to have connections with the farming underworld - he could probably get you the good stuff.

[comem47]

[USAndretti42]

On 8 January 2018 at 01:45, comem47 said:

Are you saying they can't be killed by fire or by dropping a tractor on them?

[100th_Idiot]

In a rural area the field mice will try to get in when it gets colder. Had the same issue. There is no such thing as a mouse proof (or  rat) house. You cannot block the all the holes sufficiently.

Get a pro out that knows their habits and likely runs. He will place bait traps (anti coagulent). Once that is done you just need to top them up every one or two years.

[comem47]

3 hours ago, USAndretti42 said:

Are you saying they can't be killed by fire or by dropping a tractor on them?

Hah !!!  Nope, just that all this talk about rats made me flashback to his nickname "super rat"   

[mayevora]

Mice are the easy bit. Mouse trap with cheese and Nutella - they love it. Poison is the only proper way for rats - obviously if you have a dog careful what you are laying. Homebase and B&Q sell plastic boxes with 'in' holes and 'out' holes and the poison is sealed within the box. I put one behind our shed last year. The rat should go in, eat poison, wonder out and crawl off and die somewhere. Good luck

Edited January 14, 2018 by mayesprit

[Solstice]

I bought mouse traps from screwfix (the Tom and Jerry type!), loaded them up with cheese or peanut butter. Went to check them every morning and my bait had gone but the traps hadn't sprung. This went on for a few days until I borrowed a humane trap, turned out the mouse traps were rat traps, I caught several very well fed mice in the humane trap, and released them in a field, just hope that they weren't homing mice!

[cbclotus]

Thanks guys .Blocked off floors .below kitchen units .Real pain ... I will keep at it Mike

[Mutley]

Shall I send my son down? We had a rat problem and he chased it round the garden and speared it.

The sight of a 16.5 stone 'ripped' Rugby League player stripped to the waist, charging around armed with a pitchfork had every living creature in the area running for cover, including his parents!