Rats in cavity walls
- Thread starter blastman
- Start date
Soldato
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- 8 Mar 2007
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Bringing this summer thread back up as we have a got a problem in our house. Hear this scratching noise above/around the front door and front wall of the house sometimes from our bedroom. Also in the loft have heard running feet and scratchy noises above our heads at night. 
Annoyed really that this has happened to us. Checked the loft and found a couple of droppings which look to be rat droppings. The scratching noise above the front door is so loud I fear they/it are trying to get into the house. I have bought mice traps as thought it was mice, but now think it's a rat so...
I'm going to phone the council next week when they are back in office. I gather they do this for free in my borough. I want this sorted out as it's rank, the thought of a rat in the house with kids. I'd pay anything to get it sorted but I do NOT want the smell of a dead rat down the wall unable to be got. What chances do I have that the council will sort this without letting that happen?
I checked the front of my house and there is an extractor fan hole from the kitchen where the slats don't exist anymore and it's just a wide open hole. Thing is, this is 7 feet up the wall. But it is next to a drain pipe, only inches away. Then earlier today, I found a hole in the front bush area by our front wall under the leaves. It looks to go down and under the bricks near to where the water comes into the house. Maybe they are getting in there. I have not once seen an animal, only heard them in loft and wall cavity. I don't really know where to put the traps though if/when I get some. Just lay loads out in the loft on the wooden boards and wait? Around that hole outside the house? Blocking the hole? Do I leave the hole unblocked for now? I want to get proper rat traps that are heavy and strong enough for big rats, as I feel the mouse trap ones the rat would drag away with it wrapped round them and then die slowly somewhere. I want these things dead and I don't care how.
Argh. Hate it.
Annoyed really that this has happened to us. Checked the loft and found a couple of droppings which look to be rat droppings. The scratching noise above the front door is so loud I fear they/it are trying to get into the house. I have bought mice traps as thought it was mice, but now think it's a rat so...I'm going to phone the council next week when they are back in office. I gather they do this for free in my borough. I want this sorted out as it's rank, the thought of a rat in the house with kids. I'd pay anything to get it sorted but I do NOT want the smell of a dead rat down the wall unable to be got. What chances do I have that the council will sort this without letting that happen?
I checked the front of my house and there is an extractor fan hole from the kitchen where the slats don't exist anymore and it's just a wide open hole. Thing is, this is 7 feet up the wall. But it is next to a drain pipe, only inches away. Then earlier today, I found a hole in the front bush area by our front wall under the leaves. It looks to go down and under the bricks near to where the water comes into the house. Maybe they are getting in there. I have not once seen an animal, only heard them in loft and wall cavity. I don't really know where to put the traps though if/when I get some. Just lay loads out in the loft on the wooden boards and wait? Around that hole outside the house? Blocking the hole? Do I leave the hole unblocked for now? I want to get proper rat traps that are heavy and strong enough for big rats, as I feel the mouse trap ones the rat would drag away with it wrapped round them and then die slowly somewhere. I want these things dead and I don't care how.
Argh. Hate it.
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Simple - just buy some big spring traps and put them in places where other animals (cats/hedgehogs/birds) are unlikely to come into contact with them and dispose of them in waste/burn them when caught. Don't use poison - it's inhumane and can affect other animals if they eat a poisoned rat. Don't block holes as they will almost certainly have other routes in (or make new ones). They'll follow common routes, so use this to your advantage and place traps in these positions.
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You try cuddling a spring trap in the morning! cats are the furier option
ajnd not so hostile if you sleep walk
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Associate
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- 2 Oct 2008
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- 379
if we got an infestation inside the house that we couldn't clear with traps and bait within a few weeks we would move house.
Rats breed really fast, a female rat can have about 6 litters a year with 6 to 24 babies a litter, at 6- 12 weeks old the babies become fertile and the cycle continues.
you are talking 1000s of babies a year.
we had a flat that was infested in the walls about 13 years ago ( have moved since)
about 2 years ago I seen a Rat in the Garden and called the council's pest control
the rat guy who came out recognised me from the flat 10 years earlier LOL says " Still got rats your old flat yano never get rid of them"
Rats breed really fast, a female rat can have about 6 litters a year with 6 to 24 babies a litter, at 6- 12 weeks old the babies become fertile and the cycle continues.
you are talking 1000s of babies a year.
we had a flat that was infested in the walls about 13 years ago ( have moved since)
about 2 years ago I seen a Rat in the Garden and called the council's pest control
the rat guy who came out recognised me from the flat 10 years earlier LOL says " Still got rats your old flat yano never get rid of them"
When placing traps, make sure they're against a wall, a couple of feet from any entrance points. Rats (and mice) prefer to run alongside a wall (you may be able to spot tell-tale greasy brush marks). Once you've set them, try to hold off checking unless you hear them go off - Rats have an incredible sense of smell and it can take a few hours for your scent to disappear, which will warn the rat that a human has been near. They'll eventually go back to using that route, hopefully via the trap.
Don't bother with live/non-lethal traps, the risk from contamination is very high and relocation doesn't help anyone! (Whilst naturally very clean animals, Rats carry all sorts of nasties!)
Peanut butter (smooth or crunchy), Nutella and bacon rind are very effective bait, but anything that forces the rat to engage the trap (rather than just snatch & run) is good...
Hope some of this helps, good luck!
Don't bother with live/non-lethal traps, the risk from contamination is very high and relocation doesn't help anyone! (Whilst naturally very clean animals, Rats carry all sorts of nasties!)
Peanut butter (smooth or crunchy), Nutella and bacon rind are very effective bait, but anything that forces the rat to engage the trap (rather than just snatch & run) is good...
Hope some of this helps, good luck!
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Associate
- Joined
- 1 Mar 2008
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- York
I had a Similar problem
This is what I did i scrapped some peanut butter on a breeze block at the bottom of my garden. Waited till dark and every 10 minutes or so turned on flood light and shot the little ###### with hw100 air rifle. In 3 days I got 14 rats I also put poison down under my garden shed. ( checked it every 2 days and rebaited if needed) within 2 weeks the problem was sorted
I found out later that a little old lady few doors down from me was feeding the rats
This is what I did i scrapped some peanut butter on a breeze block at the bottom of my garden. Waited till dark and every 10 minutes or so turned on flood light and shot the little ###### with hw100 air rifle. In 3 days I got 14 rats I also put poison down under my garden shed. ( checked it every 2 days and rebaited if needed) within 2 weeks the problem was sorted
I found out later that a little old lady few doors down from me was feeding the rats
I found out later that a little old lady few doors down from me was feeding the rats
Stupid bint.
Right...I'm off to buy a variety of traps. I like the bucket trap idea. Spinning bottle going accross a bucket that they fall in. Glue traps are nasty things but if they work... Then there are the good old fashioned banger spring traps. Apparently modern day poison (someone told me this morning) disintegrates the rat after death and neutralizes the smell.
Rat poison and houses don't mix, they run off and die in the walls etc which has already been pointed out. If you can find their nest in then it's fine as they usually eat and go back in there.
If using traps try using bacon, they seem to love it. Rats also have regular pathways that they use, if something changes along the pathway they will notice and avoid the area or take a detour, so don't worry if you don't get anything straight away.
My mum had them, I poisoned the nest I found and my brothers and I set up traps and had a few shooting sessions with our air rifles. I am normally a "target" only shooter (or used to be) but I hate rats, dirty horrid little things.
Another option if you have them outside is to look for someone that uses dogs to kill them, usually jack russells and they are very effective.
If using traps try using bacon, they seem to love it. Rats also have regular pathways that they use, if something changes along the pathway they will notice and avoid the area or take a detour, so don't worry if you don't get anything straight away.
My mum had them, I poisoned the nest I found and my brothers and I set up traps and had a few shooting sessions with our air rifles. I am normally a "target" only shooter (or used to be) but I hate rats, dirty horrid little things.
Another option if you have them outside is to look for someone that uses dogs to kill them, usually jack russells and they are very effective.
Good idea, your rodent problem will disappear, however all your neighbours will get a cat problem...
Poo in peoples gardens, pet rabbits tormented and all the birds fone from the local gardens. Good idea! Unless of course its a house cat, in fielne with them, but they probably won't sort the rodent problem out!