How to get rid of a Rat?

LoveCurryPies · Post by **LoveCurryPies** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 2:53 pm

Woke in the middle of the night to the sound of small feet in my loft. Sounded larger than a mouse and didn’t sound like scratchy bird feet.

I’ve stuck my head up

but didn’t see anything.

So what would you do next? Call to Rentokill? Borrow a neighbour’s cat?

Lord Beamish · Post by **Lord Beamish** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 2:54 pm

LoveCurryPies wrote:Woke in the middle of the night to the sound of small feet in my loft. Sounded larger than a mouse and didn’t sound like scratchy bird feet.

I’ve stuck my head up but didn’t see anything.

So what would you do next? Call to Rentokill? Borrow a neighbour’s cat?

You’d be better off borrowing a good terrier. Far more effective with vermin in enclosed spaces.

Steve1956 · Post by **Steve1956** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 2:54 pm

Send for Bosscat he has a solution to everyone's pest control problems.

tim_noone · Post by **tim_noone** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 2:55 pm

It could be a starling or Squirrel...

iowalan · Post by **iowalan** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 2:58 pm

deport owen coyle !

Venkys4eva · Post by **Venkys4eva** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 3:01 pm

Its probably a mouse! They sound alot louder than you would think. We had mice in our loft last year and they were a pain in the ass. Go to B & Q and buy the poison blocks and a couple of the plastic rentokil plastic snap traps. A bit of peanut butter on those and then dont check them for 3-4 days and hopefully you will have dead mice! It took 2 weeks to get rid of mine, I caught 3 in traps and they took the poison. Nothing since thank god!

LoveCurryPies · Post by **LoveCurryPies** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 3:09 pm

I live next door to a woodland so we do see the occasional rat. How it’s got up into the roof is another thing.

Definitely sounded like a mouse or rat rather than a bird. Think your advice re buying some traps is good so thank you!

thatdberight · Post by **thatdberight** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 3:11 pm

Most likely squirrel I'd say from the sound of it and my previous experience. Traps work sometimes. Squirrels are a pain; at least rats have a toilet area - squirrels just do it as they go and make a mess of more area. Less likely to be rats - they are not as inclined go vertical. Don't forget afterwards to try and stop recurrence - get any open areas sealed.

Lowbankclaret · Post by **Lowbankclaret** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 3:43 pm

I can lend a humane trap, I will remove any trapped animals if you are in or around Burnley.

Bosscat · Post by **Bosscat** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 4:21 pm

Steve1956 wrote:Send for Bosscat he has a solution to everyone's pest control problems.

Talking of pests

Steve1956 · Post by **Steve1956** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 4:40 pm

Was expecting you to turn up at LCP's house with your Boomtown Rats 45 "rat trap"

theroyaldyche · Post by **theroyaldyche** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 4:41 pm

Council mate. Guy comes and lays bait in your loft. If taken they lace the bait and the next time it eats it itl f off and die wherever its come from

Venkys4eva · Post by **Venkys4eva** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 5:05 pm

LoveCurryPies wrote:I live next door to a woodland so we do see the occasional rat. How it’s got up into the roof is another thing.

Definitely sounded like a mouse or rat rather than a bird. Think your advice re buying some traps is good so thank you!

No worries! If you buy the traps use peanut butter because it sticks to the plate and works everytime

I found the mice I had were using the gutter pipe and climbing in under the eaves. Ive since blocked of their entrance point

theroyaldyche · Post by **theroyaldyche** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 5:08 pm

Ask for fulham to win

Jel · Post by **Jel** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 5:29 pm

I found chocolate buttons on a trap works best

LoveCurryPies · Post by **LoveCurryPies** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 5:33 pm

Jel wrote:I found chocolate buttons on a trap works best

I might catch the wife if I try that!

JohnMac · Post by **JohnMac** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 5:54 pm

Jel wrote:I found chocolate buttons on a trap works best

Excellent bait.

Until you come home drunk and starving...

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 7:58 pm

LoveCurryPies wrote:I live next door to a woodland so we do see the occasional rat. How it’s got up into the roof is another thing.

Ever heard of like a rat up a drainpipe....

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 7:59 pm

Probably a squirrel. Will also probably chew threw the electrics.

Herts Clarets · Post by **Herts Clarets** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 8:32 pm

Last house I owned we had mice in the loft. I put traps up there with peanut butter. I caught 24 mice before it went quiet. 23 were dead in the traps. 1 was still alive the following morning. A quick meeting with Mr Shovel soon fixed that.

Ooogeorgeorgeoghani · Post by **Ooogeorgeorgeoghani** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 8:38 pm

We had the same I thought rats but turned out to be squirrell, really hard to get rid of , I actually went out and got a load of smoke bombs smoked them out and cemented up where they came out

Spijed · Post by **Spijed** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 9:40 pm

Warfarin

Boll ewood · Post by **Boll ewood** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 9:51 pm

Get Bolton to approach the rat and the rat will be gone and will take all his friends with him. He will go to a better house which is a lot more modern than yours and and ten years in front of yours. UTC

Burnley1989 · Post by **Burnley1989** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 9:58 pm

I used to have a pet rat called Elvis, great little chap. Unfortunately died,

He was caught in a trap!

On a serious note, we had them, if they sound like a rat they will be nice, if the sound like a cat it will be a rat

dsr · Post by **dsr** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:09 pm

LoveCurryPies wrote:Woke in the middle of the night to the sound of small feet in my loft. Sounded larger than a mouse and didn’t sound like scratchy bird feet.

I’ve stuck my head up but didn’t see anything.

So what would you do next? Call to Rentokill? Borrow a neighbour’s cat?

In Borough of Pendle, you can call out the council. The ratcatcher comes round and puts some poison down and you never see them again. Presumably you finish uo with some dead little creatures in the building somewhere, but they don't seem to leave a smell.

dsr · Post by **dsr** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:11 pm

Lowbankclaret wrote:I can lend a humane trap, I will remove any trapped animals if you are in or around Burnley.

How can you humanely release a house mouse, unless it's in someone else's house? They can't live in the wild.

Lowbankclaret · Post by **Lowbankclaret** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:26 pm

There is no such thing as a house mouse.

I said I would remove it from his house.

The smell of a dead rat can linger for months.

Any animal removed will be humanely despatched.

dsr · Post by **dsr** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:39 pm

Lowbankclaret wrote:There is no such thing as a house mouse.

I said I would remove it from his house.

The smell of a dead rat can linger for months.

Any animal removed will be humanely despatched.

Surely a mouse that lives in a house is a house mouse? If not, how do you distinguish it from a mouse that lives outside?

I dare say the dead rats smell can linger for months, but ours didn't. (Though they may have been mice, I suppose; we didn't see them - only traces of their visit.) Maybe they didn't live in the house but were just visiting, or perhaps the smell in the roof space goes up instead of down? We smelt nothing, anyway.

claretdj · Post by **claretdj** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:52 pm

Q. How to get rid of a rat?
A. Watch Line Of Duty!

Bfcboyo · Post by **Bfcboyo** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 12:11 am

Execute them and all their family.

Tricky Trevor · Post by **Tricky Trevor** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 1:03 am

You can get plug ins at most hardware stores that keep most vermin away.
Never had rats but had mice. Bought two, one for either end of the house, and we’ve never had one since.

CBT · Post by **CBT** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 1:18 am

Where's your waste pipe located?If it's boxed in internally then they could be finding a way through that if it's not sealed in properly

Lowbankclaret · Post by **Lowbankclaret** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 2:01 am

dsr wrote:Surely a mouse that lives in a house is a house mouse? If not, how do you distinguish it from a mouse that lives outside?

I dare say the dead rats smell can linger for months, but ours didn't. (Though they may have been mice, I suppose; we didn't see them - only traces of their visit.) Maybe they didn't live in the house but were just visiting, or perhaps the smell in the roof space goes up instead of down? We smelt nothing, anyway.

I am just offering help.

tim_noone · Post by **tim_noone** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 2:10 am

Barnoldswick is infested with Rats.

LoveCurryPies · Post by **LoveCurryPies** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 8:29 am

Lowbankclaret wrote:I am just offering help.

Lowbankclaret, thank you for the offer but I’m some distance away. I will try the traps and if that fails contact a specialist.

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone!

Lowbankclaret · Post by **Lowbankclaret** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 11:10 am

LoveCurryPies wrote:Lowbankclaret, thank you for the offer but I’m some distance away. I will try the traps and if that fails contact a specialist.

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone!

I find the best bait for traps is mini pork pies.

bob-the-scutter · Post by **bob-the-scutter** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 11:44 am

Spijed wrote:Warfarin

Cinderella Rockefella!

Jel · Post by **Jel** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 1:18 pm

:l

Lowbankclaret wrote:I find the best bait for traps is mini pork pies.

Alanstevensonsgloves · Post by **Alanstevensonsgloves** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 1:27 pm

I think I've got a rat in my kitchen. What am I going to do?

Oshkoshclaret · Post by **Oshkoshclaret** » Sun Apr 28, 2019 5:33 pm

I don't know if they are allowed in the UK but have had best results on rats with glue traps.