How to get rid of rats/mouse yourself??

yel_cab

Just realised that there are rats at our home. Thing is its between the ground floor and 1st floor so cant exactly get to them? Looked around the house as well and seems to be a hole at the side where the kitchen is but not too sure where I should put the traps anyone got any ideas? Im thinking if I just leave them outside would the wind not jsut blow it away? With regards to poison im afriad that the rats might die inside our home and the smell of rotting may cause us some trouble? PLEASE HELP

krissovo

I have used poisons in the past and none died inside. The poisons make them very thirsty so they tend to leave the home in search of their water source.

I have also used cage traps and this way you can be sure they have left the home. Only challenge is that when you find them they are still alive and you have to deal with them.

vicwatson

Loadsa threads already on this stuff, firstly you need to cut off the entry/exit point, might be a good idea to check if they are coming in after dark only, they have a tendancy to go out during daylight hours - if you can establish that then block uo the entry point during the day when they are "out and about;)".

How do you know/why do you think, they are rats? mice can make a hell of a racket for such tiny creatures.

yel_cab

We can hear alot of scrathing it seems at the corner of the house in my bros room at the very corner where the hole seems to be. Was like that about 3 weeks ago and never really thought of anything until it happened again thins morning at 7am.

@krissovo: how would the cage traps work? The hole is above ground up at the kitchen ceiling? Where would I put the traps around do you think?

vicwatson

You need to block the entry/exit hole first - get expanding foam in your local DIY shop, THEN set a trap to catch any mice/rats that are already in the house.

moceri

You are best eliminating the Rats before you fill up the hole.

Place some rat poision in a 2 Foot length of 4" Pipe on its side near the hole. Check each day to see whether it is being eaten.

Keep topping up the poision as it is being eaten.

When it has been undisturbed for 4/5 days, you can assume they are eradicated.

You can now block the hole. Best to use outdoor Filler rather than foam. You should stuff the hole with scrunched up chicken wire or something similar to ensure they can't get in again.

Keep bins covered and don't leave pet food lying around which may encourage them back.

CamperMan

reminds me of a mouse we had 2 weeks back in the house, it got behind the wood paneling on the wall, noisy little fecker kept us awake so I fired about 100 pellets from the air rifle through a small gap... that shut it up ;-)

Oh_Noes

If you're sure it's rats then you should really get someone in from the council to have a look at the environmental situation there. It's not very common for rats to be running around in family/residential homes unless there are problems with refuse or sewerage.

yel_cab

Not defiantly sure if it is rats but yea i will do that. not being smug but its a lovely area with no history of anything like this before extremely surprised by this.

creedp

Oh_Noes wrote: »

If you're sure it's rats then you should really get someone in from the council to have a look at the environmental situation there. It's not very common for rats to be running around in family/residential homes unless there are problems with refuse or sewerage.

Its more common than you might think, especially if you were talking to people from pest control companies. I might be wrong but I think I have seen a statistic which states there are up to 8 rats to a human in a city environment .. the blighters flourish in an urban envoronment with a plentiful supply of nourishment and shelter. You should walk along to canals in Dublin (presumably the same/similar applies elsewhere?) to witness how many of them come out to play even during daytime hours.

Boom_Bap

if you hear lots of scratching it's most likely mice, the scratching is them rubbing thier teeth of wood to file them down.

Poison, traps and fill up any entry points you can find.

The poison dehydrates them so they need to go looking for a water source, which would normally make them go back outside.

Michael B

Similar problem here and we can't get rid of them.

For nearly two weeks now they've been there. We wouldn't have realised it until a few days ago because we haven't heard them until then but our Jack Russell started going mental a few weeks ago. I've seen a dog react to mice/rats before and he was right, we can now hear them scratching and running around the place.

We have put down poison, tried mixing poison with jam, peanut butter, cheese....set mouse traps and have one of those sonic plug in things (do they even work?!!) and they're still there. We hear them and see the droppings. They're not taking the bait at all. They're in behind the walls mainly but come out in to one cupboard which is where we put the poison and traps. We've put poison outside too.

Is there anything else we can do? I've searched and searched and can't figure out where they're coming in. My only guess is up the drain pipe so we'll get mesh wire for that. But any other ideas on how to get rid of them? I've had this problem in a house before and they took the poision and were gone within a few days. This lot not so easy.

LadyMayBelle

Same problem. Heard mice scratching under the floorboards (we live in a eally old house, built in 1900's so it's very holey) and yesterday the cheeky buggers had the nerve to come into the living room and wander about. THEN one hopped onto the couch which was just unbearable for me. We have been in the rented house a year since Jan, and have never had any mice until this weekend; my OH managed to catch one in a shoebox and got rid of it (he won't kill) but I saw another one go into the smallest crack in the skirting board.

At wits end, as the house is clean with no crumbs etc but the buggers seem to be getting in through some outside hole or something... I don't want to keep blocking up their holes because then they will get stuck and die in the walls/floorboards, and the agency don't want to hear! yuk yuk yuk!

For the record, peppermint oil doesn't work as a repellant. I used a full bottle yesterday of essential oil and the buggers didn't care at all.

Prenderb

I'm finding it really hard to catch a mouse here - we set about 6 traps over the weekend and found only one had seen any activity - bait [choc spread] removed without tripping the trap which is the second time that's happened. We've got 2 types of trap, one a plastic half-dome type, the other a more traditional wooden style but with a plastic paddle. They don't seem great, one of each has been tripped without catching the mouse, and the wooden type does seem to allow Mr. Mouse to get at the bait without tripping the trap.

Is this normal? To have had 4 non-trips and escapes? Should I change the type of trap I'm using?

Traps are in cupboard under sink (allows access to the void underneath kitchen cabinets) and in the hot press upstairs... all help gratefully received - we're not too panicky, but wifey's getting fed up of this 3 weeks on!

slimjimmc

Prenderb wrote: »

I'm finding it really hard to catch a mouse here - we set about 6 traps over the weekend and found only one had seen any activity - bait [choc spread] removed without tripping the trap which is the second time that's happened. We've got 2 types of trap, one a plastic half-dome type, the other a more traditional wooden style but with a plastic paddle. They don't seem great, one of each has been tripped without catching the mouse, and the wooden type does seem to allow Mr. Mouse to get at the bait without tripping the trap.

Is this normal? To have had 4 non-trips and escapes? Should I change the type of trap I'm using?

Traps are in cupboard under sink (allows access to the void underneath kitchen cabinets) and in the hot press upstairs... all help gratefully received - we're not too panicky, but wifey's getting fed up of this 3 weeks on!

You need a bait that sticks firmly to the trigger so that the mouse has to tug at it, and use a very small piece. A large piece can be nibbled at without triggering the trap. I used a very small piece of fruit (piece of raisin/sultana) to great effect. Also make sure the trap is placed perpendicular to the side of the cabinet with the kill zone at the wall, rodents tend to avoid open ground and will skirt along the side wall.

Prenderb

slimjimmc wrote: »

Prenderb wrote: »

I'm finding it really hard to catch a mouse here - we set about 6 traps over the weekend and found only one had seen any activity - bait [choc spread] removed without tripping the trap which is the second time that's happened. We've got 2 types of trap, one a plastic half-dome type, the other a more traditional wooden style but with a plastic paddle. They don't seem great, one of each has been tripped without catching the mouse, and the wooden type does seem to allow Mr. Mouse to get at the bait without tripping the trap.

Is this normal? To have had 4 non-trips and escapes? Should I change the type of trap I'm using?

Traps are in cupboard under sink (allows access to the void underneath kitchen cabinets) and in the hot press upstairs... all help gratefully received - we're not too panicky, but wifey's getting fed up of this 3 weeks on!

You need a bait that sticks firmly to the trigger so that the mouse has to tug at it, and use a very small piece. A large piece can be nibbled at without triggering the trap. I used a very small piece of fruit (piece of raisin/sultana) to great effect. Also make sure the trap is placed perpendicular to the side of the cabinet with the kill zone at the wall, rodents tend to avoid open ground and will skirt along the side wall.

In the three hours since coming home, I'd added another trap in hot press- he took bait from one trap but the second one got him. Choc spread as bait, trap was perpendicular to the wall. The trap he stole from was out from the wall! I suppose it's just perseverance.

Will keep a few more traps armed for a week or so but we don't think there are any more, very few droppings and only one trap nobbled over the weekend.

Krispie

These are clever little feckers so how I eventually got them was lay the trap, with bait (smooth peanut butter/soft chocolate) in the closed position, ie as if trap gone off, for a few nights and then WAR.:D Set all traps and caught a few the first and more 2nd night.

Re the holes in the outside wall, expa-foam no good. They will eat right through it. You will need a good sand/cement mix, covered until it sets propoer.

Another hint, if you think you know their entry points, spread lime or similar around access point, 12" or so. Their natural habit of rubbing their eyes will soon deter them from digging near your house.;)

evolving_doors

ok so a friend of mine said if you put down fine white pepper then they sneeze and bang their heads off the ground...doesn;t work..funny story though

Anywayyyyyy be very careful about leaving out poison, they will go for water allright, especially if they are in your attic and your water tank isn't covered,, yikes, it took about three weeks of showering with a funny smell to the water before we found this bloated rat floating in the tank.

Also wooden traps are a false economy,, get the bigger rat traps from B and Q or woodies..rats and mice have to set it off to reach the prize in the centre.

If you're wondering where their route is maybe you could try 'peeseekery' (I kid you not) ....get a fluorescent black light . rats urine glows yellow under fluorescent black light (also their tears turn pink!!).. So have a look at where they're hangin out..

If you have a compost bin outside consider putting traps around it ...