Rat proofing a house

May 17, 2009 6 Replies
A

I have had a nice weekend away. I have just dropped the girlfriend off at her house and the loaf of bread that we left on her kitchen table (instead of taking with us) is now just an empty bag with a hole in it. The unopened Chocolate Ready Brek is also half gone as is the back of the cupboard that it was in.



There are the usual air bricks around the house that are under floorboard level. Non of them are broken I have also found a hole or two under some kitchen units in the floorboards. The holes will be blocked up tommorrow.



Should I cover the airvents with some mesh?



Should I also check next doors out? It is a semi and if he has a broken airvent then could rats enter via the neighbours?



I think it is also possible that the rat(s) came in through an open door. The GF leaves the door open whenever possible. That will stop.



I have set two borrowed rat traps tonight. Any ideas how many of the little bastards there could be?



Adam


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G

millions - get a cat.

(Actually I have a catflap but no cat: local cats come and visit and scare off mice and rats..

[g]
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A

I have two cats at my house, the GF can borrow one.

I got a phone call a few minutes ago to say the first rat is dead. Chocolate baited trap. I am just nipping down to reset it.

Adam

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F

On Sun, 17 May 2009 19:12:42 GMT, "ARWadsworth" had this to say:

Seven.

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T

Problem is the food source. Leaving a loaf in the open isn't using your loaf :-)

Very hard to rat proof a house, better to make it a house where a rat couldn't be bothered to go.

Steel mesh does work, stopped the buggers getting onto my patio from drainage holes in the adjacent alley.

If you have one though, you prolly have 20.

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G

if you have 2, and they are boy and girl ratties, in 21 days time there will be upto 18 rittens, the second she's given birth, she comes into season again, so there'll be another litter being made, ready to be born just about the time the first litter reaches maturity and starts producing it's own litters,

and so it continues :)

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A

I just caught no 3 by hand. I opened the cupboard door to remove no 2 from the trap and no 3 was eating no 2. No 3 set off running and I slammed it's head in the cupboard door. It was not skill, just pure luck.

There were no damaged food stuffs or cupboards last week.

The next door but one neighbour who kept chickens moved out a couple of weeks ago. I wonder if the rats needed a new food source.

Adam

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