Rats and repellents

[galaxi]

I'm getting the occasional rat in the attic at the moment (already found one dead one a week ago). Bloody thing decides to scamper around in the early hours, so wakes the dogs up who wake me up.

I don't want to use poison or traps for various reasons, so what's a good rat repellent that is effective ?

It's a large attic (property is a bungalow) and it's probably getting in under the eaves so would be hard to block off all possible entrances.

Are the various ultrasonic devices that are about any good ?

I've also read that pepper or human hair is a good natural deterrent - any truth in that?

Ta

[Nigel Molesworth]

AFAIK, if you have rats you are obliged to.

[Owain]

Put dog in attic.

Owain

[Dave Liquorice]

Hungry cat? Make more noise than the rat at night though.

I don't think so. We have a couple of those devices, we still got rats in once and the annual autumnal invasion of mice still happens.

I don't like poison but with rats I don't think you have much choice. Rats are very wary animals and trapping isn't easy. All we got was an inch or so of tail, the rat gnawed it off to escape, they'll do the same for a leg...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Why? You can get wire mesh designed for the job.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Rats follow food. Removce food, rats will move on.

[Howard Neil]

That was my thought, as well.

[xscope]

Waking you up in the night is the least of your worries - it's when they start chewing your wiring that have to worry - for some reason, they love chewing wiring.

Maybe someone should come up with some special poison wiring.

[Rob Morley]

Better still, hook it up to the mains ...