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Mar 2022
1:24pm, 26 Mar 2022
19,122 posts
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Chrisull
Fozzy - how? I mean poisoning is a massive no-no in my books. It is not obvious where they are coming in from.
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Mar 2022
2:21pm, 26 Mar 2022
12,250 posts
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jda
Insulation makes perfect bedding material for rodents and I've never seen any that I'd consider knaw-proof. Having a similar problem to Chrisull my approach is mostly to ignore it but I sometimes leave traps outside where I am confident they are getting in (a location that I don't think I can reliably block as it's where a substantial stone wall abuts the house). However while the external traps undoubtedly work, they also collect some random wildlife (mostly shrews, one weaselly thing that survived) I'd rather not cull.
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Mar 2022
9:05pm, 26 Mar 2022
87,631 posts
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Hanneke
You have to live trap then and kill what you don't want. I need to control the squirrel population and use live traps, as hedgehogs etc get in and they can be released.
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Mar 2022
11:40am, 27 Mar 2022
16,825 posts
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rf_fozzy
^^what hann said.
Poison in places you're confident it's only rats. Live traps elsewhere.
I'd be finding and eliminating as manygaps as I could too. Need to find where they come from.
If it's done properly there shouldnt be any room for them to make use of it as bedding material.
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Mar 2022
12:21pm, 27 Mar 2022
87,634 posts
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Hanneke
Technically speaking, cavity walls should be impermeable to rodents. My new building is...
However: my stone chapel suts on an earth floor without foundations: you cannot keep them out!
Also, do bear in mind that rats and squirrels can bite their way through galvanised wire and are intelligent enough to burrow underneath long lengths of buried rabbit proof netting!
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Mar 2022
12:22pm, 27 Mar 2022
87,635 posts
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Hanneke
They also chew their way through wood, sheds for example, or fence panels. So if you build in wood, it needs to be solid stuff!
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Mar 2022
12:38pm, 27 Mar 2022
3,165 posts
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Fellrunning
We have a number of rescued part feral cats that live in and around our yard. Never had any problems with rodents since we started keeping them. They get a basic diet and as many rats as they can eat.
They're not pets though, and will tackle just about anything. Rats, rabbits, passing walkers. Even the dogs give them a wide birth...
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Mar 2022
1:01pm, 27 Mar 2022
12,261 posts
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jda
I know where they get in but am not confident of blocking it. Next time I'm using some builders' foam perhaps I'll have a go, but the worst case is they find a different route that I can't track down.
When we first moved in, they were occasionally getting into the interior of the house but that was quickly stopped by blocking up holes in the interior panelling. If it wasn't for the risk of chewing a cable I wouldn't be bothered by the occasional rustle in the walls.
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Mar 2022
2:45pm, 27 Mar 2022
3,014 posts
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JRitchie
My wife’s business is in a coastal property and rats were a problem when she first moved in. We use a decent pest control chap and they were sorted in 3mths.
Part of our property is empty which was a particular issue.
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Mar 2022
4:53pm, 27 Mar 2022
87,641 posts
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Hanneke
It pays getting the pros in, as they are allowed to use the instant kill stuff in baited, closed traps, i.e. boxes. They come regularly to clear corpses and re-bait. Then they break the breeding cycle. They need to keep coming though.
Several clients subscribe.
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Ethical choices
Apr 2021