AsifScoob

Right, I have done a search on the above on SN and on the first hundred thread titles there is not one mention of anyone having a rat problem.

So, I have a rat problem and have called in the exterminators. Has anyone else had a similar experience and what did they do about it that worked, please?

Rats are under the house by the way, seemed to have tunnelled there way in and out better than Charles Bronson in The Great Escape, and I've only just realised!!!

I spoke to the neighbour and she says she has seen them coming under the fence into her garden every night, for the last couple of weeks (been a death in the family, which is why she hasn't got round to telling me)

If I poison them will they go and die in her garden and become poisonous to her dog? (her main concern)

Not happy about all this so any useful advice would be most welcome.

Asif

turboman786

Shoot em!

ajm

I have a solution.... you can have her for £100 per hour!

john_s

iTrader: (1)

As above... target practice for your air rifle before Bliar makes them illegal.

John.

AsifScoob

LOL, I'm not a bad shot either, but I'd rather not go blasting a shorgun around, destroying bits of my property etc, what about the neighbours dog? Might poo itself slightly at the sound.

Snake looks good AJM, £100 ph is a bit steep mate! You sure you're not just trying to take advantage of a fellow SN'er in a tight spot?

Would I have to convert the underneath of my house into a tropical rainforest for it to live in?

Anyway, hilarious solutions aside, does anyone have any useful advice please? Does Pest Control work, how can I stop them coming back?

Thanks

Asif

Jerome

Get a cat.

When there are no rats left, I'm sure ajm will take it off your hands...

Jap2Scrap

Don't they only eat like once a week/month or something?

Gonna take awhile at that rate

ajm

Being a young and rapidly growing burmese python she will eat pretty much as many as she can get down her neck given half the chance, but yes, one a week is sufficient (and more healthy!)

Apparition

Traps, loaded with well cooked sausages as bait. At least you can deal with the corpses afterwards and know where they die.

topdog

Give em some poison like "slaymor" or "neosorexa" and be sure to give them plenty, if you give too little and they only eat a small ammount they'll just get a tummy ache and wont come back for more the following night.
They'll be dead in three or four days, our dogs catch and kill them when they've been poisoned and close to death and just leave them after, I've never seen them eat one so I wouldn't worry about your neighbours dog been poisoned

fatscoobyfella

Get a good working Ratter in.....Many terriers can do the job..no prob

AsifScoob

Interesting. Sorry to ask a stupid question, but were those live rats or dead ones you fed her? (Before she ate them!)

Asif

AsifScoob

Not a bad idea.

AsifScoob

Thanks for that. I'll be sure to mention it to them. Rentokil came round this morning, said the poison is based upon body weight, so the dog, being quite big, would have to eat quite a few rats to even start to feel unwell.

I'll be on the look out for their corpses. Then to make sure they dont come back.

Asif

AsifScoob

How does that work? Do people rent them out? Surely the Terrier wouldn't be expected to go under the house?

I like the idea though somehow.

Asif

Leslie

we had the same problem until our cat got a few-they soon get the message.

Les

Apparition

A dead rat can send out quite a stink after a short while. That's why I made my suggestion. Nothing worse than one crawling into a confined space to do its dying closely followed by some smelly decomposing.

AsifScoob

Thats interesting Les. The man from Rentokil said he wasn't sure of the odds of a fully grown cat versus a fully grown rat, reckoned it might be 50-50.

I did read some story about Rats by Stephen King a few years ago and learned two very important lessons:

1) Rats can be scary *****'s
2) Never read a Stephen King book again.

Asif

Jerome

I think your Rentokil man has been sniffing too much glue or something.

A rat is no match for a cat. At least not the cats we've had in the past. One of which would line up several big rats every other day by the back door. Eventually, he ran out of rats and moved on to rabbits, birds, small children etc.

PCatWork

Some of the rats I've seen are the size of small dogs. It would take a bad assed cat to take them on. I have caught rats in traps but they learn very quickly:

First night - all traps have a dead rat inside
Second night - all traps undisturbed
Third night - traps kicked about until they go off and then the bait eaten.

Jerome

Where do you live, Chernobyl?

I've seen big rats, but nothing that could take on a cat. Cats are bristling with deadly weapons, so even if they were the same size, my money is on the cat.

Butty

iTrader: (2)

Our cats wisely take on youngsters only- they know their limits.
I've found a fork is handy when finding a nest whilst gardening - "they don't like it up 'em Captn Manwaring"

OllyK

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3965591.stm

Mrs WRX

my cat left a HUGE dead rat on the patio a few years ago. couldnt believe the size of the rat. He got a couple of smaller ones as well. Mind you he is a bloody big cat, think he is related to the beast of Bodmin Moor.

AsifScoob

Scratch one rat!

Very happy, a few more to go no doubt.

Asif

Leslie

I think it is down to the cat as much as anything. Rats are pretty strong when they are cornered but our little black cat has got an evil streak when it comes to rats etc!

He has a couple of scars on one ear but they get short shrift now.

Les

Ratman

They'd appreciate a supply of fresh water every day, they love fruit, chicken, pasta, but don't feed them nuts, it could cause skin complaints.

Best not to let them in the house, though. Rat-proof it by covering all openings with steel mesh, if they're not air vents you can fill them up with expanding foam, too, which is very effective.

If you leave some food out by a patio window, for instance, you can watch them feed in the evenings from 2 inches away inside the glass!

Ratman
MY98 Wagon

matt.bowey

we had rats in or drains, they could get in, but not out, so we really had loads of dead rats in our drains!!! We only found out when the plumber lifted the man hole cover and discovered that it was full of dead rats.

Totally stitched up on the cost, he was there for 3 hours and charged a small fortune. Plumbers will exploit the fact u want rid quick.......!

moses

its sad bros across the road we have a church they rebuilt it a c;unt from the money making evangelism in america took it over, before it was a nice protestant church with nice people

well when they knocked it down all the rats and mice came to our neighbourhood and destroyed all my precious stuff i had since i was a kid our furniture and kitchen and mountain bikes the *******s


well we called the council they sorted it out for us for free

its a pity if they were in the garden u could have used a red tail hawk to slay them vermin and get an airgun too