Rat in the kitchen what am I gonna do

[rik_uk3]

Earlier on I heard a noise from the kitchen I put down to the washing machine. Later I went in to make a brew and noted the washing machine door open, it had not been on.

About ten minutes later I heard the noise again, approached the kitchen quietly and the noise was coming from 'under' the back door! Something was trying to get in. We do get Rats from the stream from time to time and the water board have been digging up and relining drain and sewer pipes this last week so I presume they shook up some rats who are now on the prowl.

I've just sprinkled some flour outside to try and get prints and also put out a dish of poison, whatever it is, its been trying hard to get in! We have foxes now that are ripping open the recycling bags but would they be this persistent I wonder at tying to get in the back door?

 

[offroadmick]

If you have got rats, they must be very clean ones...
Using your washing machine and trying to get back in to do a second load....Bless 'em....

 

[mrmike]

Get a terrier?

 

[Toddy]

A brother who's very capable with an airgun worked for me when I had two trying to eat their way into the shed where I stored the bird food. (Now in metal containers)

I know they're ubiquitous, but health wise they're really not to be encouraged. If they have gotten into the kitchen, I'd be in a cleaning frenzy. They're not quite as incontinent as mice, but still not good to have around.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Radix lecti]

Try something like this Rik,my mate used them and they worked

http://www.transtools.co.uk/store/p...lents/stv-plug-in-advanced-pest-repeller.html

Daz

 

[British Red]

Get a couple of bait boxes Rik. Nowt but rodents get in em, you can leave em out and they'll see off the rats. A good second generation poison (Slaymore or the like) will sort em out. Failing that a quick blast from a .410.

 

[rik_uk3]

Well, they took the poison and I've put fresh down. We have problems that seem to run in cycles of around three years, plus the river plus all the work done on the drains has not helped.

Thankfully they did not get in the kitchen.

 

[British Red]

Keep putting the poison down mate (I'm sure you know this). Three applications required for full effect of the anti coagulents.

 

[ged]

Poisons work well, but poisoned rats seem to have a habit of crawling into some inaccessible space to die. If that space happens to be in your house, first you'll have an absolutely awful smell for weeks and second you'll have a plague of bluebottles or other insects which feed on rotting meat.

After variously shooting, poisoning and trapping rats for more years than I care to remember I much prefer a trap such as this one. I don't know this particular example, it was just one I found with a search engine. The ones I use are bigger.

Rats are sociable creatures, and if one goes into a trap like this to get some food, any others that are about will tend to follow. Pretty soon you'll have a trap full and then you can dipsose of them as you wish.

 

[bearman]

a hammer and a mop should sort that problem out...

 

[_scorpio_]

get an old break barrel .22 rifle and leave it near the kitchen (properly secured to suit the new laws of course) and next time you hear the scratching see if you can get it. i dont like the idea of a rat rotting under the floor or in a wall, we had a rotting mouse behind the fridge and it literally made you throw up if you went in the room, and you could smell it 3 weeks and several deodorant cans later.

 

[spiritwalker]

we had mice back in my uni days landlord got the professionals in, they put baited traps in the kitchen. I stayed up with a baseball bat and a flash light.
scores on the board professionals 2.
insomniac pyscho with the baseball bat 11

 

[Samon]

get a cat

 

[Totumpole]

we had mice back in my uni days landlord got the professionals in, they put baited traps in the kitchen. I stayed up with a baseball bat and a flash light.
scores on the board professionals 2.
insomniac pyscho with the baseball bat 11

good score. I was just sitting on the laptop the other night when a mouse trotted out from under the couch, not seen them for a year. Unfortunately dis not have a baseball bat or air gun to hand. Liking the look of those electronic repellent devices - nice & easy

 

[British Red]

get a cat

Yep, cure the vermin problem with bigger vermin. Good call.

 

[789987]

you wanna get the pro's option.

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/ratgluetray.htm

then comes the baseball bat.

 

[mrmike]

Those electronic repellers aren't all they are made out to be. On the rodent control course I went on they showed us a slide of a test they had done in an infested warehouse. A mouse had nested on top of the repeller!!
They are designed more to give peace of mind to punters.
I describe the way they work as like being in the same room as a rape alarm. Just means you can't hear much else... Rodents are scaredy animals and like to be able to hear what's going on.
Usually, that is...

Save your money to be honest.

There are poisons available that have a dehydrating effect and you end up with a dead, desiccated rat... No moisture, no stink!!!

 

[Deck]

If you know wanyone with ferrets get some old hutch bedding off them. Rats fear the smell and stay clear.

 

[_scorpio_]

seriously, the nights are warm, put a bit of milky way outside the bit of door you heard the scratching, then put a little tent in the garden and sit with a .22 air rifle (open sights or a little scope) and a torch. it wont take long for it to sniff out the bait and then it will be a quick death and no rotting in the walls. simples

 

[_mark_]

find someone with a border terrier!