Rat in me kitchen what am I gonna do...

57Deluxe

#There's a rat in me kitchen what am I gonna do? / There's a rat in me kitchen what am I gonna go? / I'm gonna fix that rat that's what I'm gonna do, / I'm gonna fix that rat.…#

well I would but actually its in the lounge (sealed) beamed ceiling void of my old cottage.

I have blocked every visible potential point of entry on the outside with crumpled chicken wire apart from the roof where they would have to climb vertically and then into loft then down interior walls into the ceiling of ground floor - extreme and unlikely...

Anyway, can't put poison down liberally cos of birds/badgers/neighbour pets and I would put traps if I knew their run/entry BUT I do pop them with an air rifle when they are food stealing from birds...

So wondering if these ultrasonic devices work?? They have though been outlawed by the feds in USA as proven to NOT do what they say they do... so am skeptical...

Little gnawing bastards....

http://i64.tinypic.com/fabx52.jpg

MattBanshee

Install a Mighty Mouse mod and a NOS 308 chip.

Nitefly

Ultrasonic gadgets certainly worked for us, keeping mice out. Don't know how effective they are against rats, mind.

ThorpyFX

get a cat? 

ESBlonde

Rats can scale vertical walls, they prefer easier routes but it won't stop them.
They might be going up the drain pipe into the roof space then back down inside where it's warm and dry!
They reproduce at astonishing rates so don't hang about being considerate to the other wildlife, poison the buggers before they hole up for winter.

Ally1BS

Recommend one of those C.A.T. gadgets. The latest in bioevolutionary pest control. You have to remember to charge them up several times a day with Whiskas and cuddles, but they're the only device that actually work with rodents.  

gubble

Back when I was a student we had rats - they came through from the family's house next door.  The landlord refused to do anything (he also stole my passport but that's another story)

My housemate used to sit with his air rifle like a sniper waiting for them to appear.

We were burgled one day and the (armed) police turned up. Whilst the police were in the house a rat ran across the foot of one of the police officers with a gun, she shrieked, arms flying everywhere - the half dozen or so police who were in the house hit the deck so fast.

Bowks

A relative of mine had rats in the loft. They put down some rat catching sticky adhesive pads to catch the buggers and they worked a treat. 

57Deluxe

/\ /\ The ceiling is sealed - is no access and is beamed so would have to take the entire lot down!!

Also - Poisoning is also a no-no in as much as when they die it is a slow process and if they die trapped in the void the rotting/gut-churning stench permeates for months and of course above the ceiling are the bedrooms...

This rotting-down has happened once before when they got into the study walls/ceilings voids and one died inside; but that is a lean-to attached outbuilding and to go from there into the lounge they would have had to chumped through 9" mixed/stone.brick masonry! Same with the but-jointed built front porch... Also being c1750 is no cavity walls for them to get up under and inside... is most perplexing.

Of course, equally it could be very fat mice!

merlin

Have a listen to this....

cruxiform

gubble said:

My housemate used to sit with his air rifle like a sniper waiting for them to appear.

That's what I did. I had rats in the loft of previous house, they drove me bloody spare! Every morning 4am-5am they arrived, after running along the guttering of the house from god knows where. That had started to destroy my fishing gear so I cleared the entire loft to try remove anything they could be attracted to. I tried poison with no luck so in the end I sat up there with my jack russell Alfie and a borrowed air rifle. I shot them and he would shake the life out of them. Got 4 of the buggers after a couple of nights then no more. It was a particularly wet winter and I think they were seeking refuge. The only thing was every time I opened the loft door from then on, Alfie used to run around in circles thinking he was going to get some rat action again!

scrumhalf

This is a forum for guitarists, is there no sort of Pied Guitarist of [wherever you live] angle that can be worked?

fob

I always thought it was 'I'm gonna feed that rat...' never made sense!

My mum had one or two going into her house so we soaked a load of cotton balls in peppermint oil and threw them into where she thought they were going. The report the next day was that they 'went ballistic' but didn't come back.

Hootsmon

altogether now....

It's NOT a rat it's a ........

JohnnyPlectrum

Me & rifle 1, rat 0
Remaining squillion rats, a squillion, chicken feed 0.  :-(

My nemesis...

musteatbrain

I had a rat infestation in my home last year. The local council have pest control. Think it cost 45 pounds and for that they came around and poisoned them and helped us determine the cause.
sometimes poison is the only effective solution.

Jimbro66

Ratatouille?

MattBanshee

Can you fit snap-traps in the holes that you've blocked? If so, tie some string to them so that you can pull them back out to check them. 

ESBlonde

Yes snap traps, even outside on rat runs/beside walls and fences etc. they have to be eating somewhere.

CabbageCat

I have some that live under my shed. I've tried poisoning but I think the woodlice just eat it cos I've put down loads and never seen evidence of a corpse. Either that or there are a thousand rats whose bodies instantly decompose.

Jalapeno

Those electronic scarer doodats don't work on Glis-Glis (Edible Doormouse)