I've a small invasion of rats and am terrified

A rat chewed through the pipes at the back of the dishwasher and flooded out the kitchen and the hall .
I could hear rats scratching at night .
They kept me awake.
I found one in my handbag eating from little ketchup containers. My vitamin c tablets had also been enjoyed !
I had to throw a lot of food away .Now items such as sugar and flour are kept in plastic boxes .
I tried to trap them and failed.
I was very nervous of sitting on the loo I'd flush it and use a lot of bleach .
I called in a professional rat catcher and he got rid of them .
My neighbours four cats are a nuisance in the garden,but since she adopted them we haven't had another invasion.

cats

I’m sure living near a canal Hellogirl you’ll know that water rats - actually water voles - are rare and endangered. It’s easy to tell the difference.

I used to live near a river, so had lots of rats. One day one ran over my slipper as I was pegging out. I threw a bucket over it & ran to the butchers to get the son to come & shoot it.
My cat would kick box them all around the back garden.
I would positively die if one had of got one in the house.

I quite like mice and rats but do NOT want to share my house with them, apparently next door did🤣 and when they were put out the house for letting it go to rack and ruin the owner found the place heaving in vermin he had to almost gut it and of course that disturbed the little loves and a couple found their way through to mine
I literally managed to keep it to one rat and one mouse by covering every crack and hole in my old house unfortunately I accidently killed them both without meaning to

I thought I identified a small hole behind the sink where a pipe had been in the kitchen and guessed the rat (my first visitor) had come in through that so I sealed the hole up but what I didn’t realise was I d sealed the rat in under the sink not out as I thought …a few weeks later smelling a smell I open the under the sink door and there was a very very large rat dead as a dodo ,poor thing
Then the mouse I was sitting in my living room and it shot across the room …after a few minutes shooting around the room it went to dash out the door away from me I leaned over to bang the door shut as I wanted to contain it in the one room, unfortunately for the little thing the door crashed on its head killing it outright, no blood or anything just bang gone I really felt bad I had expected to catch it and set it free
They ve been gone a couple of years nearly and never had another mouse or rat since thank goodness

Hellogirl you’re not stupid I like them too highly intelligent animals I just prefer the in their own setting not my house 🤣

I had a problem with rats, and it was dealt with very speedily and completely effectively by a professional firm - they informed me that many people put down small amounts of rat poison, which makes the rat get an upset tummy, but not be killed .... and, wait for it ... they told me that due to rats being such intelligent creatures, they go back to the nest and communicate to all the other rats that there's bad food and where it is, so the other rats avoid it and you're stuck with them. They said to ALWAYS put down a really large dishful of poison, which will kill the rat so fast that it doesn't have the strengh or time to "tell" the other rats.

Also, obviously, if you have pets or children you absolutely must place the poison inside a receptacle which is heavy enough and comletely enclosed, that kids and cats or dogs can't get to the poison.

Ahh it’s so hard to kill them just for being on your turf why nota humane trap and het it go into the wild

In NZ where my son lives, his neighbourhood are issued with rat box traps to get rid of all the rat population. Rats were imported on ships long ago and they eat the native birds eggs. It seems to be working as my family have seen plenty of tui and fantails (piwakawaka) in their garden.
I guess here we have to share our country with rats but please not our homes.

A family member had similar. The pest control person put down poison and fitted something to the sewerage pipes the was a sort of one way valve, so waste can get out but rats couldn’t get in again. Not a nice experience at all.

BlueBelle - I’m an animal supporter but - not where rats are concerned . They multiply at ludicrous rates. I want them dead not living in the countryside - which is across the road here, they’d be back in minutes 🙈

BlueBelle

Ahh it’s so hard to kill them just for being on your turf why nota humane trap and het it go into the wild

It won't survive.

We used a humane trap to catch some mice in the garage and let them go in the countryside but were told by an expert that they wouldn't have survived and it would have been better to use an ordinary trap.

And, Bluebelle rats carry diseases which can kill humans.

I would not want to put my family at risk.

Boheminan, you are one courageous lady.

I am having the heebie jeebies now, the thought that the only water is in the toilet trap and there is a big diameter long sewer pipe connected to that. That sewer pipe is likely to be dry enough for any rat to get through

We live by a small loch and are used to the occasional field mouse looking for warmth in the winter but last year we had 2 rats instead - there are no mice when rats are present apparently - . They rustled around behind skirting boards for a time bearing off jar lids of bait to eat in comfort and moving traps out of harms way till one got out into the kitchen and was promptly despatched by the family collie and the other by a trap whilst looking for her son we think.. We slightly admired them for their cheek captured on camera. I was entrusted with caring for the school lab rats at my secondary school ....... hence the mixed feelings....

karmalady I feel far from brave, I'm a quivering wreck and having screaming nightmares over this episode.

The Ratcatcher man put a valve thing on the end of the sewer pipe, like VerbenaGirl mentions, so I'm really hoping there'll be no more climbing up the pipes.

I know exactly how you feel boheminan I would be exactly the same. No shame in having rats they are more prevalent now. Are you able to borrow someone's Jack Russell for a few days that will sort them out.

Have a look at Amazon at the ultrasonic pest repellents. We had at least one rat that came in through the pipes at the back of the kitchen sink, obviously we have blocked up the hole which it came through, but I’ve since got a few of these plug ins and have noticed a significant reduction in the number of spiders and even flies coming in during the summer.
You can’t hear them at all, it says they are ok to use with pets but we don’t have any to worry about.
Can’t imagine finding one in the toilet though! Absolute worst nightmare!!

This is just horrible. I think I would buy mint essence oil and keep the toilet flooded with it as rats have a keen sense of smell and avoid peppermint. There is also household-friendly spray you can buy that has a nice peppermint spray. I don't know if it works but I sprayed the interior of my garage with it since the rats thought it a nice home for their families. (You can also spray the exterior of your home).

Don't put out bird feeders !

Mostly what pest control does is search for a "point of entry" and block that spot up. Steel wool around drain pipes entering the home, screens around little nooks and crannies, prune bushes touching the house so less safe coverage is provided, tin cans put on the ends of drain spouts.

Have you considered a Jack Russell? They are amazing.

Allira

And, Bluebelle rats carry diseases which can kill humans.

I would not want to put my family at risk.

Good point !

They absolutely aren’t cute, rats spread disease & mice pee everywhere.

Macadia

Allira

And, Bluebelle rats carry diseases which can kill humans.

I would not want to put my family at risk.

Good point !

Hantavirus

Was it not some rodent disease that killed Gene Hackmans wife?

Mt61

I used to live near a river, so had lots of rats. One day one ran over my slipper as I was pegging out. I threw a bucket over it & ran to the butchers to get the son to come & shoot it.
My cat would kick box them all around the back garden.
I would positively die if one had of got one in the house.

Your cat kickboxing, the rats conjured up quite a funny image…😁

Mt61

Was it not some rodent disease that killed Gene Hackmans wife?

Yes.
And someone we know too.