I've a small invasion of rats and am terrified

henetha

I've had to stop feeding the birds because of a rat sighting. Such a darned nuisance. I'm planting lavender and mint around where I think they might be, hopefully a deterrent. And putting scented things in the toilets etc.
I hate rats.

They will stick to the perimeters of a garden. And don’t like light at night. Maybe a few solar powered lights would deter them. I’ve stopped feeding the birds, too. The squirrel just ate all the peanuts anyway.

Leave bleach in the pan?

Have the toilet cleaner ready to squirt on its head when you lift the lid.

Never mind peppermint and lavender - get the traps and poison
I’m a pacifist usually 🐀😏

Not sure about rats not liking lavender. I blocked a rat run with a heavy pot. After a week or so I removed the pot and planted lavender, and the rat hole has now reappeared under the lavender plant! Peppermint perhaps?

Would they not swim back down whence they came when confronted with the lid down and nowhere to go?

I've looked after pet rats for other people and the domesticated pets are supposedly very clean creatures but I still didn't like them. They stayed in their cages when they stayed here.

I am not a lover of rodents, especially rats. They are dirty, disgusting creatures and they carry a whole raft of really nasty diseases. I was flamed on MN by a small minority for expressing these views but I still heartily dislike them. I know that they are very cunning and intelligent and some people love having them as pets. Not me. To see a rat in the toilet bowl is truly the stuff of nightmares and I think you were incredibly brave. It would have been enough to make many of us expire on the spot.

Cossy

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

Because they just come back

And because they probably won't survive.

It is not a humane thing to do.

I've had to stop feeding the birds because of a rat sighting. Such a darned nuisance. I'm planting lavender and mint around where I think they might be, hopefully a deterrent. And putting scented things in the toilets etc.
I hate rats.

Last night I put the heavy toilet lid down and will continue to do so now after reading this thread

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

Because they just come back

When we spotted rats in the garden, admittedly 40-odd years ago, we called the Council and the ratcatcher came, free of charge, to set traps. The nest turned out to be in the neighbour's compost heap. Presumably, potato peel and other food waste is very attractive to vermin.

My aunt used to feed the birds, then one day she said to mum, “ oh look a cute squirrel on the bird table”, mum said, “ that’s not a squirrel, it’s a bloody huge rat” 🥴

petra

Hellowgirl
I’ve had several pet rats. My favourite was Lennox. He was black and beautiful 🥰

I believe a pet rat saved a family from burning to death by chewing through its cage, running to the parents bedroom door, scratching it to wake them up.

pably15 I discovered rats do like garlic (and raw onion) I put both down one night and by the morning they'd disappeared

my neighbours 2 door down told me they have rats and mice scurrying about , , I also heard some scraping noises in my loft, and thought it might be rats, there are a few cats about in our neighbours gardens, so they might keep them away I have put garlic around our garden and doors, they say that rats don't lke garlic or mint, mice are bad enough but I don't know what I'd do Ifound a rat, I hope you get it sorted out soon..

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

Nice thought, BlueBelle.
Years ago, my late husband and I had a house in France. One night, we were woken by scrabbling in the loft, which turned out to be a rat. We put a humane trap down and the next day, my husband took the rat to a place about two miles away, and let it out. (When we caught the rat, it’s tail had been caught in the drop-down door of the trap and had got a definite ‘kink’ in it).
Three nights later, we were once again woken by scrabbling, and, you’ve probably guessed it, when the culprit was caught, it was ‘our’ rat. We recognised it by the kinky tail. I wanted to put it down (I’d had enough, especially as I am not a lover of rats, but my husband refused).
The next morning, he drove it 20 miles away. Thankfully, that did the trick as, in the four following years we were there, we were never bothered again.

Apologies.
I seem to have skipped past several valve replies by clicking to the end accidentally.

You can have an anti-rodent valve fitted in your waste pipe.
My plumber told me about them.
He suggested metal ones rather than plastic.

Goodness me , a rat in the toilet - I am not surprised you are freaked out!
Like most women of my age I visit the loo during the night , the thought of a rat being in the toilet bowl fills me with horror. Hope I don't have a nightmare tonight!! Please keep us posted on progress , good luck .💐

What a terrible experience for I'm feeling scared just reading about it I had mice in the house at the start of the year and it really shook me up and I felt uneasy in my home so I really sympathise with you sending for pest control was best thing to do I hope you get over this horrible experience

We've had rats coming in the roof on and off for years. It took a long time to get on top of the problem. Yes you have to kill them but more importantly stop them getting in.
My pest controller put some one way valves in the drains. So water and waste can get out but rats can't get in. I think you should ask for those.

V3ra Oh, how I wish I knew someone that has a Jack Russell I could borrow...

Macadia

Allira

Mt61

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

Yes.
And someone we know too.

4 more people in the US have died from this Hantavirus lately. There is no cure.

Weil's disease killed the person we know of.