There's a rat in mi kitchen!

Sorry to hear council cuts
Now include pest control. The rat population will flourish
Hope you find one that is affordable x

Try the chocolate trick MissAdventure, then check the lounge to see how he got in.

I live in the countryside and know I'm surrounded by rats and mice but luckily none in the house yet.

Last summer my daughters cats brought 25 of the b******s in the garden always left thematic the same spot,was horrible.

we had rats a few years ago when we had chickens & my husband did the rat catching training at the local agricultural college, it was about £130 but gave him a licence to use the super strong poison you can't buy in the shops. He uses it now and it works, the only thing is being a gentle soul doesn't like using it much and will say things like 'its only one' to which I say 'it'll have a mate so will breed' they're very hot on avoiding secondary poisoning, which is good. Most local authorities don't have a service now, you have to go private in keeping with Tory ideas of small welfare state

Shandy57 Your suggestion created a terrible dilemma, how could I possibly waste chocolate by actually putting it on the floor

I can't afford to pay at the minute, as I'm not well and haven't been working.
Never mind; more than one way to skin a rat cat.
Resourcefulness is needed.

Thank you, I'll try the chocolate trick.

One upside of all this is that my boy carefully put his shoes away last night, instead of leaving them under the bookcase in the living room.

So, I have my electronic mouse trap, some snap traps on the way, the chocolate trail to try....

Sprinkle peppermint oil everywhere they hate it.

Can anyone buy a couple of rat traps to set? If we were nearby, I’d send mr i round with a couple of his. He uses peanut butter as bait but I may suggest chocolate
Best of luck Miss A

My little granddaughter found a dead rat next to out decking. The decking has now been ripped up and we have a new stone patio. Apparently most deckings have rats underneath

Peanut butter with a little chocolate - rats and mice cannot resist.

We had a rat (we presume) die underneath our sitting room floorboards in the heat of the summer and the smell was dreadful.

To remove the smell, peel an onion (into 'leaves'), put it in a bowl and cover it with water. This eradicates the smell from the decomposing animal. It really works.

A few years ago two of my GC had a couple of lovely rabbits with a large run in the garden, we realised that the rats had built a home underneath the run and they were coming up to eat the rabbit food, it was the perfect pitch for them. I’d read that if you find one of the entrances to the nest and pour lots of water down via a hose pipe they will all run out. We found the hole and did this, half expecting it not to work, we were taken a bit by surprise when several big rats shot out at a rapid pace and headed off up the garden into the woods. It caused great excitement with the GC. We got rid of the rabbit run after that and filled the rat holes up.
I have a Border Terrier and he somehow just knows if there’s one about, he’s great at catching them but I can’t stand the thought of him having the filthy creatures in his mouth so wouldn’t encourage it. I also hate the way they squeak when a dog gets hold of them, as much as I hate them it just seems cruel.

tigger

Sprinkle peppermint oil everywhere they hate it.

I've been watching a mousetrap enthusiast on youtube who tests out traps, antique (which he collects) and new ones.

He tested out the theory about peppermint oil as he was sceptical, but they really didn't like it!

Thanks for reminding me, because I'm sure I have some of that somewhere.

I agree with tigger,they hate the smell peppermint and if you put some by your machine / doors/skirting boards it should deter them from coming into your home.
Oh and by the way,i don`t think there will only be one.

Ever since I read that rats can get in via the toilet we put the lid down. Both toilets have quite heavy lids and, hopefully, the horrible creatures wouldn't be able to lift them

We live very rurally and a few years ago I had a few friends round for lunch. We heard a clatter in the kitchen and saw an enormous rat perched on the open window latch. We all froze as it fell into the sink. One of my brave friends picked up a saucepan to whack it with and it jumped back up the window and down into the honeysuckle where it had scrambled up, never to be seen again, not that I was looking for it.
We have to be very careful what we put out to feed the birds and where we train the honeysuckle,
Also had mice nesting in the engine of the car, causing hundreds of pounds damage, chewing through cables.
My husband traps them ( yes, peanut butter) and takes them in the car and releases them when he go golfing ( not on the course) but I’m sure they come back?
The joys of living in the country!

We had them in the garden, took the bird feeders down and paid £200 to get rid of them, poison in containers our cat couldn't get into. They had to pay about 4 visits to make sure we were clear. We have bird feeders again but over a planter where it's easier to get rid of any of the seed droppings that the wood pigeons don't collect.

Peppermint oil will get rid, they cant tolerate the smell. Sprinkle on cotton wool.pads and leave around the kitchen, they will leave and not come back. Worked a treat on our attic mice xx

I was told a few years ago after seeing a rat running up the side of a bungalow to get to the baby Gulls on the roof get speared by the male Gull that if you have Gulls around your properties then you wont have rats. Apparently the Gulls deal with the rats so no rats. I love our Gulls anyway & watch the babies every year so having them as rat catchers is a bonus!

I also saw the mousetrap enthusiast testing out just a shallow, washing up type bowl with peanut oil in it.
The sweet smell lures them in, and it's too slippery to get out of. Ugh!
It worked, though.

I had a little brown mouse that nested under the stairs. Our dog alerted us to something amiss. We managed to catch the poor thing and put him in the garden. He had been living off dog biscuits and made a lovely nest out of a hessian bag. However his wee spot was behind a sofa against a wall, so he had to go. I felt a bit guilty tbh.

My next door neighbour had her paths professionally jet washed. Shortly after she heard scurrying noises in her loft. The pest control man found a small space at the base of her wall, where the cement had been blasted away. A camera in the loft revealed that she had a new tenant, which must have gone through the hole and climbed up through the air space in the wall. Poison dealt promptly with the problem, but she slept downstairs for weeks afterwards, and still worries, even though the access hole has been filled.
I don't mind the little beggars if they stay outside, and I rarely see one, but I don't want them in the house. I hope you manage to get rid of your visitor, Miss A, but old houses are difficult to keep clear. You definitely need the pest controller to come, before they start breeding.

If in doubt - find someone who ownes a Jack Russell terier and borrow it for the day....

Brilliant suggestions by other posters. I am shuddering at the very thought and am glad you cannot see my facial expression. You have my utmost sympathy.

DanniRae

Ever since I read that rats can get in via the toilet we put the lid down. Both toilets have quite heavy lids and, hopefully, the horrible creatures wouldn't be able to lift them

I don't have a lid for my toilet as it has a raised seat because I'm disabled. Been training myself to keep the door shut all the time.

I need to share this bout rats.......Put bird feeder out on a tree in my garden...Squirrels kept feeding on....I was standing at my kitchen sink when the next thing a rat came through my fence...scurried up the tree...squirrel flew for its life..and rat started eating fro the bird feeder...I froze to the spot....then started shouting on my hubby.....Needless to say the birdfeeder has gone & no more rats been seen.....thank the lord....