Rat/mouse in the rafters. How long will they take to die?

[KnickerBockerAndrew]

Yes, I know there's probably more than one. There's probably a hundred. I only got about an hour's sleep last night because one kept going back and forth, back and forth above my bedroom.
Have put poison down, a rat trap and a mouse trap, but tell me- how long is this likely to take? It's started scurrying again and I reeeeeeeally want to sleep tonight...

You sure it's rats/mice? We get birds and bats in our roof and you do hear them moving about, but they wouldn't (I don't think) be affected by traps.

Personally I wouldn't fancy poisoning anything that could get stuck somewhere inaccessible and decompose.

Check what it is first. This happened to us and the rat that died decomposed and all the maggots came down through the light fittings..

I know it's got feet because I can hear it marching. Could be a squirrel but I doubt it.
I used to live in a house that had this problem ALL THE TIME, and used snap traps mostly... But because they're in the rafters between the living space and the attic, I can't really access their space to fetch a trap. I know that someone needs to come in to block the access points too- but this is a rented house and I'm moving out soon. It's driving me mad...

(Also re. poison v. traps- I once caught just the tail of a mouse in a snap trap, but the poor thing didn't die... It ran around the rafters attached to the trap for days and days...)

OMFG RAYN !!

But birds and bats have feet?

haha yes but I'm almost sure it's 4 feet- it's that kind of scurrying sound...