Rats in the kitchen

[Overthinker92]

I’ve read there is never only one .. 😭

sorry it’s a long post.. I needed to find other similar experiences before I have a breakdown. I already suffer with anxiety/ocd , I feel I’ll have ptsd after this it’s the first thing I think about when I wake up and last at night and everything in between 😩

basically long story short ….

My neighbour had an issue 5 weeks ago and never mentioned anything to me (they’d had something under their stairs chewing electric wires and eating some food they had stored.. I wasn’t told otherwise I could have took preventions sooner making sure I had no holes anywhere in my kitchen, I was told by someone 2 weeks ago so started to take preventative measures and then a week ago I noticed something in my kitchen. Three times thing has been in my house in the last 2 weeks. (Prior to this I’ve never had any issues and I usually leave stuff like a fruit bowl on the side, my baby’s milk etc and there’s never been any kind of inclinations there was something in the house.

But something came in again last night and I don’t know how it’s got in 😭 I’m absolutely terrified there is more than one and they are in my house in other rooms … somewhere other than the kitchen as I have young children and I just don’t know what to do. Might seem silly but I’ve done nothing but cry as I really thought blocking the holes up had ensured they/it wouldn’t come in..

there was nothing for 3 days then my partner came to stay that night he’d left his rice cakes out on the side for work wrapped up and they disappeared with just the bag left with holes in … I set a camera up, purposely left something on the side where it had been taken previously and nothing for three days nothing until this morning… a dead RAT 🤢. I’ve got the council pest control coming but they can’t come until next week.. I’ve spoke to my landlord who had a Quick Look and are going to check the cellar on weekend as they are away until then. Please tell me this has happened to someone before. Im so scared , every little noise , kids leave something in site , listening in my eldests room whilst he’s asleep incase I can hear anything .. I’m exhausted 😴
😩 Thank you if you read this.

My mum had rats. I stayed over and could hear them running around and squealing in the basement. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I'd been burned and there were bite marks on my arm. I never was very scared of rodents, but you're probably right to be a bit worried. She had them for months, I'll never understand why she didn't deal with it for so long. I hope you get it sorted soon

Not rats but mice earlier this year. I saw a baby one on my bedroom one late night.
I called pest control out the next day who laid poison.
My OH laid traps two days later (as I'd evacuated the house as soon as pest control left!) and 3 large mice were caught within 24 hours. Another 3 caught over the next few days. Once the holes were blocked up and poisoned consumed I didn't see any more but I'm constantly on edge. I couldn't relax at all. I've left the traps and poison put just in case they find a way in again.
Can you get traps (humane or snap traps) and lay them with bait?

We had them a few years ago. Rats are incredibly clever, and they were able to take the bait without being caught by the trap.

We grated chocolate very finely and laced it with poison. Never had any problems since.

That’s how I got the dead rat this morning , I left a trap out last night, it’s so strange though, it’s literally three days between each time I’ve seen anything, the incidents I’ve had are the rice cake, and open pack of poison and then the trap last night. Honestly all I’ve been doing is constantly looking round the rooms on google searching them or
crying. If had somewhere to go I’d be gone until I knew there wasn’t loads of them. I’m so upset my neighbour never mentioned anything to me. I’ve lived here five years never had an issue. X

That’s how I got the dead rat this morning , I left a trap out last night, it’s so strange though, it’s literally three days between each time I’ve seen anything, the incidents I’ve had are the rice cake, and open pack of poison and then the trap last night. Honestly all I’ve been doing is constantly looking round the rooms on google searching them or
crying. If had somewhere to go I’d be gone until I knew there wasn’t loads of them. I’m so upset my neighbour never mentioned anything to me. I’ve lived here five years never had an issue. X

Yes, we had them in our kitchen, somehow they even managed to get into our fridge. It was awful - I came down in the morning to find destroyed fruit and eggs everywhere. Under the kitchen island, behind the range cooker all though the pantry.

We called Rat man out and he put bait in loft and behind cooker, behind kickboards under cupboards and near drains outside. He came back twice more to replace bait but we never had them in the kitchen again, although they have been in the loft again. Having a end of terrace house makes it really hard to block them coming in from neighbours.

Luckily the trap got this one otherwise I would be non the wiser still what it was. I just don’t know how it’s getting in. That’s the worst part and I’m worrying they are in the rest of the house. And how it even got from my neighbours 5 weeks ago to back and forward here and there. My neighbours are really clean aswell so it’s freaking me out massively X

So I live next to the end terrace house, and they noticed something around 5 weeks ago under their stairs and never mentioned anything to me, I found out of a mutual friend who said just be careful as neighbours has a mouse under their stairs , this sent me into meltdown as my under stairs is next
to there’s if that makes sense and our kitchens are side by side aswell. I just don’t get how they are getting in. 😭😭 I’m petrified.

There's a rat in me kitchen what am I gonna do

I’ve only known about them potentially being there for two weeks , I rang the council as soon as I realised they had managed to get in, which was 5 days after I was told. The first app pest control could offer us was 2 weeks so they are coming this Tuesday (6 days) my neighbours had whatever it was in their house 2/3 weeks before that, and literally there was nothing to indicate they was in my house before that , and until last week I’d always left a fruit bowl on the side, amongst other things. I just don’t get it. Was you okay after you was bit? If it wasn’t for my children I wouldn’t care, I’d up and leave to my mums till it was sorted but I can’t with the kids cause of school etc. 😭😭

Just came on to say this!

Half expected this at some point 😩😭😂😂

@Overthinker92 Sorry couldn't resist 😂 don't have any advice but hope you get it sorted, it's horrible being invaded by things like that x

We had rats on the kitchen 😱 wee fecker used to come out at night and stand in the kitchen doorway looking at us! Rats/mice generally only go where’s there is food so keep all food in kitchen - no eating in other rooms. Hoover and clean floor and worktops every night. No unopened packets of anything in cupboards. Rats can get in the tiniest of spaces - ours first came in through the wall cavity into a kitchen cupboard and then under the kickboards in the kitchen. Expanding foam and wire wool blocked every access up and never seen any since.

@Whatevershallidowithmylife so is it possible that they have got through next doors wall cavity into mine ? It’s just strange how they had something three weeks before I had any sign. This is the thing I only know have food in my high up kitchen cupboards, I’ve removed everything I kept
in my lower cupboard that were like cereal baby milk etc. no longer leave a fruit bowl out, but they was all absolutely fine and in tact and now it’s appeared .. honestly I hate it. I don’t want to be in the house on my own. Every little noise creak from neighbours makes me on edge. X

We had them a few years ago when we lived in an end terrace, next door neighbour also had them but hadn't bothered to tell us. I honestly agree it was traumatizing, you are not being unreasonable I was crying too. We could hear them rubbing around in the wall cavity behind our bed and in the loft, we were both terrified and didn't sleep well. They were nesting in an old bean bag we were storing in the loft and ate through a bag of rabbit food in the cupboard under the stairs. I felt physically sick and paranoid about disinfecting worktops and tables every day which was stressful and time consuming.

The council pest control guy was lovely, he came three times, bait/poison in the loft and they were gone within a fortnight and never returned. Wire wool everywhere, particularly around pipes like on your boiler and under sink cupboard, as they can get in the smallest spaces, and no bird feeders in the garden were top tips.

The pest control guy reassured us rats are relatively easy to find and destroy, he said he was only really scared of squirrels as apparently they are really aggressive. Good luck, just a few more days and they will be be done.

@Whatifthis ohh gosh , I don’t even know if you can get into my attic. Now we both do have cellars that are accessed from the outside yard. Theirs is pvc door mine is an old wood door so they could quite possibly be getting in from my cellar. I refuse to go in there to check, it frightens me. My
landlord had a look round when he came round , and said he couldn’t see anything or hear anything, but there is lots of bean bag balls in there so now I’m thinking omg did I not actually throw my bean bag away and it’s in the cellar after you have said that. There is also a suspended ceiling in my cellar that I can see has insulation in it and I’ve read they can nest in insulation so my landlords on about pulling it down this weekend so can make sure nothing is in there. My partner didn’t mind getting rid of it this morning, but he can’t always be here , so I’m dreading going down in a morning and something being there, I’m also so frightened they have got somewhere in the other rooms in my house. 😭😭😭 the worst part is , I can’t hear anything in my walls or my roof so I have no idea were they are hiding xx

As well as traps, wire wool, etc I doused peppermint oil everywhere - lil feckers hate the stuff!

Keep laying more traps and poison until pest control visit.
Although I've not seen any more since holes blocked and poison eaten, I'm planning on getting pest control back to lay more poison in case they decide to come back for winter 🫣
I truly sympathise with you. It can be completely unsettling and keep you on edge.

We had them. Victorian house, so no foundations. They ate through the pipe at the back of the downstairs loo so every time it was flushed the waste was deposited under the house. Turned out the gas board had laid a cable using a mole and gone straight through the sewer in next door's drive, making it easy for rats to get in.

I've been there, it's awful. Things that helped me:
Getting the rat guy in to lay poison
Block all access points
Clean like your life depends on it
Keep all food in containers
Carry a tennis ball with you when you move around your house. Throw it in an empty room before going in just in case you need to scare a rat away
Do the same with a broom
Wear shoes in the house
Borrow a jack Russel if you can, and if you are sure that all poison is inaccessible

@SlugsWon it’s just truely awful isn’t it. If I didn’t have the kids I’d be gone out of the house until it was all safe. I’m so paranoid every time someone leaves the kitchen door open. Thinking omg what if one has now got In the rest of the house. I don’t have anyone who has a dog I wish I did. I even contemplated a previous ferral cat. My boys after a pet. 😭😂 I really feel manic with it all. I used to nap when my baby napped on the sofa but I’m scared to even close my eyes now. Hate being in the house on my own. Literally worst thing I’ve experienced, I compared it to the feeling of grief when someone’s died , I know that sounds steep but that is how I feel inside. 😩

Do you know anyone with a ferret @Overthinker92 ?

If it makes you feel any better I was distraught when we had rats, but my husband and son were just like, 'meh, it's just a rat, they're more scared of us etc' (ratty was not more scared of me, I promise you!)

In retrospect they were right, no one came to any harm (except ratty). We got rid of ours, you will too, and this will be a bad memory one day so just try not to panic

Yep lived here for years then one year I started hearing noises in the roof. Neighbours had the same issue and they had been chewing through their sheds etc. Try a private pest control company more money but they come out quicker. One died in the walls it stunk the house out. I nearly moved out I was freaking out.

We had rats.... They came in and chewed the wiring in the floor cavity. We never saw them in the kitchen but I did see some evidence of chewing in the cupboard under the sink.

To get rid of them we used snap traps, exterior run traps, peppermint spray and poison. We also went around and blocked up any holes we could find and chopped the ivy down because we suspected they were coming in the eaves.

They are sensitive to new things so be really patient. Eventually they will start taking the bait.

Don't forget where you put the snap traps.... They can do serious damage to fingers when you do.

As a preventive we top up the poison and spray peppermint regularly.