URGENT - mouse/rat in my home

[Cocacolathanks]

I feel like I’m going to throw up but I’ve just seen a massive rat/mouse run across my living room floor and into the storeroom.

I quickly did a house check and noticed a bag of new flour has been eaten into from the bottom (it was in the store room) + some fresh bread has been eaten BUT that bread was in my kitchen cupboard (bottom row).

I think I might just pass out. I only moved into this house a year ago and I’m not exactly unhygienic although I have 3 kids who can make a mess.

what the hell can I do?

how do I get rid of mice/rats?

i am not joking this is actually making me have a panic attack. I’m scared and disgusted.

Remove yourself, your children and anything special to you and then burn it down. It's the only way.
We had rats once, in a military house. I saw the massive fucker in the kitchen at 11pm, called the housing people and we were all in a hotel in a couple of hours. I was not staying in that house, and I never went back, they moved us. I can not cope with anything rodent like at all, I'd be out of there, so I'm afraid I have no useful advice!

Remember when filling in mouse gaps that the little fuckers can fit through tiny holes. We were told to fill in everything, even if you think it'll never fit through it.

It's like reading about my worst nightmare <sick>

I think rats just smell. I remember going to a friend's flat when there was a rat infestation and there was a distinctive smell even before they died.

yy to borrowing a cat/terrier with known mousing credentials
even if it weren't disproportionate to get a pet, if you did get one you'd have no way of knowing if you were getting an excellent ratter like my Cat1, or a pathetic excuse for a feline like Cat2, who visibly flinches away from any rodents that Cat1 brings into the garden over the fence.

Getting a good mouse/ratter in will at least pinpoint where in your house they're getting access. Ours pinpointed next door's problem to a nest under their shed, which then made it easier to sort out the problem. Get pest control round once you've located the source.

And yes, beware the smell. Cat1 once brought a dead one home to save for later and left it under our bed. Revolting.

Can you smell a really strong urine smell anywhere? If so, it’ll be rats. I had this, and it was in the bathroom so I thought either DS or DH weren’t aiming properly, or that there was a leaky pipe. Turned out to be rats in the loft above. They can also fit through tiny holes that look mice-sized. Rats, however, gnaw holes in things (mice don’t) eg doors, kitchen cupboards, floorboards. If you can see visible holes in wood, it’s more likely to be rats. We had pest control round and the man put poison down in carefully selected areas to avoid poisoning the dog. We were lucky and didn’t get any rotting bodies - they must have died outside/underground.