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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

RATS in loft

68 replies

Peterrainbow · 15/11/2023 17:45

Absolutely freaking out! Anyone else experience this? Will pest control come tonight or do I have to wait until tomo 😱

OP posts:
TwiddlingMyToes · 15/11/2023 17:46

I'm not sure, you might get someone out tonight, but it's unlikely.

On another note, how on earth did they get up there?!

Original poster
Peterrainbow · 15/11/2023 17:49

That’s what I want to know!!! @TwiddlingMyToes

OP posts:
LakieLady · 15/11/2023 17:50

TwiddlingMyToes · 15/11/2023 17:46

I'm not sure, you might get someone out tonight, but it's unlikely.

On another note, how on earth did they get up there?!

When I had a rat in my loft, it had got into the cavity wall where a tiny bit of mortar was missing and had squirmed its way up inside the wall!

ByTheNine · 15/11/2023 17:50

I don't know how they get in the loft but I've got one too! I called pest control at 5 yesterday and they came out today to put bait down. The technician couldn't see any obvious entry points, so now we just have to wait...

GreekDogRescue · 15/11/2023 17:51

We had rats in a barn and called in a rat man who despatched them with his Jack Russell.
I could t cope with poisoning them and then the dead bodies rotting away and smelling.
Using dogs seemed the most humane and quickest way of despatch

Original poster
Peterrainbow · 15/11/2023 17:52

@LakieLady 😱😱

OP posts:
TheGreatHat · 15/11/2023 17:54

Oh my God, yes. It's horrific! You need to find how they're getting in. They get into the loft via the cavity wall. But you need to stop them getting in the walls. There might be a hole in an external wall, like a gap around a pipe that goes outside. They can squeeze in a hole the size of a 50p.

Our problem was a drain under our extension that wasn't capped off when the extension was built. We've had a sleeve fitted in the pipe to stop them, but before we figured that out we got our loft wrapped. Pest control put a heavy wire mesh over the top of the walls in the loft so although they could still get into the walls, they couldn't get in the loft.

If all you do is trap them or poison them, they'll keep coming back. They breed faster than rabbits!

TwiddlingMyToes · 15/11/2023 17:54

LakieLady · 15/11/2023 17:50

When I had a rat in my loft, it had got into the cavity wall where a tiny bit of mortar was missing and had squirmed its way up inside the wall!

Show quote history

😬😬

gotomomo · 15/11/2023 17:55

You can get rat traps from any diy store, the crucial thing is to work out the entry point, without doing that it's pointless to spend money getting rid of them - I had mice and they were entering through a hole in the wall behind the tumble dryer next to the vent which didn't have a good seal

Rocknrollstar · 15/11/2023 17:55

We had squirrels in the loft - they got in under the eaves. They were poisoned. The bodies didn’t smell but we had an invasion of flies for days. We put chicken wire up all round the eaves to prevent them getting in again.

REP22 · 15/11/2023 18:02

Cavity wall in my mum's house was how they got in there. Little gits chewed fully through her power shower pipe in the roof. Hearing them scratting about drove the dog (a Jack Russell) nuts, but she could tell exactly where they were getting in and would run to the relevant bit of the sitting room wall and stare at it when she detected them on the move.

I absolutely hate the notion and morality of poison, but it was the only way in the end, and the pest control guy was very good. Fortunately I don't think any of the poisoned rats made it outside before expiring and running the risk of being eaten by birds of prey/cats/dogs/etc. causing secondary poisoning. He also blocked off their access point.

It did transpire, however, that mum's rather eccentric neighbour had been feeding/encouraging the rats which didn't help. Neighbour has gone into a care home now and the rats did not return after her departure.

Best wishes with it. x

OhpoorMe · 15/11/2023 18:15

How do you know you've got rats in your loft?

Original poster
Peterrainbow · 15/11/2023 18:16

I looked when I heard scuttling and saw two, they looked big

OP posts:
Roselilly36 · 15/11/2023 18:18

Some local councils have pest controllers that will come out for rats free of charge, so worth giving your council a call. It’s horrible, we had squirrels in the loft, absolute nightmare to get rid of, and caused a lot of damage. Get it sorted out as soon at you can.

Pippim · 15/11/2023 18:20

We've got rats in our loft. Actually it's a cottage so not really a loft, more the void in the eaves. Pest control have been coming for a year and we still can't find how they get in. Poison only stops them temporarily, we can go months and then another one comes in. Currently got a camera and trap up there. At least the trap catches them whereas poison sometimes leaves a dead body to smell....It's a nightmare.

MatildaTheCat · 15/11/2023 18:24

We paid a lot to get them out of our house asap. If it’s only the loft them don’t pay over the odds with a night call out. In the morning get a brave member of your family to see if there is an obvious entry point and close it. Then use traps baited with peanut butter to kill any residents.We got the first couple quite quickly and a few more over the next week.

Its horrific thinking of them in the house but they are actually quite shy and it could be a diy job. If that fails get in the experts.

NB I couldn’t stop thinking about the ladybird book of Dick Whittington where there was a picture of him sleeping on a ship with rats running over him. At that point I would have spent any amount to be rid!

Original poster
Peterrainbow · 15/11/2023 18:36

🤮

OP posts:
mondaytosunday · 15/11/2023 18:44

You have pipes in your wall and space in there too. Rats and mice can go wherever there is space. They run up along the space for a pipe and if it's and the walls may have cavities too.
The pest control will want a good poke around and will recommend getting things like grids to put over air bricks (they sell them on Amazon).

CantFindTheBeat · 15/11/2023 18:57

Don't panic, it's horrible but common.

We had this. We had pest control out.

All they did was put rat poison similar to this throughout the loft.

Roshield 1.5kg Wax Block Bait for Rat & Mouse Killer Poison Control - Indoor, Outdoor All-Weather Rodent Bait Station Refill Packs (300g x 5 Packs) amzn.eu/d/0H5VWGx

Then came back two weeks later and did the same again.

After that, we went up and found a small hole which we blocked up.

Problem easily solved.

twitchwitch · 15/11/2023 19:00

We had rats in our extension roof that got in through a tiny hole at the base of the external wall & came up through the cavity. Used a pest control company via local council & they sorted it really quickly & identified where they were getting in. They came for 3 visits in total & although we did have to pay, it was worth every penny to get rid of them. This was about 6 years ago & they haven't returned (fingers permanently crossed!)
We have a covered side path & used to leave biscuits out for our cat. The guy told us cat biscuits have an antidote to rat poison & apparently the rats 'know' this so will eat the biscuits to protect themselves. Suspect the rats were just eating whatever they could get their grimy little paws on but useful to know all the same!

Whiteday · 15/11/2023 19:06

Peterrainbow · 15/11/2023 18:16

I looked when I heard scuttling and saw two, they looked big

Oh my god!!

Cleebope2 · 15/11/2023 19:14

We had rats in the attic recently. They were climbing up the ivy on the wall. We cut off the ivy from the bottom and put down a rat bait cage with poison from Homebase that only rats could get into. It was eco poison that won’t kill a cat or fox who eats the dead rat. They disappeared, presumed dead. No further trace. They do still live sround here but not in our attic. Now we have a squirrel hibernating up there. Not sure what to do as it is cute . Our attic also attracts mice andbirds nesting but they do no harm so I leave them to it. Don’t panic!

itsmyp4rty · 15/11/2023 19:20

It could be house mice - they're big! We thought we had rats but the council came out and said it was house mice. We always have poison down in our loft now.

Gloriousgardener11 · 15/11/2023 19:26

Several years ago we had rats in the loft.
After a pest control visit and drain’s investigation it turned out that they were entering through a broken pipe underground at the foundations in the front of the house. They then discovered the cavity and up and down they’d go.

It went on for weeks and was a total nightmare, noisy squeaky rats partying in our loft.
We had to have the front garden dug up, broken drain repaired and there was still one trapped in the loft that now couldn’t exit the house !

It cost £1.5k to put right including rat flaps in the main drain to prevent them getting underneath the house again.
Once they find a way in there is no stopping them and no amount of poison deterred them as another set of rats was ready to take their place, if they breed then they are well ensconced.
Good luck !

Towerofsong · 15/11/2023 19:42

When I had them and was equally disgusted and freaked out, I discovered that the house was built with the rain gutter downpipes connecting into the foul sewer that ran along between the houses. Instead of into a soakaway. So they were coming up the sewers, up my downpipes, along the guttering and from there there were little gaps under the eaves.

Council pest control came out within a couple of days and charged about £70 for up to 3 visits.
You can buy steel mesh funnels to put at the top of the downpipes. It lets water drain and stops the rats climbing up. It's worked so far although I try to clear them of leaves and moss every year.