Help! Campaign plan needed for dealing with rats!

[Greenknowe]

Last night I discovered that we have at least 1 rat beneath the floorboards- the gnawing gave it away!

Anyway, I've found a hole in our wall where the telephone wires for the flats above come out and it leads straight into the void under our flat.

The question is, do I block it with wire wool and expanding foam first, before lifting up a couple of floorboards to lay poison ie probably trapping the rats beneath the floor [grim emoticon]? Or do I put traps down for a night and then block it up, which may allow more rats in?

Also has anyone tried a electronic rat zapper or a plug in repeller before?

Move! Sorry not to be more helpful, but rats are my worst nightmare, and I don't think I would ever feel safe again if I knew I had them in my house!

If you block hole up it will either chew its way out, or if it dies down there it will stink the place out for weeks (DH has had this at work, lots). Unless you are happy to lift every floorboard in search of it, and even then it could crawl into an inaccessible space.

Would be ideal if you could kill it outside the floorboards.

We have an electronic zapper that works but not brilliantly; I wonder if you get better quality ones if you spend more (ours was a cheapy from Ebay).

You could lay a zapper near the entry hole & it will kill the rat there & then & you won't end up with a stinking body under floorboards. Must make zapper inaccessible to your children... I don't think it's high enough voltage to kill them but who wants to find out?

I urge you to kill it sooner rather than later as it will breed, and if it leaves babies down there you will A) feel guilty; B) they will die & stink, too; or C) escape to breed again.

I'm afraid that's not an option Rainbow!

Thanks ragged, i've taken your advice on board and have just tightly plugged the hole with steel wool for tonight- so they could push it out if need be (thereby confirming their access route), but I thought it might deter new ones from coming in .

I've optimistically set up a ultrasound and electromagnetic repeller above where it was gnawing last night, and i've got a bait box in the garden next to the hole.

Will order a zapper tomorrow to put beneath the floorboards (out of harms way).

Woman v rat round 1

Good luck in your battle!

Phone environmental health at the council. Rats are for the professionals. Good luck