Rats

[hahahahahah]

Hello,

We have rats around/under the house. We have tried traps, with no success. Our cats are interested, but useless. I am very reluctant to use poison, but wonder how safe a bait box would be, if this was the only answer. There is no food source available around/outside the house, to my knowledge.

I am going to call our housing provider tomorrow and I expect them to act quickly.

My query is this: I work from home and care for my young adult son. Is it likely that there will be much disruption within the house, when the infestation is being dealt with? I just need to prepare my son for the possibility of people coming in and out of the house when the work is being done, and to be ready for any disruption to my own schedule.

Thanks

Bait boxes are safe. I'd get the council pest control in. Ours does 3 visits so we know they're gone.

I often used to get rats in the ceiling of my basement (pest control would come around but the rats would be back the next year) and solved the issue by getting some sort of plug in rodent repeller. Haven’t had any rats for a while now.

Some great suggestions here. The rodent repellent sounds really interesting. Is it safe to use with cats?

Bleach everything. Also you can put in a claim for compensation. Check for anyone holes to see where they are coming in from

"Bleach"?

And why do you think any compensation is due?

I have cats and the repeller has caused no issues with them.

Rat trap:

Hello,

Once again, thank you for the suggestions and guidance. I have contacted the housing provider, and they will get in touch with pest control. Because we live on a terrace of houses, it is likely that other properties may have infestations too. Therefore, a surveyor will be sent round to look for any structural damage that may have led to the rats getting under the buildings. I can see one hole and there is evidence of burrowing by a broken drain outlet (the housing provider is due to repair that next week).

I can understand the bleach as a way of sanitising the area, and I have heard that rats dislike eucalyptus oil. However, I think the real problem is that the rodents are deep under the foundations of the house, so I am glad the pest control people will be coming.

For what I have been told, the pest control will be a phased operation, with traps/bait being laid and then holes being blocked. As far as I know, there will be little disruption to our daily routine. My son has complex mental health issues, and gets very anxious with respect to unexpected changes to routine.

@rabbitbabbitt This is a case where "be careful what you wish for" springs to mind. It looks 100% effective, don't get me wrong, but I don't think I'd want to have to deal with a bucket full of writhing rats!

I’ve had to use bait boxes around our house. Safe for our dog and our kids. I weigh them down with rocks / slates etc and they do work.