Rats in the loft...

[tarponhead]

Mars Bar bait on sprung traps works well for me

 

[John Gryphon]

Nor here...Rats are not allowed here.

 

[landkeeper]

Use traps in the loft by all means but any sort of food there will also serve to draw rats in from outside. I find that Bromadiolone bait sachets on the edge of my property work really well on both rats & mice.
MVF Bromadiolone Whole Wheat Rat Bait 25 - 150g Sachet | Mole Country Stores

terrible stuff for owls and bops

 

[Hoolit]

Stick with the peanut butter it will take the rats a week or two to get used to the traps being there , don't disturd or move anything in the attic rats suffer from newphobia once they are accustomed to the traps being there you will get them no problem.

Hoolit

 

[timbrayford]

terrible stuff for owls and bops

I agree but you have to balance that with the tremendous amount of damage that rats will do if uncontrolled. In the near vicinity of where I live BOPs & Barn Owls are nevertheless thriving.

 

[shakey jake]

I agree but you have to balance that with the tremendous amount of damage that rats will do if uncontrolled. In the near vicinity of where I live BOPs & Barn Owls are nevertheless thriving.

external baiting should be a last resort, in your situation trapping would be a safer option and surprisingly effective
shakey

 

[timbrayford]

external baiting should be a last resort, in your situation trapping would be a safer option and surprisingly effective
shakey

Sadly not, we get an influx of rats after harvest, after the first frosts and again at the end of the shooting season. I recommend doing the Lantra course to anyone with who has to deal with rats on a regular basis.

 

[pheasant sniper 1]

Some great advice and some not really on it imo.

Survey the property. Is it detached or terraced? Look for air bricks, vents, water outlets and pipework. Especially kitchen area. Include the drains. Bait the drains with wax blocks on string. The bait I use turns the droppings blue.

Correct ID. Use a motion sensor or check droppings.

Use a UV dust or gel on known runs both in the loft and ground floor. Use the UV torch to trace back to entry points.

Check the garden perimeter and sheds for runs. Does the neighbouring fences show clear evidence of a run.

Are the neighbours feeding the birds with a dozen feeders. Keeping chickens. Feeding badgers and foxes etc. All will bring the rats to your door.

Have a bacon buttie. Enjoy the bacon and bait snap traps with bacon fat and peanut butter. Don't put poison down internally.

There are real issues with the drains and rodents where I live. Look for silt and stone within the drains. Do you have an extension or any new utilities. Look for a uncapped redundant pipe.

Best of luck

 

[pheasant sniper 1]

Forgot to add.. Get a good dog round both externally and internally. Invaluable imo

 

[Cullachie]

live trap and snap traps, both baited with dog food

OK, but with a live trap you are obliged by law to kill it rather than release it. Simpler just to get a Fenn trap and get it all over quickly and cleanly

 

[AN DU RU FOX]

An old window bloke i know swears by glass putty he says they go daft for it ,maybe the linseed?

 

[Pedro]

If you are going to use the normal type of trap for mice, it's best to nail them onto a bigger bit of wood or, as stated above, there's a good possibility that an "undead" mouse will drag the trap away. I had a rake of three on a 2 foot piece of spare wood and over a couple of months, in a barn where we stored wheat for the pheasants, caught 60 plus. Lost about 4 traps until I screwed them down. Where a mouse got caught with some of it's body over the bait, it's mates gnawed it until they got to the bait. Charming creatures.

 

[Cris]

Found Fen mk4 to work the best both inside the loft and outside in tunnels suitably protected from other wildlife and pets. No baiting and no handling without gloves on. Just in a bottle neck in their run so they have to cross it eventually. They only do it once!