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Rat burrows

blue roseblue rose Posts: 34
in Problem solving

I've got a large rat burrow down the side of the house. The rats have moved in and I can hear them in the cavities in the back room around the fire. Pest control has been out and put a few boxes down. Last year they put some boxes down but the rats are smart it seems and didn’t eat much of the bait. They said there wasn’t much else they could do  :o

 

I could fill in the burrow but surely they will just make a new one. I’m wondering if there is anything I can put down the burrow to scare them off. I’ve read cat urine is great, I don’t have a cat and they don’t seem scared of our dog. I could get hold of a litter tray and put that down. Or put the hose down the hole? Has anyone got any experience of getting rid of them? I’ve emptied the water butt to remove their water source, as suggested by Pest Control. We don't feed the birds but my neighbours do...


Posts

  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    You could look for a local pest controller that uses ferrets. There's one near us, though as rats are something of a fixture here, with livestock and feed about, we are contemplating just getting the ferrets for ourselves :)
  • blue roseblue rose Posts: 34
    I'll try that thanks, they are making a lot of noise today. Last year we found one in our spice cupboard. It could have been a mouse or baby rat but it had eaten most of the curry powder  :o
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I'd get another pest controller in ... you can't tolerate rats in your home and no proper pest control firm I've ever come across would admit defeat like that.

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    The poison that works the best is Neosorexa but you have to take a course now before you can buy it.
    We’ve changed to this one,  open the bags and pour it down the hole then cover with a slate or brick.  Keep putting it down until you see some left.
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B010E2GCIM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • barry islandbarry island Posts: 1,847
    Fireworks down the hole on a regular basis let them know that it is not a good hole to live in, failing that get someone in who knows what they are doing.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    I agree with @Dovefromabove - no pest control company worth their salt would just give up if you have rats in your house.

    If you can't afford to bring in a second company I'd consider doing as Lyn suggests. I've had good results with the bait she recommends - although I used it in the form of bait blocks.

    Meanwhile ensure a wide area around the burrow is kept very clean and tidy with no plants or long grass to give the rats cover. Remove as many food sources as possible including fruit tree windfalls and open compost bins. Maybe your neighbours would agree to stop feeding the birds while you deal with the problem.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • blue roseblue rose Posts: 34
    My neighbour has stopped feeding birds for the moment as she had rats running across her patio :o The back garden used to be an orchid so there are various fruit trees, I never thought of that as a food source. Pest control are coming back next week but I'm not holding out much hope. They put one box in the attic but the rats are in the back of the house. 

    I liked the idea of putting fireworks down the burrow but the burrow leads to under the floorboards so I had better not. 


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