Rodents in roof...Help!

Kevin55 · 17 May 2020

After hearing odd noises up in my dormer bungalow roof area I decided to put a camera up there to see what is going on.

Results are I have rodents!
Looking at the recordings they seem different types of sizes - I can’t work out if they are mice or rats!

I have set cameras outside the property as I was attempting to figure out how they were getting in - so far those cameras have failed in detecting any rodent activity.

I purchased x8 mouse traps (snap ones) however makes me sick thinking about using these .
Looking at getting a few of the humane ones off amazon and putting those down in a few days.

Speaking to a few pest control advisors and they have suggested the best method would be to use poison bait, the idea of a dead mouse/rat up in the roof is not something I would want! Issue with dormer area is that it is very difficult to get around - crawling space at best. God knows what I am going to find up there!

Will be trimming back trees/bushes, covering air vents with mesh in the mean time.

Am I on the right track? I can’t see what else pest control would do if I booked one to pop over.

Stivino · 17 May 2020

The downside of poison is that they die within your property and if you have even one dead longtail the stink will be there for years until you find the carcass and dispose of it. They don't die in the middle of the living room, it will be the most hidden inaccessible place in the house.

foxhole · 17 May 2020

Tie a few traps to a piece or string and poke into crawl space so you can retrieve when caught.
Rats can climb rain pipe internally so you may never see them .

pete50 · 17 May 2020

I agree with Stivino from bitter experience. Trouble is rats and mice seem to be getting wise to traps and as you say a dead un in spring trap can be a horrible sight especially if the poor bugger is still half alive. But your choices are a cat that lives in the loft, poison, spring traps or a pest conytroller.

mattylad · 17 May 2020

OR to put up with them, give them all names and little houses to live in..

Deleted member 174758 · 17 May 2020

Leave them there and risk leptospirosis (Weil's disease)? Personally I'd rather put traps down. Look up Weil's to see what it can cause

Kevin55 · 17 May 2020

So I found what I think is rat dropping on the side of the property.

I have set up 8 traps - front rear and sides.

Cameras are on the sides.

Viewing camera in loft area there are atleast 3 types/rodents.

Will see what this eve/tomorrow morning brings.

I (at this moment) don’t want to put a trap up in the loft - makes me feel sick. To the point that I’m thinking of clearing the whole loft out and re insulating

Johnny Allround · 17 May 2020

They are vermin and need killing. They won’t be thinking the same about you. Exterminate.

KenGMac · 17 May 2020

If you do not want to use spring traps?

Gst some traps, but the big trick is to "lace" them with [all of things] Peanut butter, a superb attractant for all rodents.

As for the droppings you located, mice and rats tend to [shed] small or slightly larger oval droppings, suggest you Google such things?

Ken.

Kevin55 · 17 May 2020

It was a larger dropping ... pretty sure rat.

I’ve used the snap rat traps around the property... with peanut butter.

Will see what happens over night.

Thanks all

Stivino · 17 May 2020

I built a cage trap about six months ago because the longtails were living under my neighbour's shed which, boundaries onto my garden.
I baited it with an apple skewered into the ground 1. so that they wouldn't be able to run off with it and 2. they would have to struggle with it, ensuring that they triggered the trap. I got two in succession but as I was going to Tenerife, I put the trap in my shed for the time being.
The neighbour got the council to send their man round with some poison.

Kevin55 · 17 May 2020

I’m trying to avoid the poison as I don’t want them to end up dying in the loft area.

I’ve hooked the snap traps up with a steel wire and secured to a near object so there will not be a chance they will run off with the trap attached.

Headache... hopely get it sorted soon.

Stivino · 17 May 2020

Have you thought about how you will dispatch them, if they are not dead because the traps don't always kill them outright.

Kevin55 · 17 May 2020

Nope... was thinking a shovel over the head!

Any other suggestions ?

Stivino · 17 May 2020

Chap them on the nut with a biggish spanner or something, 19mm ought to do it lol. You don't have to smash their brains in, just give them a good dunt or two.

diynot

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

Rodents in roof...Help!

Deleted member 174758

Similar threads