Hi folks. I’ve got a bit of a rat problem, and I need someone that will relentlessly find every possible avenue of entry and block it. We’ve had the council rat guy a few times, he puts down poison, and the problem goes away for a while, but it always comes back. Time for the nuclear option.
Any recommendations?
If it’s Lewisham then you will most likely have met Chris. If not get him round. Our slum landlord next door lets the garden grow for years on end without attention and we have had big issues. Chris was very effective. Repeated applications of poison does help.
If you are looking to block ingress into your home then chicken wire bunched into all holes, nooks and crannies is the way forward. It is awkward for rats to chew (they are very very good chewers), wood, plastic etc are useless. Motar to fill holes is also very good but they can claw their way through old brick and plaster as well.
Nuking from orbit is a solution, quite a final one but a solution never the less 
Thanks for the suggestion – I’m going to buy some chicken wire.
The Lewisham guy is very nice (I can’t remember his name), but it’s difficult to book him (takes weeks) and at the end of the day he’s just putting in a temporary fix (never mind that I could end up with dead rats under my house).
One of the things I want to get installed is one of those drain one-way lids to stop the rats from coming into my sewer pipes.
Unfortunately cuts in local services have seen a reduction in the envirocall numbers. Ask if he can call you whilst on his rounds as he will be able to suggest what to use and also where to get it. Good luck.
P.S. I use my air rifle on them when they scamper around the garden.
Hahaha air rifle… I have a big poison dispenser that I put out in the garden when I see them (only once so far, and it worked a treat, dead rat on the lawn a few days later).
Recommendations for dealing with mice? We’ve had 3 over the past 6 months and spread very far apart so kept thinking it’s maybe a one off but getting a bit worried they might have bred. I’ve seen the council offer a service so not sure to go with them or if anyone else has experience. We’ve got 2 cats who are happy to do the catching but I feel like we should look at a professional option as we’ve got a toddler!
The council will charge for mice. Don’t use humane traps, you still have to get rid of the mice and dumping them somewhere else is illegal. A good wood and metal trap baited with chocolate and peanut butter always works for us. Check where they are getting in remembering mice can get in tiny tiny gaps. Don’t leave out food, the main reason they come into houses in summer.
I’ve used both poison and glue traps (separately) in the past. Both work equally well for mice. However, the best bet is indeed blocking up the holes as the traps and poison may kill the ones inside, but it doesn’t stop the ones outside from multiplying.
