Rat in the loft!

[bozzer]

Not sure this should be in air rifle as it's probably not an air rifle solution ... unless you convince me otherwise.

I live in a three bed semi. I have Ivy growing all over my house and it goes up to the gable end. In a storm last winter a piece of the 'concrete' on the gable end ( size of a housebrick ) fell out ( and landed on top of my caravan ).

I'm dreadful with height. The bloke two doors away fits guttering for a living and he climbs on rooves for fun. He said he would pop on the roof and fix it. It'd take him 5 minutes.

I've been waiting a year.

Anyway ... girl one side of me ( not attached ) said " Ooh ... You need get that sorted. Rats will climb up your Ivy and get into the loft ". I thought ... " What a load of b0ll0x ".

Anyway ... bloke next door ( attached ) came around last night. He says he's had the council pest control in as his missus keeps hearing something in their loft. Council bloke goes in loft and says he can see rat droppings. He says he's put something up there to sort rat ( neighbour didn't know if it is trap or poison ... I'd of thought the latter ). He's popping back in a few days and apparently he is allowed to make 4 visits ( what happens after that? ).

I'm wondering if the rat did climb up the Ivy and got in that way?

Council bloke said that once in the rat will be able to make his way freely between their loft and into my loft and all around the cavity walling of both properties.

Apart from obviously get that gap filled ASAP just in case, are there any suggestions.

I'm presuming shooting this fella in the loft is going to be tricky, so traps/poison is the way to go?

Any comments ( other than ... You should have got that gap filled sooner )?

[peddy]

Id say rats get into the loft via wall cavity's from under the ground floor. Especially floors that arnt solid and have a cavity or low cellar. I've seen rats literally dig under the foundations of houses to get in then use the wall cavity as a motorway around the house. Holes in the roof more likely to cause water ingress. I'd prefer to use traps, at least you get the body rather than rotting in your house from poison. I've had rats in my garden for years, shoot and trap them constantly. Once you are on a sent trail very hard to stop, good luck

[bozzer]

Cheers Peddy.

I said to the neighbour that poison sounds a bad idea as the corpses will need recovering or the smell will be bad.

I'll go up my loft and have a look for droppings.

[bozzer]

Cheers Rob

I'm not opposed to shooting them in the loft, but I just don't see it as practical. It's a three bed semi. The loft insn't enormouse ( couldn't resist ).

The loft door is in the centre of the loft space and there is probably just a few yards in every direction from the centre of the loft. I can't see Rattus coming out to eat just a couple of yards from me sitting there with an air rifle. I'm also not keen on blasting away with 12fp feet away from a plastic storage tank and loads of copper pipes.

[bozzer]

I'll keep a couple of the big ferrets in the loft for a few weeks.

[Big Andy]

Got one "in the kitchen don't know what I'm going to do"

[Turnup]

Shooting them in the loft is really difficult. How much time are you prepared to put in waiting for him to turn up? - and can you get a clear shot anyway?

Rat poisons cause desiccation of the corpse so there is no smell, but I don't think you can get the good stuff unless you are licenced vermin controller.

Trap is by far the bet option. Killing traps are cheap - live traps are slightly dearer - take it outside and dispatch at your leisure.

[robthedog]

Yes they will climb up the ivy, saw them climb up curtains in a restaurant in Hong Kong....I cleared some climbing plants from the side of a house before Christmas, & found dead mice in it, the lady owner freaked out when i told her....
Don't see why you can't shoot it in your loft, i would.

Rob