Urgent advice needed - RATS

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rogeroleary

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Last thursday my wife noticed a rat in the back garden - never had one before. I called Dublin City Council and they gave me a number for the Health Board who said they would come out but it wouldn't be till Monday.

In fairness they arrived out and put down poison yesterday morning and said they would come back in a few days. However yesterday my neighbour tolds us they had seen rats (plural) in their garden.

This morning we saw 3 in our garden and I called the Health Board who said it could take 2-3 weeks. At this stage my wife wants to move out of the house and my kids are the same.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Can anyone recommend a company who can come out a carry out a completion elimination of the infestation within 1-2 days? Any advice appreciated.

Roger
 
If you dont have any kids or animals yourself just go out a buy some rat poison and do the job yourself. If your not happy doing that try rentokil they should be able to solve the problem for you.
 
Best thing to do is look up Pest Control in the Golden Pages and get someone out asap. You really need to get rid of those. Any of your neighbours have cats. They wont be long getting rid of them
 
Need to be sure where the rats are coming from before paying for expensive pest control, only to find the rats back a week later.
Are they coming in from a neighbours garden? can you see their "pads" or trecks?
Rats are suspicious of newly laid poison, so they'll wait a few days before they'll consume it. Get some advice if you're planning on using poison, to keep it away from children and pets.
 
Go to the animal shelter and give a cat a home in your back garden and maybe it will sort out the problem
 
I am told that we all live within 100m of a rat. It's just that we don't see them very often.

Unless they are coming into the house, they are not really a problem.

Brendan
 
Firstly you will not be albe to get the rats killed any faster by a privalte company. Virtlually all the acute poisons that were use on rats are banned or are not used because they are too dangerous to use to both animals and humans. All the poisons used for the control of rats are anticoagulatns (1st, 2nd and 3rd generation). They kill by causing internal bleeding and hypothermia. These are the same type of poisons used by private companies and the Health Board (except the Health Board do it free). They kill slower but are much safer to non target species and humans. They will kill but it takes a few days and you may see rats behaving strangely eg out in the middle of the garden, out in daylight. Anybody who tells you they have access to "special" or "faster" poison is flying kites. Usually it will take about three visits to ensure the problem is cleared but the health board will keep coming out until the problem is cleared while a lot of company's will charge per visit or for three visits. Make sure your bins are covered and bird feeders, cant and dog food left out, etc are removed. If the rats have an alternative food source they may not eat the poison. Check for burrows under sheds with no slab or concrete foundation. They will be holes about the size of a mans closed fist. If you see such burrows around manholes AJ's or the lines of a drain then there is problable a break in the drain. Building works,roads etc will cause movement of rats. Finallly get your neighbours to ring the health board to put poison in their back gardens. Save yourself a few hundred euros!!
 
Brendan said:
I am told that we all live within 100m of a rat. It's just that we don't see them very often.

Unless they are coming into the house, they are not really a problem.

Brendan
Click to expand...

To think i leave my back door open sometimes when my daughter and I are playing in the garden. SHIVERS running up my back now..what if there's one under my bed!!

I'll be closing the door in future
 
we had a rat last summer in our back garden. seen it coming from under the shed and also went under the deck a few times.
first spotted it when I put out bread for the birds and it came out to take it.
Tried the poison but not sure if it took it so I wanted real evidence. I bought the bog standard wooden rat traps in woodies and loaded them up with small pieces of cooked frankfurter smeared with nutella. Try to set them as best you can on a hair trigger as I believe they are very fast.

First night it managed to take the frankfurter and the trap went off. I made the assumption the frankfurther wasn't secured on the trap enough.

Next night, same bait but put a u-nail through the frankfurter after I put it on and then smeared the nutella over all that.

I put out 3 traps all near each other in a circle so that the rat would have to walk between them all to get to the bait.

Got it that night and no sign of it since. It was easily 8-10" long in body.

[broken link removed]

I would suggest to persevere with traps until you feel they are all gone and same with your neighbour.

Best of luck
 
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Cut a 4" pipe into six foot sections and put the rat poison inside - put the pipes near the hedges /ditches/walls in your garden - keep replacing the poison until it is no longer being taken so you know the rats are gone.
 
Got myself three cats (live beside farm). Everyday they come to the door with their trophies (mice). Not a lover of cats but getting use to them now. We tried all the poison etc and found the cats the best.
 
One thing that you will have to make sure about is that there is no food lying around. Make sure all of your rubbish is stored in bins and never leave plastic bags out.

I would mention it to your neighbours and make sure everyone keeps their rubbish in. If there is no food lying around it cuts down the chance of the rats staying.
 
Rats & mice are completely different, Cats will kill mice but only good cats will kill rats, some dogs also will nab you rats but you have to be extremely careful that the dog doesnt run up and start licking your hands etc.! Poison thins out the rats blood & makes them cold, they then retreat to their warm burrows & die there. Traps are the quickest but again you have to be extremely carful with the aftermath. Good Ideas previously with "Nutella & franfurter" and placing poison in off cuts of pipes,(TOsullivan & Demoivre), we did the same & you couldnt keep up with them they ate that much of the stuff! One way to find out if you have rats is leave out a big lump of chocolate, mice will nibble at it but rats will devour it. If you get a bag of lime dust and spread it around it also drives them away.
 
Brendan said:
I am told that we all live within 100m of a rat. It's just that we don't see them very often.

Unless they are coming into the house, they are not really a problem.

Brendan
Click to expand...

Brendan, you really have no idea how much of an effect watching several rats prancing around your patio can have on women and kids.

Everyone else - thank you for your advice and suggestions, I find the all very helpful.

Roger
 
tosullivan said:
we had a rat last summer in our back garden. seen it coming from under the shed and also went under the deck a few times.
Click to expand...

I heard that rats love all those nice dry spaces under the decking with plenty of leaf material. Our neighbour had to rip out a new, expensive decking when it became infested by rats.
 
Bought rat poison a couple of years ago when unsure as to whether we had rat or mice. Left it in the shed wrapped up. Cleaned the shed a month ago to find 3 dead mice beside the bag who had eaten through bag to get at poison !
 
Brendan said:
I am told that we all live within 100m of a rat. It's just that we don't see them very often.

Unless they are coming into the house, they are not really a problem.

Brendan
Click to expand...
I think it is considerably CLOSER than 100m - I think I heard something like 15m ??

I have also heard about the poison in a 4" pipe - birds & pets can't get at it !

I've always been suspicious of decking - all those crumbs etc. from bar-b-cues must make ideal conditions for Rat Central Station !!!
 
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