Roof Rats

[OzeMike]

We have roof rats in our roof cavity pounding around at night..... looking for non poison methods to drive them out.... perhaps the mothballs idea in a recent thread is worth trying as easy to throw them into the roof from the access hatch.

Anyone dealt successfully with roof rats in their roof?

Mike

[Jack Peterson]

46 minutes ago, OzeMike said:

Anyone dealt successfully with roof rats in their roof?

Yes mate dealt with by one of these two if needed Just put them (it) baited inside the Loft Hatch  Available at Tops, Unitop or Novo Stores & other Stores I would imagine Very successful anywhere you use them 

[Mike J]

We used to have them but now have three cats (all neutered or spayed).  No problem now.

[OnMyWay]

The problem with the traps is, what do you do with the trapped rat?

What ever method you use, after you get rid of them, you need to make sure the roof cavity and the house is tightly sealed, or they will be back.  If you have those louvered vents, they need to have wire mesh in them.

We had a cat and he caught a few ground mice.  Not sure how he would have helped with the big rats that get in the attic.

[manofthecoldland]

2 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

Yes mate dealt with by one of these two if needed Just put them (it) baited inside the Loft Hatch  Available at Tops, Unitop or Novo Stores & other Stores I would imagine Very successful anywhere you use them 

I switched over to these for the last 3 years. Easier and more effective than the variety of snap traps, magnetic walk the planks, etc. But no matter what you use, some rats learn very quickly to steer clear. But many others don't. I've trapped both small, young and large, old. I don't know why, but sometimes you catch a lot and other times.... wala for awhile. Maybe other available food, maybe some are more circumspect at times due to other factors.

I like cage traps now because its easy to drown them and chuck the corpses into the wetland with the use of a charcoal tongs. 

These relatively cheap cage/live traps are only available in my city at the old public market on Sundays, since our Unitop and Novo don't carry them. They do rust out over time. Sometimes the welds crack or springs break, and the stiff wire which is the bait holder and trigger set weaken, but you usually get your money's worth of use out of them and they can be easily repaired.... usually easier to just replace @ P250/500  Sm/Lg if you don't want to mess w/repairs when needed. 

I used to use dried fish on the bait hook, but easier to just insert your post dinner chicken leg bone in the flexible J hook. Other traps I had I baited with expensive peanut butter or dried fish.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Why not just put a snake in the roof cavity? 

[OzeMike]

Thanks for all the suggestions...all good although think we will pass on using a snake! 

We think we found where they're getting in so will seal these points and cut back the branches of a mango tree on the vacant lot next door where it has grown over the wall onto our roof... we've been lax in not seeing this sooner. 

Then after sealing we start trapping until they have all been removed... 

...the best laid plans of mice and men! 

[RBM]

On 7/17/2021 at 6:09 PM, Mike J said:

We used to have them but now have three cats (all neutered or spayed).  No problem now.

Putting a cat in the ceiling solved our problem.

[hk blues]

3 hours ago, RBM said:

Putting a cat in the ceiling solved our problem.

And you'd save on the neutering or spaying!  

[Onemore52]

Mike, I had a thread going about rats nesting in our cars, what we learned from our endeavours was that the rats ate the poison and went elsewhere to meet their demise.

Of course you can’t beat the cat route.

Best of luck with whatever you do, as I also have been down that path, apart from listening to the pluckers running around  we had to deal with no wifi as they ate the wiring..

cheers