Advice Needed Regarding Potential Rodent Damage To Electrical Cables/System

[amckay]

I'll second the advice for peanut butter! They love it. And nuttella. Its a shame I'm too far away, I'd have come down and shot them for free!

I hope your mother is OK, must have been a very nasty experience.

All the best

 

[Bazzzy]

I would say if your installation has an RCD protecting the sockets you could leave the inspection until the pest controllers have eliminated the problem. If you have no RCD in you consumer unit it may be better to get an inspection sooner rather than later.

I'd suggest you wait and see if one of the more established members on the forum is close to you, if they're one of the longer standing and active forum members then you're very likely to get someone who will do a thorough job at a fair price. I'd guess to do a thorough inspection of an average 2 or 3 bedroomed house you'd be looking at 3 hours (plus / minus) work, maybe a bit longer depending on the house and the installation.

Hi,

How would I check if we have this RCD protection you mentioned? I can take pics of the two Circuit Breaker Boxes if that might help?

Our house is a 5 Bed Semi (garage converted into a room with another from on top) & with a conservatory at the back. I think it is a 1920-1930 build.

 

[Bazzzy]

I'll second the advice for peanut butter! They love it. And nuttella. Its a shame I'm too far away, I'd have come down and shot them for free!

I hope your mother is OK, must have been a very nasty experience.

All the best

Hi,

You are welcome anytime! We have been using peanut butter but the buggers having been leaving it alone for most of the time! My family are strict vegetarians (I love a bacon nutty though) & my sister has panic attacks every time she sees a rat so I think I might be able to get away with using bacon this time.

The new pest controller also has used peanut butter with a chunk of chocolate bunged in but again, the critters just seem to be avoiding it for some reason.

The smell of them is still quite strong still - we spent that last 3 days cleaning & disinfecting the whole house as much as possible but no matter what we do, the smell just will not go away.

 

[PEG]

deffo get the rat problem sorted they will damage everything cables will be chewed over and over again. use traps and the poison bait keep topping up bait until they stop taking it.( traps inside and bait outside )
my daughter got a rat in her kitchen we found the entry point and assumed it had gone so blocked it up.She heard scratching during the night so we baited traps with bacon (you can tie this to the trap "trigger" then coat it with peanut butter the butter atracts them and the bacon sets off the trap without fail (without bacon the clever oves just lick it off carefully)

it works see picture below seems we got both ends

mmmm a good ole' gin trap...if anyone asks,the rodent licked poison off the rim of that "de-activated" antique...:yes:

 

[Marvo]

.......The smell of them is still quite strong still - we spent that last 3 days cleaning & disinfecting the whole house as much as possible but no matter what we do, the smell just will not go away.

That's the problem with poison, they eat it and curl up and die somewhere else later so the dead ones smell bad for weeks afterwards. We use a 12 gauge short barrel shotgun and salt shells but I'm not sure it would be appropriate if you've got neighbours.

 

[Deleted member 72666]

That's the problem with poison, they eat it and curl up and die somewhere else later so the dead ones smell bad for weeks afterwards. We use a 12 gauge short barrel shotgun and salt shells but I'm not sure it would be appropriate if you've got neighbours.

....Or law enforcement! But if it's not a problem the guy in my avatar is available!

 

[7029 dave]

Get about half a dozen cats, on patrol will soon flush the buggers out.

 

[PEG]

That's the problem with poison, they eat it and curl up and die somewhere else later so the dead ones smell bad for weeks afterwards. We use a 12 gauge short barrel shotgun and salt shells but I'm not sure it would be appropriate if you've got neighbours.

Ooohh,you and your liberal firearm use legislation....this is what we have to deal with; If i load salt into a shotgun cartridge,and any part congeals into a particle,larger than .32 of an inch,i then need a firearm cert (NOT shotgun cert),to possess and use it...

...BUT,on the shotgun cert,i can have a deck gun,off a destroyer,smooth bore it,and use that....with appropriate shot filled cartridges...

It really is easier to send the rat a strongly worded e-mail...

And,i am surprised no one has mentioned re-homing the lady,until the rodent problem is sorted...she stands a MUCH bigger risk of contracting Weils disease,than any electrocution hazard...

 

[amckay]

That's the problem with poison, they eat it and curl up and die somewhere else later so the dead ones smell bad for weeks afterwards. We use a 12 gauge short barrel shotgun and salt shells but I'm not sure it would be appropriate if you've got neighbours.

Ooohh,you and your liberal firearm use legislation....this is what we have to deal with; If i load salt into a shotgun cartridge,and any part congeals into a particle,larger than .32 of an inch,i then need a firearm cert (NOT shotgun cert),to possess and use it...

...BUT,on the shotgun cert,i can have a deck gun,off a destroyer,smooth bore it,and use that....with appropriate shot filled cartridges...

It really is easier to send the rat a strongly worded e-mail...

And,i am surprised no one has mentioned re-homing the lady,until the rodent problem is sorted...she stands a MUCH bigger risk of contracting Weils disease,than any electrocution hazard...

Good point about the lady!

TBH it would be more cost effective to buy an air rifle and have some fun getting rid of the buggers. Then once gone, get a spark in to sort out the damage.

 

[Marvo]

If you think an air gun is more fun than a sawn off shotgun and a brick of salt rounds you've lived a sheltered life.

You're right about the old lady though, in fact if the rats are biting people then nobody should be living there until they're cleared.