I know what it is like to have a rat in the house.
Before I became a pest control technician I had the following experience.
My wife and I live near a river, a local park and a forest. One night we were going to sleep when we heard a strange scratching noise in the loft. Strangely, our Irish terrier downstairs was barking as well. I thought nothing of it at first and that was that. However, the noises continued so I decided to go up and have a look. Our loft was full of furniture, boxes etc and it was difficult to see anything at first - then I saw the pooh on the insulation..
After a quick google check I realised we had a rat. A phone call to the council and eventually a very helpful man assessed the situation, showed me the rat runs across the insulation that I hadn't noticed and possible entry points. He laid some poison down and about 14 days later I ventured up into the loft and the smell of very rotten fruit filled my nose. I now know this to be the strange smell of rat death. As the rat had died somewhere in the loft (I looked but couldn't find it) the smell endured for quite a while, but as it was the loft it didn't interfere with our daily life.
The pest control technician said the rat had either entered via next door because of holes in the fire wall and shared flooring or that it had climbed up the downspout outside, up into the gutter and then entered the loft underneath a roofing slate. They can also do this by climbing up the external wall while bracing their backs up against the pipe which allows them to climb. Makes mission impossible look easy don't you think......
So we did our homework, de-cluttered the loft, filled any holes we could find with special wire wool and mortar, steel mesh and laid 19 Victor snap traps (my favourite) baited with peanut butter along the edge of the loft. Our attic now looked like Normandy on D-day.
By doing this we reduced the rodent carrying capacity of the loft - removing harbourage, food, access, allowed us to see the whole loft at a glance and making it unappealing and dangerous for any rats that do manage to get in. Thankfully we have not had another visitor and I keep the traps set just in case.
I have felt the revulsion of knowing something uninvited and potentially dangerous is in the house and we felt the relief when it had gone. I also felt better having knowledge about the problem and how we as homeowners could minimise the chances of it happening again.This is what inspired me to become a pest control technician. I wanted to help people in a similar situation.
I will do my best to find out how they got in. This may include having a CCTV drain survey by a drainage professional. By doing this you will reduce the chances of you having another infestation. With lots of specialist knowledge that I will gladly pass on, you can be one step ahead of our furry friends and deny them the things they need to set up shop in your home - access, food, water and a place to hide.
Before I became a pest control technician I had the following experience.
My wife and I live near a river, a local park and a forest. One night we were going to sleep when we heard a strange scratching noise in the loft. Strangely, our Irish terrier downstairs was barking as well. I thought nothing of it at first and that was that. However, the noises continued so I decided to go up and have a look. Our loft was full of furniture, boxes etc and it was difficult to see anything at first - then I saw the pooh on the insulation..
After a quick google check I realised we had a rat. A phone call to the council and eventually a very helpful man assessed the situation, showed me the rat runs across the insulation that I hadn't noticed and possible entry points. He laid some poison down and about 14 days later I ventured up into the loft and the smell of very rotten fruit filled my nose. I now know this to be the strange smell of rat death. As the rat had died somewhere in the loft (I looked but couldn't find it) the smell endured for quite a while, but as it was the loft it didn't interfere with our daily life.
The pest control technician said the rat had either entered via next door because of holes in the fire wall and shared flooring or that it had climbed up the downspout outside, up into the gutter and then entered the loft underneath a roofing slate. They can also do this by climbing up the external wall while bracing their backs up against the pipe which allows them to climb. Makes mission impossible look easy don't you think......
So we did our homework, de-cluttered the loft, filled any holes we could find with special wire wool and mortar, steel mesh and laid 19 Victor snap traps (my favourite) baited with peanut butter along the edge of the loft. Our attic now looked like Normandy on D-day.
By doing this we reduced the rodent carrying capacity of the loft - removing harbourage, food, access, allowed us to see the whole loft at a glance and making it unappealing and dangerous for any rats that do manage to get in. Thankfully we have not had another visitor and I keep the traps set just in case.
I have felt the revulsion of knowing something uninvited and potentially dangerous is in the house and we felt the relief when it had gone. I also felt better having knowledge about the problem and how we as homeowners could minimise the chances of it happening again.This is what inspired me to become a pest control technician. I wanted to help people in a similar situation.
I will do my best to find out how they got in. This may include having a CCTV drain survey by a drainage professional. By doing this you will reduce the chances of you having another infestation. With lots of specialist knowledge that I will gladly pass on, you can be one step ahead of our furry friends and deny them the things they need to set up shop in your home - access, food, water and a place to hide.
