Rat
Rescue :: How
to deal with Rats and Mice humanely
Humanely dealing with unwanted rats and mice in your home
As Winter gets underway, wild mice
and rats enter houses more often to escape the cold and rats
are also seen in increasing frequency in peoples gardens. However,
while this can be a matter for concern, there are ways that
you can humanely remove these uninvited visitors rather than
calling the local exterminator. He will put down anti-coagulant
poisons which cause a long slow death and a great deal of suffering
to the mice and rats as well as the poison being potentially
dangerous to you, your family and your pets.
How can I tell if I have rodents in my house?
House Mice will leave a cloying 'acetamide' smell; other mice
leave little odour.
Gnawing : Rodents need to gnaw constantly to keep their teeth
trim and they will gnaw on most things.
Tooth Marks : Larger marks made by Rats who can gnaw through
soft metals such as aluminium or lead.
Droppings : a rats poo is 12mm long and often tapered at one
end. A mouse poo is half the length and thinner.
Greasy Marks: Rats and House Mice leave dirty black smears along
well travelled routes especially where the have to squeeze under
objects.
You may also hear the scamper of little feet above your head
as they scurry around your loft.
What Problems can they cause?
Rodents generally cause minor problems in houses, such as furniture
damage, food nibbling and a few electrical and insulation damage.
Some rodents however are good house guests and cause NO damage
at all.
Chewing wiring is the main concern which can lead to electrical
faults and expensive repairs.
Prevention
Do not call the exterminators! They get rid
of the rodents in a cruel way which prolongs suffering and in
the long term does not get rid of rodents from entering your
home.
Exterminators use anti-coagulant poisons. These cause a slow
painful death over around five days to the rodent. The anti-coagulant
literally stops the rodent forming any blood clots, so it bleeds
to deaths – blood will come from its eyes, it nose and other
orifices and will also fill its so that they drown in their
own blood – this is a horrible way to die.
Problems with the poison also can occur if the rodent is eaten
before it dies.
Anticoagulants are notoriously non-selective and have the potential
to kill domestic dogs and cats, wildlife, children, and even
grown adults.
And while the anti-coagulants may work in the short term by
killing any rodents in your home, your house attracted rodents
before and so it will attract more. The key is prevention –
and is the easiest and best long term solution. Repair broken
air bricks and holes in external walls. Fill any floorboard
hole, replace damaged skirting boards and remove any nesting
materials. Don't leave food rubbish in bags in your back garden,
always put it in a bin! Rats are notoriously good opportunists
and leaving out food bags will only encourage them into your
garden.
Also, although it may be environmentally friendly to throw out
any rotting fruit or vegetables on to your soil to decompose,
this again will attract hungry critters.
How do I get rid of unwanted visitors?
There are indoor devices such as sensors which use electromagnetic
interference or ultrasound to drive rats and mice away. They
emit a sound inaudible to the human ear but one that is awful
to a rodent – the noise will literally drive them away. You
plug them into any plug socket and let it get on with it! However,
do be careful when using these sonic repellents - don't use
them if you have bats in your loft as this will drive them away.
Also if your neighbour has a ‘small furry’ such as a hamster
or pet rat or mouse, make sure you don’t plug the sonic repellent
in a party wall as the sound may travel through the walls depending
on how your houe is built.
Here is a link to a good Sonic Repeller - http://www.grovelands.com/acatalog/info_4.html
Live capture traps are also good. Set them up in your loft with
a strong smelling piece of food in it such as piece of sausage
or strong cheese. And check on the trap twice a day.
Once you have caught the rodent, do not release him or her in
your back garden - they will simply come back in! Get in your
car and drive at least 2 miles away - otherwise they will be
back in your house before you are! GRIN!
Humane Live Capture Rat Traps
