A rat in the bathroom, any advice

Has anyone else got a problem with rats?

Briefly: I found some rat droppings in my bathroom, and teeth marks in my soap. I looked around my bathroom, then moved a towel which had fallen onto the floor, the rat was hiding underneath the towel, and it run to the corner of my bathroom. Of course I screamed, run out myself and locked the bathroom door immediately. I call my landlord (Guinness Trust 4 times) and eventually they arranged for pest control to attend my property (the next day).

The guy from pest control, was really nice and very helpful. He checked my bathroom and told me the rat escaped through the gap behind my sink (very small gap which he has covered with mesh iron stuff). Which means its now stuck in the cavity wall. I'm hoping when the pest control guy returns in two weeks, it is only one rat and not a nest and the problem has been sorted.

Has anyone else seen any rats around the Snowsfields area? I saw the drain control guy open a drain on my estate and a massive rat jumped out. So there is obviously a problem of rats in the drains/sewers. The rat got into my property via my toilet. I'm now petrified to go into the bathroom, and every creak I hear, I think its a rat.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? any further advice please

Try and get a pack of steel wool..hardware shop in tower ridge rd.opposite George pub. ANY holes under sink..in toilet...bathroom pack steel wool into any gap. Keep toilet lid down may make you feel better. I would also throw handfuls of rat poison in beforehand in the holes not down the pan! Some people say rats will be attracted to smell of poison..I don't know about that..the theory is rats run away from humans, I'm not sure about that either...Disturbance of their habitat will make them move for a while. You can buy Glue Traps especially for rats..but at least reporting it will help. In London on the streets according to folk lore your always within five feet of a rat. Rats and mice can't get through steel wool love..

Which estate are you on? We had an issue at Pages Walk last year with drains and rats entering properties via the toilet. I know we pay for pest control, not sure how often the attend the estate though.

I have a brilliant Jack Russell & she’s the best ratter ever. :).

Please don't use glue traps, they are so cruel, even for rats

Having a similar problem in Shad Thames....

Received a letter a couple of weeks ago saying there has been reports of mice found in the building and to keep food stored and not left on surfaces the usual etc etc... management said they can only put down traps in communal areas and it is up to residents to sort their own flats out... We never leave any food out or the bins full and haven't seen any mice/ droppings/ evidence of things being chewed however over the past week or 2 have heard them scratching above. It seems as though they are in between my ceiling and the flat aboves floor... have heard them now every night/ morning around 5am for the past week or 2 in the same spot which has made me thing they have nested above and has me panicked.

I really want to sort the problem before they find a way down into my flat....

Can anyone give me any advice on what are my options? I can put down traps/ ultrasonic repellents to prevent my flat becoming infested, but that wont solve the issue of them in my ceiling?

Thanks.

A

Shiv your right about glue traps..don't use them I remember living in my old house which was terraced , in forty years never could quite control the mice. Tried everything..humane traps..expensive devices that you plugged in ..old fashion mouse traps that cut your fingers off...then tried glue traps..very very distressing to see., and horrible for the mice.Then plugged up under the sink with the steel/wire wool..that helped..but as house was in terrace they would treat houses like bed and breakfast!

Pops wrote:

Which estate are you on? We had an issue at Pages Walk last year with drains and rats entering properties via the toilet. I know we pay for pest control, not sure how often the attend the estate though.

Hi, I live on the Guinness Trust estate on Snowsfields, near London Bridge. At first the Trust told me it was my responsibility to sort, after several heated telephone calls and tweets, the Guinness Trust (now Partnership) authorised for pest control to come and attend my property within 24 hours.

Jan the old one wrote:

Shiv your right about glue traps..don't use them I remember living in my old house which was terraced , in forty years never could quite control the mice. Tried everything..humane traps..expensive devices that you plugged in ..old fashion mouse traps that cut your fingers off...then tried glue traps..very very distressing to see., and horrible for the mice.Then plugged up under the sink with the steel/wire wool..that helped..but as house was in terrace they would treat houses like bed and breakfast!

Jan the old one wrote:

Shiv your right about glue traps..don't use them I remember living in my old house which was terraced , in forty years never could quite control the mice. Tried everything..humane traps..expensive devices that you plugged in ..old fashion mouse traps that cut your fingers off...then tried glue traps..very very distressing to see., and horrible for the mice.Then plugged up under the sink with the steel/wire wool..that helped..but as house was in terrace they would treat op houses like bed and breakfast!

thanks Jan for clarifying about glue trap usage.