Going nuclear - tree rat in the loft...

[Bill]

bd fking thing!!

I have clearance from the boss for anything short of taking off and nuking from orbit.

Not keen on poison because of the potential for the BFT dying somewhere inaccessible. We also have feral cats around and loads of raptors that we don't want to affect. But I also don't want the BFT in the house...

We're in a barn conversion so loads of inaccessible roof space.

[essayer]

I think this is the gold standard

https://goodnaturetraps.co.uk/humane-rat-traps

They stick their head in for the bait and instantly get dispatched by a co2 powered piston.

[zetec]

Don't know where you are but my Mrs found a guy on Facebook. £195, put traps in the loft, caught the bugger, removed it and made good all the potential entry holes. Nothing since despite them being around in the garden.

I presume you are talking about a squirrel?

[Bill]

Yes, suspect a squirrel. I've found the entry point and some damage that looks bigger than mice in the loft.

essayer said:

I think this is the gold standard

https://goodnaturetraps.co.uk/humane-rat-traps

They stick their head in for the bait and instantly get dispatched by a co2 powered piston.

Good call, I have the smaller one of those somewhere but would need the man-sized version. Also have a cage trap that's going in today.

[pghstochaj]

I had this issue. I was told that the only real way is to kill all the squirrels in the area until you are certain that they are not getting into the loft, then block up the entry point. I think it was like 15-20 squirrels that died before we were happy that the issue was resolved. They are very easy to catch and kill. I didn't like it that much (and wouldn't want to do it myself, I paid somebody) but there were far too many of them in the local area.

[miniman]

essayer said:

I think this is the gold standard

https://goodnaturetraps.co.uk/humane-rat-traps

They stick their head in for the bait and instantly get dispatched by a co2 powered piston.

I kind of want some rats in the loft so I can get one of these

[essayer]

although in a loft.. you'll be the one doing the scavenging

[Baldchap]

My mate had a squirrel knocking shop in his loft last year. He said they're noisy as hell and very irritating.

They tried traps etc and in the end got a professional in who managed to get rid.

Good luck!

[TCruise]

pghstochaj said:

I had this issue. I was told that the only real way is to kill all the squirrels in the area until you are certain that they are not getting into the loft, then block up the entry point. I think it was like 15-20 squirrels that died before we were happy that the issue was resolved. They are very easy to catch and kill. I didn't like it that much (and wouldn't want to do it myself, I paid somebody) but there were far too many of them in the local area.

Unfortunately, this is the only answer when it comes to squirrels.

You will have to hire an odd bloke, who likes killing small animals and invite him into your home. They will trap and cage loads of them and kill them all.

The horrible parts are:
- they will put a few cages in your house, the squirrels get trapped in there, one after the other, and go ballistic whilst trapped. Its horrid, both in terms of sound and cruelty. They might be trapped for quite a while until the bloke next turns up, so you'll deal with the sound.

- he will then take out screaming caged squirrels out to your garden and dispatch each one.

I remember this vividly from years back - not nice! But apparently, once they have found a "home" and have hidden stuff in it, they will keep coming back to it.

[pghstochaj]

TCruise said:

Unfortunately, this is the only answer when it comes to squirrels.

You will have to hire an odd bloke, who likes killing small animals and invite him into your home. They will trap and cage loads of them and kill them all.

The horrible parts are:
- they will put a few cages in your house, the squirrels get trapped in there, one after the other, and go ballistic whilst trapped. Its horrid, both in terms of sound and cruelty. They might be trapped for quite a while until the bloke next turns up, so you'll deal with the sound.

- he will then take out screaming caged squirrels out to your garden and dispatch each one.

I remember this vividly from years back - not nice! But apparently, once they have found a "home" and have hidden stuff in it, they will keep coming back to it.

Mine did it by setting traps outside the house along the route that was being used to get into the loft space. He put three traps out at a time with a bunch of nuts. Within an hour all three traps were full and he would return the next day. He didn't do anything in the loft (possibly because although I stated loft, it wasn't really a loft in my case), it was a soffit and cavity area.

Their death was instant, you just saw a bushy tail sticking out. There are not smart, they see their dead friend in a box next to another box and they just go into that box anywwy.

[Chumley.mouse]

essayer said:

I think this is the gold standard

https://goodnaturetraps.co.uk/humane-rat-traps

They stick their head in for the bait and instantly get dispatched by a co2 powered piston.

Anyone ever tried one of these with pigeons ?? If so .I’ll get the 5 pack.

[Scrump]

Putting our two cats into the attic was enough to stop the squirrels coming back.
The hardest bit was getting the cats back down again. For ages afterwards they would sit on the landing and gaze up at the loft hatch

[Cheib]

Count yourself glad you don’t have Glis Glis…aka “Edible Door Mouse”…they’re about 3/4 the size of a squirrel and do huge damage to houses. Electric cables are a favourite. They’re only in an area in/near The Chilterns thanks to one of the Rothschilds who brought them in to the UK and let some escape.



My wife found one asleep on some towels in the airing cupboard and then found one sitting on top of the kitchen door ! She was not happy….

Someone told me these kind of traps work well

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roshield-Electric-Rat-Mou...

Although I didn’t use one myself as they have to be removed by professional pest control people……

Not sure if a Squirrel would go for one.

[g40steve]

Parents had a group in their loft, pest exterminator came from Birmingham to near Leicester, must have been subsidised only charged £80.
Laid trays of poison, advised filling any entry holes with wire, wire wool or better off a suitable sized glass bottle.
Looked outside & recommended pruning back any trees or branches to 3m away from house.
They purchased a few traps & placed those in the loft as well.
Week later he returned topped up poison & within 2 weeks, no squirrels.
Some were huge & how one even managed to get in the trap i’ll never know.
Today if they spot one in the garden the traps are out awaiting.

Edited by g40steve on Thursday 5th December 22:17

[Marshall878]

miniman said:

I kind of want some rats in the loft so I can get one of these

Sniff Sniff Kapow made me chuckle

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

pghstochaj said:

kill all the squirrels in the area

Bizarrely, this made me think of Blackadder’s visit to the Wise Woman, and the advice she gave.

[Crumpet]

We’re missing about 50% of the girth of one of our rafters thanks to a family of squirrels, so don’t leave them up there for too long!

I took the air rifle solution but it’s not enjoyable. They were quite friendly, sadly.

[Ahonen]

We had a squirrel in the loft a few months ago and the pest control guy suggested that rather than trap it we could try an alternative approach, which was to put a radio in the loft for a few days. Apparently they hate the noise, especially when they're nesting and about to give birth like our was. So we popped a radio in the loft over the weekend and, sure enough, when the guy returned the squirrel had moved out. He blocked up the entry hole and we've had no trouble since.

Turns out squirrels aren't big fans of Radio 4 Extra.

[Beggarall]

miniman said:

I kind of want some rats in the loft so I can get one of these

I have one of these and it hasn't caught anything - in fact, I watch the squirrels laugh at it as they climb past! It is easy to set up and looks great but the "special" Nutella which you use to bait the trap soon gets cold and stiff so doesn't do what it is supposed to do (i.e lure the blighters into the trap. Expensive too.

[nute]

essayer said:

I think this is the gold standard

https://goodnaturetraps.co.uk/humane-rat-traps

They stick their head in for the bait and instantly get dispatched by a co2 powered piston.

Please don’t be tempted to put these outside unless it’s very carefully protected from hedgehogs. Sadly they also like the bait and get zapped.