Worrying noises coming from the loft...rodents!

[KungFooBob]

It's not rodents, it's shoggoths.

[Supermofo]

Fucking sounds like it

[Sunny]

Whatever is up there is sticking mainly to the facia board above my window. Little shit is even ignoring if I bang on the ceiling now, min ago was making a right racket chewing/pulling something.
Now have 10 traps, bait box and a tray of wheat poison I put up there Saturday morning. It making so much noise I've gone into the loft just to shut the fucker up. Nothings been touched of the bait/poison

If they've not touched the bait yet, it might well be rats.

Apparently rats don't like things being moved (there's a word for it, it'll come to me), so when you put stuff down you have to wait for them to get used to it before they'll go near it.

[Sunny]

If they've not touched the bait yet, it might well be rats.

Apparently rats don't like things being moved (there's a word for it, it'll come to me), so when you put stuff down you have to wait for them to get used to it before they'll go near it.

I gave up and googled: neophobic!

https://bpca.org.uk/news-and-blog/rat-b ... nt-control

'Rats are exploratory; however, at the same time, they are naturally neophobic (the fear and avoidance of new objects). Neophobia is a survival mechanism to protect from the new and unknown and often occurs when rats are presented with freshly placed rodenticide bait or bait box or monitoring devices.

The resulting neophobic response of the rat is to either ignore the bait completely until it feels confident that it poses no danger (which may be days or weeks) or to take a small taste to see if the bait has any negative effects before returning to feed more freely. Levels of rat neophobia will be lower in infestations which are exposed to regular disturbances and higher in infestations where disturbances are rare.'

[Supermofo]

Well that was massively unpleasant and completely unfruitful. Got right to the edge of the loft and pulled the insulation away covering myself in horrible shite and filmed what I could which was broadly nada. Didn't look like lots of droppings or anything. I did see a conker though I think.

Yes, I'm wondering if rats as I've heard the same thing. I put the poison wheat up there Saturday morning I think and had planned to leave it a week but the sheer fucking racket made me crack.

Doesn't look like they are damaging anything though (yet, fingers and toes crossed) so maybe I just need to keep wearing ear plugs and wait. Not sure what else I can do.

[Supermofo]

Had a closer listen and think they are above the bay window. Which I think is below the level of the facia so possibly why I couldn't see anything. I have heard them in the walls too so maybe they aren't hanging out in the loft. Dunno.

Earplugs. Sleep.

[Count Steer]

I put a trail camera in the loft (on 20 or 30 second video) to confirm what the scratching was. It also gives some idea of their routes so you can place the bait.

It's an idea to put something mouse-sized in the shot. First time I got footage it took a minute to go from rats! to phew, mice.

[Mr Moofo]

Is it deffo rodents and not birds?

[Supermofo]

Is it deffo rodents and not birds?

I can't say for sure but I know next door has a swift that nests in her facia board (not attached to ours) each year and that too makes a racket but mainly going in/out and you also get flapping noises and bird chirps as I can hear it in spring with the windows open. It's also all daytime.

I'm not getting any flapping or chirps. All scampering feet, scratching and chewing. Also they/it now and again goes between ground/1st floor and in the cavity wall. Generally it's around 8-10pm and/or early hours so 3-6am. So I'm guessing that sounds more rodent.

Good idea on a camera. I'll see if I can get a cheap one or borrow one.

[Count Steer]

I found old bits of conker shell too. A single conker probably keeps a mouse going for a while. (I also discreetly dumped the conkers the missus had left around in various corners to 'deter spiders' ).

Rodents probably still have a decent supply of autumn goodies, they may be more inclined to take bait in a few weeks time. I noted that mine (field mice) had even chewed a roll of bin bags that I was using to clear the old loft insulation once times were tough. Problem is when they get a taste for electrical insulation.

I'll start my seasonal purge next week if I I hear any scuttlings and gnawings.

[Supermofo]

I'll start my seasonal purge next week if I I hear any scuttlings and gnawings.

Good luck.

I think I'd feel better if I had evidence I was denting the problem in even a small way! Currently I feel like they are sitting above the window flicking me the Vs though the wall

[Supermofo]

So I think I can rule out anything in the loft. Not caught anything in near 3 weeks up there and no evidence of activity. And luckily nothing in the house.

However they are defo in the cavity wall Mostly in the bit to the right of my bedroom window but occasionally the other end of the house in my son's room, similar spot in the wall. Thought they'd gone as nothing in a week or so but now it's nightly. Not loads but little scuffling in the wall at night, esp 4-6am, not for long but enough to wake me up I've had a look at the walls front and back but can't see anything obvious as an entry point. In desperation stuck a trap outside the front but caught 1 mouse in a week I'm guessing the problem could be in a neighbours wall or even near the roof. I'm also not ruling out a bird as I'm guessing it could shuffle about when overnighting in the warm. Rarely hear anything during the day, which could mean rodents or a bird out all day and nesting at night???

How the fuck do I get to the bastards! Short of knocking a hole in the wall?

[Ian]

Fill your cavity with expanding foam?

[Treadeager]

Could it be be bats ? Best not harm them . Mostly cos you shouldn't , but it could be real grief if anyone found out !

[Supermofo]

Fill your cavity with expanding foam?

My cavity was filled with tiny little polystyrene type balls (oh er) a good few years back. I assume this is quite nice for whatever it is that's in there!

[Supermofo]

Could it be be bats ? Best not harm them . Mostly cos you shouldn't , but it could be real grief if anyone found out !

Hadn't thought of that. Be a right pisser considering all the bat boxes Herts WLT put up in the woods out the back!

[Ian]

BIL had a transducer to shift the squeaks down into the audible range. No idea of price but would confirm bats.
Our zoom around the floodlights but not at this time of year, a quick Google suggests they hibernate.

[Count Steer]

BIL had a transducer to shift the squeaks down into the audible range. No idea of price but would confirm bats.
Our zoom around the floodlights but not at this time of year, a quick Google suggests they hibernate.

£80 (or more).

https://shopping.rspb.org.uk/wildlife-f ... ector.html

[ZRX61]

I had a VERY small mouse in the garage, the fucker kept eating the bait on the traps & getting away as he wasn't heavy enough to set the traps off. Eventually, after about 6 months of feasting on the bait, he achieved sufficient weight to set off a trap, but was found dead next to it without a mark on him.

[Supermofo]

I had a VERY small mouse in the garage, the fucker kept eating the bait on the traps & getting away as he wasn't heavy enough to set the traps off. Eventually, after about 6 months of feasting on the bait, he achieved sufficient weight to set off a trap, but was found dead next to it without a mark on him.

Died of cholesterol