Eradicate Rats in Roof Space - Pest controllers in Kapiti?

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KiwiTim

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#3471649 19-Mar-2026 11:36

A 2026 update. I have now successfully trained my rats to avoid poison baits of all types and avoid traps (Goodnature, cage and Victor style). They have exploded in number. I am trying to block entry points into the house, but can't find how they get in. They are not living in the interior of the house, but are in the walls and ceiling. Got a pest controller in, but the guy was pretty useless ... would not go into the roof space or under house.

So I am now looking for a pest controller willing to get their hands dirty, and crawl under house and into roof space, to do blocking. Was doing it myself but have an injury at present.

Does anybody have any recommendations for the Kapiti Region. Am getting a quote from Total Pest Control.

MikeAqua

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#3471674 19-Mar-2026 13:03

cshwone:

We have these indoors and outdoors and they are very effective.

DOC 200 plastic

Another vote for these. I'm peripherally involved with a couple of community-based pest control initiatives and people swear by these traps. They're rugged and effective. I know of people using them in some rugged areas of the Marlborough Sounds, Richmond Ranges and Kaikoura Ranges for example. They are less safe than the grey plastic type traps though - for fingers, and for non-target animals.

Mike

johno1234

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#3471797 19-Mar-2026 16:46

We have an issue with rats at the property border. Not sure what's going on at the neighbour's but they seem to always come from that side.

I use plastic bait stations that hold Brodifacoum or Bromadiolone bait blocks inside where larger animals cannot reach them and prevent the rat from running off with the bait which are held in with a pin.

You need to handle the bait and bait station with disposable gloves as your scent on them will deter the rats. Position the bait station so it is on one of the "rat runs" - they like to run under cover so along under fences, hedge lines, under basements etc.

I restock the bait stations if we notice a rat or signs of a rat (stuff getting chewed is the most common sign we see). Within a week the bait will have been chewed out so they're not shy about it. Then we generally won't see any sign of them for another couple of months or more.

We had rats in the roof space when we moved in so threw some loose blocks up into there. There was very soon no more rat noises in the ceiling.

I also put bait stations in the basement but they've never been touched in the 2 years we've owned the house.

I think it is impossible to rat proof a house. They can get in through inconceivably small holes and climb just about anything.

KiwiTim

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#3471816 19-Mar-2026 18:37

Yes, rats are pretty hard to keep out. They can squeeze through tiny holes and can climb brick walls I think. I have bait stations out in the garden and bait stations in the roof space. Once rats become educated about baits killing their buddies, they avoid them, which is where I am now. Doesn't matter if I change the bait brand, they seem to know to avoid, and I use gloves. We need a few diamondback pythons.

kiwi_64

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#3471919 20-Mar-2026 08:30

I had one in my ceiling a couple of years ago. The ba$tard would continuously chew through the plastic water pipes causing damage. After a week of trying other methods a goodnature trap finally nabbed it. I can't recall which of their baits I used. I was able to determine that it had accessed the roof from a nearby conifer tree. so have since cut that way back.

KiwiTim

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#3471936 20-Mar-2026 10:18

I've had a Goodnature Rat trap for 2 years. It has only caught one rat. I made the mistake of using the lure in the victor rat traps. I think they no longer trust that smell, so Goodnature is not much use.

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Bung

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#3471953 20-Mar-2026 11:57

I don't know that rats are that clever. While the Goodnature lure isn't doing much good here peanut butter with some vanilla has caught 4 rats and 10 mice. The smell seems to mask my fingers. The problem I have now is keeping slugs and snails off as they steal the bait.

KiwiTim

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#3471972 20-Mar-2026 12:45

Bung:

I don't know that rats are that clever. While the Goodnature lure isn't doing much good here peanut butter with some vanilla has caught 4 rats and 10 mice. The smell seems to mask my fingers. The problem I have now is keeping slugs and snails off as they steal the bait.

I did not think rats were too brilliant, but I now believe they are very intelligent, just behind dogs (maybe well ahead of Schnauzers).

johno1234

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#3472063 20-Mar-2026 18:16

Cunning is the word you want.

Hammerer

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#3478262 5-Apr-2026 12:08

KiwiTim:

I've had a Goodnature Rat trap for 2 years. It has only caught one rat. I made the mistake of using the lure in the victor rat traps. I think they no longer trust that smell, so Goodnature is not much use.

I'd just move the trap until the bait starts to get taken again. Rats tend to feed in groups so you might hit a different group of rats or the bait may be more attractive compared to their other food options in a different spot.

The rats don't get very bait-shy with Goodnature non-toxic baits like they do if they survive a poison bait. But they definitely have preferences so they will avoid Goodnature baits if there are better food options nearby - within 100m. Goodnature talk about this and suggest using rodent detector cards and spot baiting to see where there is the greatest likelihood of success before placing a trap. It is less work for me to just move the trap without changing the bait pack early.

I manage Goodnature A24 rat traps on three properties. I say, manage, because they don't keep on catching rats without me actively monitoring them. The most I've trapped is eight rats over as many weeks - the bodies get eaten by the other rats so there is usually no clean up. When the trap stop recording hits, I move it to another good spot until it starts working again.

MadEngineer

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#3478275 5-Apr-2026 13:34

johno1234:

We have an issue with rats at the property border. Not sure what's going on at the neighbour's but they seem to always come from that side.

Councils have environmental officers for this purpose.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

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panther2

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#3478336 5-Apr-2026 21:22

Found meat lovers paste is far better than nut butter in a A24

timmmay

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#3478357 6-Apr-2026 08:17

Integrated Pest Management - no website as far as I can see but the guy Brian has a degree in pest control. Based in Wellington, might do Kapiti.

M: 027-444-3714
E: pestyatparadise@gmail.com

gbwelly

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#3478366 6-Apr-2026 09:05

An anecdote rather than advice (unless you are looking for a really unconventional way to get rid of rats).

We had a rat once. It would eat cat biscuits from the cat's bowl in the kitchen. It got so fat on the high protein diet that when you would disturb it eating the biscuits it would do a kind of four legged burn-out to run away, as it's belly would drag on the wooden floors. Eventually it's gluttony got the best of it, it fell head first into the toilet while taking a drink one night and drowned.

KiwiTim

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#3478416 6-Apr-2026 13:10

gbwelly:

An anecdote rather than advice (unless you are looking for a really unconventional way to get rid of rats).

We had a rat once. It would eat cat biscuits from the cat's bowl in the kitchen. It got so fat on the high protein diet that when you would disturb it eating the biscuits it would do a kind of four legged burn-out to run away, as it's belly would drag on the wooden floors. Eventually it's gluttony got the best of it, it fell head first into the toilet while taking a drink one night and drowned.

A happy ending, then. Worthy anecdote.

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