Preventing rats getting up pipes - NZ techniques or products

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Ge0rge

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#2232520 7-May-2019 22:01

Bung: The idea that poisoned rats look for water is wishful thinking. Sick rats are like humans, they lie around in bed. If the nest is inside that's where they are likely to end up.

A quick google search suggests that you are indeed correct. I have learned something this evening, and my apologies for spreading fud!

timmmay

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#2232600 8-May-2019 07:31

I talked to me pest guy again last night. He was pretty adamant you need metal coverings over drains. He says if rats are used to taking a given route they'll just chew through or around anything in their way - plastic, wood, clay tiles, anything except metal. He's against suggested metal mesh, I didn't understand what type, with some kind of a clamp / band holding it on tightly.

He also said mice can jump almost a meter up, and rats further. So the smaller overhang roof we have they could jump from their onto the main roof no problem. We also have a drain pipe beside a wooden post, he said they could go up the side of that and there's not much we could do to stop them. We found five likely entry points, three of which I can protect, one which has poison now, the other not much we can do.

I guess the best solution might be to put metal mesh over the drains, but also put a heavy duty gutter guard over all the the gutters, one the bridged the roof to the edge of the gutter. That way even if they get up they can't get in. I suspect doing that well enough that there is no hole more than 1cm wide is just about impossible though.

Up in the ceiling he basically just picked up a handful of rat poison cubes and threw them in each direction. Probably 20 of them. When he put them under the house by a sump he probably put a dozen in. When he put some into the house to get rid of a mouse he put in three bait stations, each with four of those large pellets. I suggested we take them out now the mouse is gone, but he said where they are they're safe, won't leak out, and best keep them there until spring.

So I guess off to a store to get wire mesh and clamps.

ShortyNZ

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#2235065 11-May-2019 17:02

We have similar issues. We are rural on a lifestyle block and also have bush in the vicinity. No overhanging trees, but the rats do get into the ceiling.

Years ago, we even had one in an internal wall. One in the ceiling managed to strip the insulation off quite a length of new ducting within a night or two.

As we haven't been able to figure out where they get in, we have had to adopt a very strict regime of poison. My husband made up bait stations out of lengths of Novaflo pipe, about a metre long each. Inside each pipe, we have a fence batten, with a hole drilled in each end for a wire to 'tent peg' it into the ground. On the middle section of the batten are three long nails - and on each nail, we fix one 'donut' style Storm rat bait. This means that the rat has to eat the poison in situ (can't take it away to a nest, as we were told they sometimes do) and any residual poison 'crumbs' are caught inside the corrugations of the pipe, which makes it safer for livestock/chooks/pets. We have one set up in the ceiling too, although we don't bother with the pipe up there - just nails for the poison.

We have them in various places around our property. It works 90% of the time, but we do still get the very odd rat in the ceiling and you do have to check regularly and keep the poison topped up; there are times they need to be refilled weekly or fortnightly. Other times, much less.

A barrier method would certainly be the ticket if you can make it work. Less effort long-term and more effective.

timmmay

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#2235070 11-May-2019 17:13

I don't think you can actually keep them out. They can run up the outside of drain pipes if they're near walls or posts. I've put metal mesh in every one, but I suspect they can jump or climb around them. Putting a barrier up under the eaves is probably possible, but would be extremely labor intensive to do in a way that rats couldn't get through.

Your bait stations sound good Shorty. We won't put them outside, though it might be good if we could. Too many kids, pets, etc. Up in the ceiling the pest guy just threw handfuls of poison around. We don't take any air or anything from the ceiling cavity into the house, and the hatch is rubber sealed (and on hydraulics but that's another story) so I'm somewhat comfortable with that.

They're pretty impressive little creatures. Really annoying, but impressive.

sudo

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#2235080 11-May-2019 17:36

Stick one of these next to the drainpipe.

https://goodnature.co.nz/

Pricey, but this is the coolest way dealing with rats 🤓

(if you set up a motion detecting camera you will have a real geek solution)

Aredwood

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#2235082 11-May-2019 17:38

Just put poison outside. Agree with fixing it in place.

Much better to kill the latent rats outside. Before they spread further and find their way inside.

I used to always have rat problems in my house until I started putting poison outside. And because you are killing the rats before they figure out a way of getting inside your house. You are far less likely to have problems with rats inside.

Try and convince the council to put poison in that Bush. When the council started putting bait stations in the bush near my house. Alot less rats and more birds. Although it didnt completely stop the rats by my house (still need the poison).

Only there is a rabbit problem in my area now. Due to less rats. The council and the neighbors cats both refuse to do anything about getting rid of the rabbits.

The poison takes almost a week to kill a rat. Which is why it works better than traps. As the rats dont associate the poison with getting sick and dying. And also why I only put out new poison once per week. Even if the bait disappears in less than a day.

timmmay

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#2235098 11-May-2019 18:13

The area cats ate the rabbits. Can you buy outside bait stations? Rain ruins the poison blocks.

Council won't do anything, we live near a motorway and they said it's not their problem.

I don't want to bother with humane traps. Too much hassle for pests.

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Aredwood

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#2235107 11-May-2019 18:39

I dont even bother putting the bait into bait stations. I just use long square drive screws to fasten the blocks into place. Rats will sometimes move and stockpile the baits if you dont fasten them into place. Usually I just buy

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/kiwicare-no-rats-mice-one-feed-1kg_p00258081

Along fence lines of typical suburban wooden fences I found works best. Those baits almost always get taken first. I also put baits around the outside of my house. But I later removed some, as they were only rarely getting eaten. Even when a fence line bait was less than 10m away. As rats prefer moving along next to things, instead of directly crossing open areas.

The baits also get eaten by bugs. Crickets seem to be the worst for that. So if the baits only slowly shrink in size over a number of weeks, it will be bugs and not rats eating them. While rats will quickly finish off a bait block, and often leave behind what looks like finely ground up bait block.

timmmay

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#2235134 11-May-2019 20:21

Yeah I've heard that rats and mice like to go along edges. Pest guy buys 10kg buckets of poison. Don't have any idea what he charges, two visits so far and about 40 bait blocks and four bait stations. He laughed at the hardware store prices for bait stations and poision, he gets things much much cheaper in bulk. He goes through 10kg or more of poison a week he said. I might have to ask him for outdoor recommendations and run a poison campaign outside. Rain is a problem though.

Aredwood

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#2235179 11-May-2019 23:17

That 1KG bucket of bait is still far cheaper than buying it in the little packets that only have 4 bait blocks in them. And once you get on top of the rat population in your area, you dont use as much bait anyway (takes longer for it to get eaten).

Although I am basically giving all of my neighbors free rat control. So it is annoying that the council wont deal with pests on their own land (rabbits). And no, I'm not going to provide free rabbit control as well.

mattwnz

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#2235196 11-May-2019 23:56

timmmay:

I don't think you can actually keep them out. They can run up the outside of drain pipes if they're near walls or posts. I've put metal mesh in every one, but I suspect they can jump or climb around them. Putting a barrier up under the eaves is probably possible, but would be extremely labor intensive to do in a way that rats couldn't get through.

Your bait stations sound good Shorty. We won't put them outside, though it might be good if we could. Too many kids, pets, etc. Up in the ceiling the pest guy just threw handfuls of poison around. We don't take any air or anything from the ceiling cavity into the house, and the hatch is rubber sealed (and on hydraulics but that's another story) so I'm somewhat comfortable with that.

They're pretty impressive little creatures. Really annoying, but impressive.

Rats make great pets for kids. Really clean animals to keep, which is ironic considering the harm wild ones cause.

Aredwood

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#2235203 12-May-2019 00:44

I actually had a couple of pet rats when I was little. They were given to me by someone who had lost interest in them. Had to keep on repairing the cage as they kept on eating holes in it to try and escape. (cage had a wooden back).

Didnt bother getting any more after they died of old age.

bfginger

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#2252862 6-Jun-2019 11:25

Isn't using a bait station now a legal requirement for rodent poison?

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