Rats! How to stop them?

Argyll · Post by **Argyll** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:01 pm

I visited a house the other day that had a rat problem. The pest control guy had visited a week ago and put poison down and told the homeowner that should deal with the rats. Now the homeowner wants some holes sealed up. Most of the holes are in plasterboard walls which from experience I know won't stop rats coming through. I've seen rats bury through concrete! The pest control guy told him to use some type of mesh that apparently looks like a brillo pad. I've no idea what he's talking about. Any ideas?

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:22 pm

Yep, steel wool. (Seen a pest controller on "Life of grime" say it's a good thing to do.) But like you said, plasterboard is no problem, but then if you don't kill them there will be more.

kellys_eye · Post by **kellys_eye** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:24 pm

I would suspect that a form of aluminium-foil brillo pad would deter anything from gnawing it - ever chewed a piece of tin foil? Never seen such a product myself but it is available:

https://metallic-wool.co.uk/stainless-4 ... inium.html

Chop · Post by **Chop** » Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:36 am

Rats need food, shelter and water, if you can take away one of those you're getting there.

Steel wool wont stop them but I have read that copper wool will apparently. It gets stuck in their teeth making it harder for them to chew.

We've been rat proofing this week and found they were coming up from the disused toilets. Not any more cos theres 10 inch of concrete in the pan now.

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Sun Nov 22, 2020 12:03 pm

Chop wrote: ↑Sun Nov 22, 2020 10:36 amSteel wool wont stop them but I have read that copper wool will

Was that was said by someone who sells copper wool?

The bloke on life of grime went on to say, it doesn't stop them, but they can't eat it and if they try it sticks inside their mouth, just like us getting a splinter. (But worse) I suspect the copper wool idea comes from the fact that steel wool will rust, and copper doesn't. But by the time it rusts, it will have done its job.