Rat & Mice problems

[Android 07]

I had a conservatory built right next to my house few years ago.
The walls on three sides were made with bricks while the floor first had a layer of cement and then wood planks were laid out in a lattice formation and then further nicer wood planks were put on top to create a flat surface. PVC flooring was then laid out on top.

Now, last year, during the winter, somehow rats and mice regularly made their way through the bottom and then made holes here and there and then escaped to other rooms in the house where they hid under the floor and created more holes.

I bought some rat traps, rat glue and poison blocks. Eventually, the vermin died here and there and the story was over.

I called some builders to have a look and each suggested that the entire conservatory needs to be demolished and then recreated. I was looking at 10k!

Can I employ some DIY techniques such as steel/aluminium plates in between the lattice or something else?

Thanks.

 

[sircerebus666]

Before you spend 10k

The rats and mice must be getting in somehow you need to get sealing any and every hole you find

Also rats and mice come in cause they find a food source again you need to find this food source and get rid of it

 

[Toria J]

So there's empty space - void areas - behind the lattice?

Following as I'm in a similar situation:
A surveyor friend once said that she'd never come across decking & similar structures which hadn't been invaded by rodents, especially in urban areas. They are often a massive health hazard that people aren't warned about before construction.
Sadly, my late mother had already installed a veranda, & I have had visitors behind the fixed side panels - the dog is constantly going mad trying to get in there.

I've heard that, (unlike other insulating materials which they nest in) they dislike foam filler. However, I haven't confirmed this is true, plus if used in places exposed to the elements, it can get waterlogged.

 

[sircerebus666]

So there's empty space - void areas - behind the lattice?

Following as I'm in a similar situation:
A surveyor friend once said that she'd never come across decking & similar structures which hadn't been invaded by rodents, especially in urban areas. They are often a massive health hazard that people aren't warned about before construction.
Sadly, my late mother had already installed a veranda, & I have had visitors behind the fixed side panels - the dog is constantly going mad trying to get in there.

I've heard that, (unlike other insulating materials which they nest in) they dislike foam filler. However, I haven't confirmed this is true, plus if used in places exposed to the elements, it can get waterlogged.

They can chew right through foam filler and I've seen them do so

 

[Toria J]

They can chew right through foam filler and I've seen them do so

Yeah, I suspected that sounded too easy to be a viable option.

 

[IT Minion]

They can chew right through foam filler and I've seen them do so

From what I've heard they can, but unless they've already been through it before (you've sealed up a previous route in) they tend not to bother.

I had mice or rats chewing through my floor boards, not because they wanted to get anywhere, just because they hate me.

 

[Android 07]

Before you spend 10k

The rats and mice must be getting in somehow you need to get sealing any and every hole you find

Also rats and mice come in cause they find a food source again you need to find this food source and get rid of it

Well, from above ground, I can't see any holes. There are also no food sources apart from the kitchen where everything is in plastic containers. It's also next to impossible to lift all the wood as we have cupboards fitted above. I was thinking of slotting in things from above to stop rats traveling about.

 

[sxturbo]

there has to be a hole somewhere which you've missed, that or they have tunnelled up through an old drain under the conservatory or something.

i had a rat problem in my last residence, turns out the builder who built the extension when moving the soil pipe thought it would be ok just to put the insulation over the top and then concrete screed (re-inforced) over that. the rats found there way through the insulation, to chewed through the old external wall and into the cavity walls floor boards etc

gives me the creeps thinking about it. luckily a drain survey picked up my issue and i could sort it myself for next to nothing just meant i had to lift up the laminate floor.

 

[sircerebus666]

Agreed mice only need a hole the size of a pencil to get in , if you definitely have rats too then you're looking for a bigger hole

Have you got the plans for the house and land to be able to look for old drains under the conservatory?

 

[Android 07]

Agreed mice only need a hole the size of a pencil to get in , if you definitely have rats too then you're looking for a bigger hole

Have you got the plans for the house and land to be able to look for old drains under the conservatory?

The area was already cemented when we bought it. I'll see if I can find something in those Land documents.

 

[IT Minion]

It could be gaps around cold water or soil pipes in the main house and they're just making their way to the convervatory where you notice them.

 

[frutbunn]

I have a Patterdale Terrier so rats aren't really a problem!

 

[Android 07]

It could be gaps around cold water or soil pipes in the main house and they're just making their way to the convervatory where you notice them.

I lifted some of the planks and had a look. There was a massive hole on the ground next to the main fat pipe. I have used expanding foam to seal it up as best as I could. I have also installed some cheap LED lights ( mains powered ) under the floor to keep the rats away.

 

[Wayners]

Watch... mouse trap monday... On YouTube for trap reviews and help you understand what you need to do and buy.
You need to invest in electric auto resetting trap I guess. Also some walk the plank traps.
Bird table and other food will bring them to your home area so sort that.

 

[Mottie]

Also some walk the plank traps.
Bird table and other food will bring them to your home area so sort that.

We used the humane ones. Caught seven of the buggers.

Mrs Mottie swears it was the bird feeders - the birds were scattering it everywhere. Anyway, got rid of them....and the mice have gone too. Just a co-incidence I reckon. I’ll be getting them back out in winter.