Rats im marmora road!

[susierose]

I have seen huge rats running across marmora road, also i have found three big dead one in my back garden. Today i have found another dead rat right by my back door. Any ideas what i can do? I have phoned pest control and spoke to the enviomental health people, but getting no where fast.

[ratty]

There are rats everywhere i'm afraid

[susierose]

That i know! But shouldnt be so many close to my house! Last month there was one in my sons room! Dirty germ filed fermin!

[Sue]

Susie, there's been another rat thread on here recently, I'm sure if you do a search for rats you will find it - can't remember what it was called now.

[new mother]

Not normal, actually. Council needs to be involved. At the very least, the rubbish guys will refuse to collect.

Mice normal - rats not.

[civilservant]

It sounds as if the rats have been disturbed out of their usual space, so they're fetching up on your property - hence the dead ones and the ones running around in plain sight in daylight(?). The cause could be building or road works nearby or someone else putting down poison to kill them.

I can't help but feel sorry for them...

[showboat]

Rats only go in search of food and shelter. If they're heading in your house (which I agree isn't great) then either - as civilserveant says - they've been disturbed, or they think they can find food.

They don't go near humans if they have any choice in the matter.

As I think your house is unlikely to be a tip, then probably someone has moved them on from where they were. Unfortunately your only option (as far as I know) is to shout at EHO's until they do something.

[Bornandraised]

Get off the internet, rats are immume to internet viruses, clean, clean, clean!

[Mick Mac]

Sounds awful Susie. 1 rat in my house and I would be out.

Pay pest control as much as is needed, one rat inside a house is too many. 3 outside is a problem too.

[Louisa]

Rats are the responsibility of local councils if they are found present in a private residence. Before you do anything though, you need to make sure you know the difference between a mouse and a rat (i'm not trying to patronise you here). Many years ago I had an issue with what I believed at the time were rats, and I informed the council and it turned out they were in fact house mice (which when fully grown can be fairly big in size). The council will charge you if they disocver on investigation that the infestation is not rats. Therefore, I would suggest contacting any reputable pest control agency (Rentokil an example), and they will send out a surveyor to investigate visible dropping and other signs of infestation.

Louisa.

[Sue]

There is a local guy called Colin who posts on this forum who specialises in pest control. I'm sure he could help. He has been recommended by several people on here.

[peterstorm1985]

Louisa Wrote:

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> Rats are the responsibility of local councils if

> they are found present in a private residence.

>

Are you sure? Do you have a link to anything official to confirm this. I understood that most councils offered a service (that you pay for) but have never seen anything to indicate that they have a responsibility (other than to their own tenants if it was within the tenancy agreement).

[FlorenceRedbird]

I would definitely recommend you give Colin a call. He is brilliant. http://www.kandopestcontrol.co.uk/

[srisky]

FlorenceRedbird Wrote:

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> I would definitely recommend you give Colin a

> call. He is brilliant.

> http://www.kandopestcontrol.co.uk/

Ditto

[prickle]

"It sounds as if the rats have been disturbed out of their usual space, so they're fetching up on your property - hence the dead ones and the ones running around in plain sight in daylightquestion mark. The cause could be building or road works nearby or someone else putting down poison to kill them.

I can't help but feel sorry for them..."

My sister-in-law had endless problems with rats (including several dead ones in the house). The cause turned out to be a large rat's nest underground in their garden. Doesn't have to be waste ground, their garden was lawned and well kept.

Rats *are* vermin. They carry disease. We should not be sentimental.

[civilservant]

Not sentimental - a rat has a life too.

If it dies on your doorstep because it was poisoned, surely it is ok to feel sorry for the wretched beast.

And people carry disease too.

Should we eradicate everyone suffering from a communicable disease because they might just transmit it to us?

[StraferJack]

so cockroaches? snakes? you would feel just as sentimental?

keeping on top of vermin and eradicating human beings? Nice equivalence

[petersen]

I am a vegetarian and i do not like to see things suffer. I had mice problems, including in my own bedroom in my last flat, both rats and mice can cause horrible disease and personally I cant stand rats. but things like Viles disease I would not want near my kids if i had them. call a private company to come in and get rid of them as fast as possible, the process can take months to fully get rid of them (in the end my problem was solved by freezing temperatures and a broken heater in my house!)

good luck!

[michelle84]

civilservant Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Not sentimental - a rat has a life too.

> If it dies on your doorstep because it was

> poisoned, surely it is ok to feel sorry for the

> wretched beast.

>

> And people carry disease too.

> Should we eradicate everyone suffering from a

> communicable disease because they might just

> transmit it to us?

fair point, I guess. But since we are the dominant animal then we can say we dont want rats :)

[Jeremy]

Implying that animal life is of equal value to human life... I don't think it's a fair point, I think it's complete nonsense.

[civilservant]

remind me where I was saying that animal life is of equal value to human life?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

susier, just that time of year. My cats keep killing juvenile rats at the mo - one of those London thangs.

[StraferJack]

"If it dies on your doorstep because it was poisoned, surely it is ok to feel sorry for the wretched beast.

And people carry disease too.

Should we eradicate everyone suffering from a communicable disease because they might just transmit it to us?"

That bit

[civilservant]

your interpretation

there may be other reasons for killing rats, but the disease one doesn't wash.

let's take humans out of the argument, if you're uncomfortable with that.

Let's say instead - should we also eradicate dogs and cats because they are also known vectors for leptospirosis which, as you know, SJ, is the same thing as Weil's disease (which is what rats are blamed for?)

If you'll allow me, I'm going to carry on feeling sorry for rats, or for my fellow humans for that matter, if they suffer agonising deaths that are dictated by others' convenience

[prickle]

Weil's disease (which is what rats are blamed for?)

Rats carry more than Weil's disease

Although we are not currently at risk from a repeat of the black death, rats do carry risks of other diseases. These include:

Weil?s disease

Salmonella

Tuberculosis

Cryptosporidiosis

E.Coli

Foot and mouth disease

In my original comment I did not mention poison or any other method of extermination. Much as I hate rats, I do not want them to suffer. BUT we need to face the fact that London is rat infested. There are ways of control that are more humane such as birth control. Also we need to clean up - not drop food around on the streets. Will the people who misguidedly feed pigeons by leaving seeds and bread on the ground PLEASE STOP!