Rat in the house

star.chaser

I woke up on Saturday morning and could hear something rustling around the pile of cloths in the middle of my room. At first i thought a cat had got in cause it was a bit too much movement for a mouse. So i turned my head and looked over and at the same time a big rat turned it's head and looked at me.
So we both got a bit of a fright, i think the rat got a bigger one than me though and legged it. Have some gaps near the skirting boards which i have now sealed up with the wooden supports from the bed but the last two nights, i have heard the rat scratching at the wood!
I'm only there for another 5 weeks and would kind of like to leave the landlady with a leaving present but my question to any rat enthusaiasts is how long would it take the little fellows to get through an inch of wood?
Will an inch of wood keep him out for five weeks or should i add some reinforcements?

jap gt

for gods sake put down some traps, you could get very sick having a rat in your house, maybe clean up to give him less places to hide

lalee17

Buy/make one of http://www.rattraps.org.uk/Rat-Traps/Single-Catch-Live-Rat-Trap these.

morganafay

Yeah, there's all kinds of things you could catch from the rat. And if it got out then it could bite you while you're asleep. I heard of that happening someone, she got bitten on the lip and she got really sick from it.

I wouldn't be able to sleep with one in my house (and I don't mind rodents at all but not rats in the house) . . .

star.chaser

are you sure about that. i thought they only attack if they're cornered.
funny thing is a couple of months ago, i envisaged waking up with a rat in the bed. i really should have seen all this coming. this time last year, it was flies, after christmas, it was ants and now rats. think i should really hire a cleaner for a couple of hours a week in my new house!

and it wasn't one like on the site above. if it was that size i would have been gone on Saturday

jap gt

rats can bite any time, but there droppings and piss can be deadly

mymo

I hate to tell you this but, an inch of wood wouldn't last the night with a determined rat. That is definitely not the only way its getting in, and where there's one rat there are usually more.
Clean out all your presses and put all food, even tea and sugar, into metal or glass containers, clean all the surfaces, wash every plate, cutlery, glass and cup before use, and buy a new tooth brush and something to keep it in.
Then get a trap, humane or not and catch it quick, you wouldn't believe the damage they can do, including chewing through wiring and causing fires, not to mention the diseases they carry.
And I like rodents and have kept rats, so know about the hygiene side of things.

star.chaser

what, are you suggesting the rat may have been using my toothbrush

jap gt

star.chaser wrote: »

what, are you suggesting the rat may have been using my toothbrush

i think you would want to take it a bit more serious, can have very bad effects on your health

antocann

jap gt wrote: »

rats can bite any time, but there droppings and piss can be deadly

oh yeh the fun you can with those its unbelievable
lol:D:D:D

star.chaser

thanks for all the replies, i've done some of my own research based on them and i don't think i'll be there another 5 weeks... have this horrible image of waking up with a rat in my mouth or gnawing on my fingers or something