"Ray" wrote in message
...
Not much point in this tail really other than to vent my thoughts &
frustration. Perhaps a rant as I am tearing my hair out.
We all live close to rats. I don't like them but have to live with them, a
fact of life.
I live in an early 20C cottage in Berkshire. Have done for 27 years.
Semi-rural area with a stream flowing along the front. Quite idyllic on a
good day.
Built on a 12inch concrete raft with suspended floors on sleeper walls.
The old place has recently suffered a quite severe infestation of rats.
All feed, both animal & human, is kept secure.
From whence they came I know not but they certainly have made merry below
floors.
There are about 2 dozen airbricks around the perimeter just above ground
level, these are all sound. I can see no signs of burrowing but I don't
think rats burrow anyway.

Look again because there must be an access point somewhere. If you can find
that and block it the problem should go away. Rats can climb, burrow and
jump better than you might think. My pet ferret's favourite sleeping place
is in the cupboard under the sink snoozing comfortably under the dusters
that were kept there. Took me a while to work out how she got into a
supposedly closed cupboard. She goes down the side of the fridge, gets
behind the kitchen units, climbs up the back of them by bracing her back
against the units and her legs against the adjacent brick wall like a
mountain climber in a 'pipe', does a 180 degree flip in mid air and then
enters the cupboard through the hole at the top where the sink waste pipe
comes out. Jumps down onto the top shelf from the waste pipe and then down
onto the floor of the cupboard. I'm sure any self respecting rat could
achieve the same level of agility.

I was so impressed I've removed the manky old polish impregnated dusters and
all nasty chemicals and put a clean old sweater in there for her to sleep
in.
--
Dave Baker
www.pumaracing.co.uk
Usenet - a collection of people who only open their mouth to change feet.