Can rats (or mice) ...
 

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[Closed] Can rats (or mice) eat through expanding foam?

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Some of these little buggers are getting into our shed during the night and tucking into various things. I've found at least one "entrance" and am thinking about plugging it up with foam.

It's a brick building and so far they seem quite partial to a bit of brickwork if they sense some googdies on the other side.

Any ideas?

Cheers
SM


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 9:42 am
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Apparently, yes. Ours haven't managed to yet. The advice I got here last time was "if it happens again pack the gap with wire mesh/brillo pads and expand the foam into/around that.


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 9:42 am
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They can eat through that stuff like butter
[img]


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 9:45 am
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They luuurrrv Camelbak bite valves


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 9:53 am
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Foam is meat and drink to these boys - they can gnaw their way through lead sheet and cable sheathes so a wee bit of foam wont hold them back

>It's a brick building<

Err - use mortar?


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 9:54 am
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Err - use mortar?

Err, they eat through that too, hence trying to find something different.

pack the gap with wire mesh/brillo pads and expand the foam into/around that.

Excellent - hadn't thought of that. We've got loads of wire fencing so I'll roll some up and plug it with foam.

Cheers


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 10:01 am
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I was idly standing at our server in the office and a triangular piece of lead whooshed past my ear and embedded itself in the floor.

Close call.. Rats in the ceiling had gnawed it off. Bastards.


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 10:03 am
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Warfarin


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 10:06 am
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Warfarin

AFAIK rather a nasty way to die. Also creates a poisonous food chain.

I don't want to kill the little ****ers, I just want to stop them breaking in.


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 10:10 am
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As coffeeking suggested, go to B&Q and buy some [b]wire wool[/b] (not wire fencing). It's like brillo pads and they can't eat their way through it. Remember if you can fit a pencil into a gap then mice can get through it, so apply liberally!


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 10:24 am
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Ok, wire wool and foam it is then.

Cheers all


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 10:28 am
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A cat?


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 10:29 am
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My trick for my rats which come each year is Lace it with poisen as it goes in the hole ,that way they get a dual purpose meal , fills em n nukes Em . 😆


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 10:39 am
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A cat?

To fill the hole with?


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 10:48 am
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My trick for my rats which come each year is Lace it with poisen as it goes in the hole ,that way they get a dual purpose meal , fills em n nukes Em .

So when the rat disappears off and dies (probably in agony), his body is eaten by other members of the wildlife fraternity who in turn get secondary poisoning ... some of which die as a result and provide more poison for the food chain. Clever 😈


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 11:47 am
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according to our pest control contractor what actually happens is that the rat goes back to his (or her) nest and then dies there. Then cos rats are so nice the dead one gets eaten by the rest of the family.

So yes there is secondary kill - but of more of the target, not different ones...

Problem is if ratty's a bit slow cos he's not feeling very well it's easier for the owls/hawks etc to catch them when they do go out...


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 12:12 pm
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I heard they go to water as the poison gives them insatiable thirst, then they drink so much they eventually explode poisonous remains over every surface for over 100 yards, killing all it touches with it's Alien-like acidity.

Possibly.


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 12:18 pm
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>Err, they eat through that too, hence trying to find something different.<

Your mortar is clearly made of cheese then!


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 12:35 pm
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Maybe you could provide them with a food source outside your shed?


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 12:57 pm
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Undoubtedly.

I left a unopened pasta'n'sauce packet inside a lidded saucepan in my shed, something chewed through the aluminum pan to get to it.


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 1:34 pm
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+1 for cat 🙂

Can you get cat-scent in bottles to spray? Or just find a neighbourhood cat and lock it in the shed with a big bowl of water and wait for it to piss everywhere.


 
Posted : 28/04/2010 1:53 pm