To get rid of rats for good, you need to know which rat you have, where it's coming from and how it's getting inside. In Faerie Glen we see two kinds, and they arrive in different ways. Roof rats climb in from mature trees, creepers and boundary walls. Brown rats dig and tend to follow water, which makes the stream and the gardens near it a common starting point. We treat both, then show you how to stop the next one.
Questions we're asked most in Faerie Glen
"Why do I only hear them at night?"
Rats are nocturnal and very cautious. Roof rats wait until the house is quiet, then run along the wall plates and across the ceiling boards. If the noise starts as you go to bed and stops before dawn, rats are the likely cause.
"We back onto the reserve. Is that where they're coming from?"
Possibly, but not always. Open grassland supports more mice than rats. Rats are drawn to what people provide: compost, pet food, bird seed, fallen fruit, bins and dense creepers. A garden next to the reserve with none of those may have fewer rats than a busy garden deep inside the suburb. The inspection tells us which it is.
"Can't I just throw poison in the roof?"
Please don't. Loose bait gets carried off and stored, a rat that eats it can die between the ceiling and the roof sheeting, and the smell lasts for weeks. Worse, the hole it came in through is still open.
Signs that point to rats rather than mice
- Heavy thumping or scurrying, rather than light scratching
- Raisin-sized droppings in the roof, garage or along kitchen skirting
- Gnawed plastic, wiring insulation or pool and irrigation pipes
- Dark, greasy rub marks at the top of walls or around a pipe entry
- Burrow entrances under paving, sheds or the compost heap
- Fruit on the tree hollowed out from the top
Our treatment, step by step
- Inspection. We go into the roof void if there's access, check outbuildings, and walk the garden looking at walls, trees, drains and burrows.
- Outdoor baiting. Lockable, tamper-resistant stations go along runs and against walls, where your dogs and the neighbourhood birds can't reach the bait.
- Trapping indoors. In the roof and living areas we use traps, so we can remove the rat rather than leave it to decay.
- Proofing advice. We give you a specific list of gaps to close. You or your builder can do the work, and we'll check it on the follow-up.
- Follow-up. We return to check stations and traps until activity stops.
The Faerie Glen tree problem
Many homes here have big, established trees close to the house, and roof rats treat a branch touching the gutter as a bridge. Trimming branches back a good arm's length from the roof is one of the most effective things you can do, and it costs nothing but an afternoon. The same goes for ivy and creepers that run up to the eaves. Telephone and electricity cables that reach the house from a pole are another highway, and a roof rat will happily run along one like a tightrope.
Rats in complexes and food businesses
Where roofs are shared or a kitchen serves many people, one-off treatments don't hold. We can set up a monitoring contract with stations around the perimeter and refuse area, regular visits and a record of each one. If you're also seeing cockroaches around the bins and drains, which often go together with rats, see our cockroach treatments in Faerie Glen.
What does rat control cost?
A house with rats in the roof is usually a straightforward job, priced on the number of stations and traps and the follow-ups needed. A larger property with burrows, outbuildings and heavy activity takes more. For complexes and businesses we quote a contract to suit the site. If what you've actually got is one mouse in the pantry, we'll suggest a trap and save you the call-out.
For more detail on how we work across the city, see rat control in Pretoria, and if you'd like to try some steps yourself first, our guide on how to get rid of rats is a good start. Readers next door can look at rats in Lynnwood homes, and everything else we treat here is on our pest control page for Faerie Glen.
We're SAPCA registered and have been doing this for 25 years. If the rats are back within three months of treatment, we come back. Call 012 012 5526 tonight, or WhatsApp us a photo of what you've found.
Questions we get asked
How quickly will the noise in my roof stop?
Usually within one to two weeks of baiting and trapping starting. Heavy activity, or a site with lots of food nearby, can take longer and needs follow-ups.
Are rats in Faerie Glen a health risk?
Yes. Rats contaminate food and surfaces with droppings and urine and can carry diseases, which is why kitchens and pantries should be cleaned once activity stops.
Will the bait stations attract more rats to my garden?
No. The stations only hold bait for rats already passing by. They don't draw rats from far away.
My dog caught a rat. Should I be worried?
If you've had rat bait put down loosely by anyone nearby, call your vet for advice. With bait inside locked stations, the risk to dogs is much lower.
Do rats in Faerie Glen burrow in lawns?
Brown rats burrow, usually under paving, sheds, decking or compost rather than in open lawn. Holes in open lawn are more often harvester termites or moles.
Can you seal the gaps for us?
We give you a detailed proofing list and advice on materials. Most people use their own handyman or builder, and we check the work on the follow-up visit.