Exclusion
There are many simple things you can do to avoid having a problem with mice and rats. You can exclude rodents from your home by repairing external structural faults such as:
- Gaps beneath external doors. Attach draught-excluding brush or bristle strips or renew or raise the door threshold
- Holes surrounding pipes. Block with wire wool and fill with cement or expanding foam
- Air vents. Replace damaged old-style vents with holes over 2.5cm or cover with fine mesh. Do not block air vents.
- Block access into cavity walls. Replace missing bricks and seals around windows and doors.
Environment
You can make your home and garden less attractive by following these tips:
- Keep your house clean
- Store food (including pet food) inside and off the ground. Keep opened packages in sealed containers
- Outdoor pets. Attach a board to the front of cages to catch discarded food. Remove dog poo on a daily basis
- Bulky waste. Remove collections of materials (such as old furniture and carpets) kept close to your house
- Avoid the build-up of rubbish outside your property. Use wheelie bins and store away from vertical surfaces where possible
- Cut back tree branches so they do not overhang your property. Trim wall-climbing plants so they do not reach from ground to roof level
- Ensure your garden isn't overgrown.
Bird feeding
Wild bird feeding is one of the most common reasons for rat infestations around homes. To reduce attraction of rats to your garden you should:
- Use suspended wire feeders with trays for waste
- Don't put bird food on the ground
- Only put out enough bird food for the day and clear any spillages
- The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has more advice on how to
keep your feeding pest-free.