Rats

[Feasty]

We've recently been hearing scrabbling noises in the loft at night, too loud and heavy to be a bird or mouse. I can also see a few droppings in one particular place.
Problem is my loft is part boarded and covered in the usual crap you use once a decade. The rest of the area around the edges isn't boarded and has extra insulation piled around, I'm sure it makes a great hiding place and bed!

What's the best way to get rid of it/them? I have no idea how it/they are getting up there, and there are way too many gaps to fill let alone even get to. I guess poison is a bad idea as I don't want stinking dead rats up there either, so maybe traps to catch and release, or just to kill them?
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[doggone]

Your best plan would be at least 'move' the junk to see where they are, if they are coming in periodically rather than living there try to work out where.
Poison and a few days of stinky rat might be only option but if more can get in you still need to sort that out.
It might be a squirrel BTW which is bad news too they are sods at chewing things.

[jeremyr62]

Trap them and kill them. Watch the Mousetrap Monday YT channel for ideas on how best to do it. You don't need poison to do it.

[Polarbear]

Get King29 on the job.
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[A100man]

+1 on Squirrels

In my former marital home with large victorian attic I was examining why my spotlights in the bathroom below failed - lighting cable chewed through.

Some while later in the darker recesses of the attic I came across a mummified squirrel that looked like something from Quatermass and the Pit
I don't mind admitting I nearly shat myself as I uncovered it.
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[Ste]

[Raffles]

This might help you to identify what your unwelcome guests are:-

Crap in the attic...

+1 for not poisoning 'em. You don't know where they'll end up dying and the stench will last considerably longer than a few days.
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