Evidence of rats in ceiling

[superfred83]

I went up into the roof today to look for the reason why I have mould in my bedroom. I had a good look around. There is evidence of rats having been in there. I found 2 rats nests and some droppings. The insulation was missing in places, perhaps it was eaten (?) 

Apart from moving the rats nests and droppings, what do I do? I was thinking I would need a professional of some sort, perhaps an electrician, to look for evidence of chewed wires and also to provide advice as to what I should do. The wires are sitting right on top of the insulation, which is old and grotty and will need replacing. 

There is more that I discovered but I will leave that for another topic. 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @superfred83. It's great to have you join us and many thanks for your question.

Rats inhabiting roof cavities is not an unusual occurrence and might not necessarily be the cause of the mould. Unless of course, the nest was directly above the mouldy section then they are to be the likely culprits.

Most homeowners, on discovering rats in the ceiling, would generally distribute Ratsak 100g Fast Action Throw Packs 5 x 20g Packs and call it a job done. You could go the more humane route and set a The Big Cheese Rat Cage Trap and relocate the pests elsewhere.

If you were looking to enlist a professional I would suggest someone from a pest control service. Although they won't be able to give you a specific assurance that the rats haven't made the wiring unsafe by chewing it, they should be able to let you know if they believe you'll need an electrician. Whilst the pest controller is there they can seal up any entrance holes and remove the rats from the ceiling.

I believe it would be best to deal with the issue at hand, which is the rat's occupancy, before moving onto potential issues that could have occurred.

Let me mention @bruce93 who might be able to contribute to the discussion about whether an electrician would be the first person to call.

Please let me know if you need further assistance or had any questions.

Mitchell

[superfred83]

Thank you so much Mitchell! Great advice. Has taken a weight off my mind. I will get onto a pest inspector first and foremost and then get a sparky up there to check things out. Thanks mate!

P.S I like the idea of trapping and relocating them too