ffwife
I had a rat issue about a year ago- I still cringe! Just so you know, not all rats follow the same pattern. My first indication was a scratching noise coming from my bathroom wall! I talked with the King County rat man and he said it was likely in the sewer line; however, this was on the main floor, not the basement toilet. He said I should check that one as well. Well, the rat had definitely tried that, as the water was drained (the water drains when they open the valve thing to get into the toilet) and there were dirty paw prints in the bowl, but the lid was down and he had not gotten out of there. However, he continued on his journey up to the main floor! Apparently, that was a bit trickey, but he was persistant.I could hear him as he traveled through the system…he got really loud when he finally reached the toilet (the toilet seemed to almost create an echo chamber effect). By now I was totally freaked! A friend suggested I put bleach in the toilet bowl water, which I did. When the water drained from the toilet, he backed off, but only so far. I could hear him back in the wall! I repeated the bleach water a few times, and he either died or gave up. The rat guy had suggested a possible break in the sewer line, as a possible entry point, but since our sewer system was replaced three years ago, that was not the explanation. He said they are quite capable of traveling from the main sewer out to homes, and will do so when the population of the main lines gets so large that they strike out in other directions. Your house will be most inviting if you do not regularly “clean” the system of odors (he suggested using baking soda and vinegar, followed by boiling water. Still creeps me!