PEST UK / Pests / Protecting against Rats, Mice, Squirrels & Glis Glis

Protecting against Rats, Mice, Squirrels & Glis Glis

Prices from £75/£90 +VAT

To proof your home or business premises against rats, mice, squirrels & glis glis call 0800 026 0308

Proofing is an efficient, long-term solution to preventing rodent infestations in your property. For squirrels and glis glis it’s usually carried out externally while for rats and mice it’s carried out internally.

A large portion of our rat and mouse jobs at PEST UK are associated with ﬂats, terraced and semi-detached houses. This means that in a lot of these types of dwellings control just by using rodenticides may be short-lived and re-infestation is likely to occur. How long before (or if) the dwelling is re-infested depends on individual circumstances. However, unless the external access points are found and dealt with then re-infestation is likely. In an ideal world, the whole of the building (as well as sewers and utility pipes, cables & conduits) should be inspected for breaches and ﬁxed. As in a lot of cases, this is not possible then proofing individual rooms from the inside may be the only option.

Rats and mice may travel some distance undetected through cavity walls, sofﬁts, and loft spaces before either coming to an area where they are seen, heard or evidence (droppings, smells or damage) is noted. They may be entering a row of terraced houses several properties away from where they are actually appearing. The route into a building may be sub-terrain. In many cases blocking access points externally is not possible so prooﬁng individual houses or rooms is the answer. If an area is boxed off (which is normal in modern bathrooms and
kitchens) then holes and gaps around pipes are often left open by builders as they are not seen but which allow access by rodents.

Kitchens, lofts and bathrooms have the most utilities so these are areas in a property that rodents will have the easiest access to once they gain access to the structure of the building. A kitchen is most attractive as this is where food is stored.

Why is it worthwhile proofing against rats & mice?

Mice can get through a 1cm gap. Prooﬁng for rodents needs to be carried out by a professional pest control technician who understands rodents and their behaviour. To do this properly is time-consuming and may seem costly, but worth it in the long run. With the average rodent treatment costing around £165 – £200, it’s only a matter of time before reoccurring visits add up to more than the initial cost of proofing.

How much does it cost to proof a kitchen against rats and mice?

Kitchen 3-5 units from £500 + VAT
Kitchen 5-10 units from £700 + VAT

How much does it cost to proof a loft against rats and mice?

Prices range from £1,000 + VAT to £1,400 + VAT depending on size.

Rat damaged air brick

Proofing air bricks for rats & mice

The older style air bricks allow mice to squeeze through the gaps while the newer plastic ones (see picture) can be gnawed through by rats. We can ﬁt air brick covers to these to solve the rodent problem if this is the access point.

Sometimes there is more than one entry point and only by proofing many different areas will a solution be reached.

How do we pro0f against squirrels?

Any proofing for Squirrels should be done after the present family of squirrels has been eliminated. If done before then the squirrels will cause additional damage trying to get back into their home. Unless there are existing holes, squirrels coming across a roof will not try to access the loft as they don’t know its there.

How much does it cost to proof a loft against squirrels?

Prices for proofing lofts involving grey squirrels start from £75/£90 + VAT – depending on how high the areas that need work on are. Prices may vary if more is needed to be done to ensure a squirrel infestation has been eliminated. Our technicians will always supply a quote for your approval prior to undertaking any proofing work.

It is worth mentioning that in some cases prooﬁng may not prevent rodents accessing a property as they could be getting in via a sewer breach or exposed pipework. The access point is not always accessible or easily identiﬁed as well. We advise you to visit our ‘Rat Problems & Sewers’ page for more information on this subject.