ᐅ Drain Pipe in the Basement – Rats?

Hello!

I’m not sure if this is the right category, but I couldn’t find a more suitable one.
We have fully renovated a 60-year-old house.
The plumbing company installed a temporary "worker’s toilet" in the basement. Next to it, there is a branch of the new drainage pipe where it seems the cover plate was forgotten. Because the room suddenly started to smell badly, we sealed the opening with tape. Earlier, my husband noticed some movement in the basement on the other side of the drainage pipe (the wall where the pipe runs is open to the adjoining room). When we checked, we saw that the tape had bite marks and had been removed.
Well, now we (especially ME) are desperate: how likely is it that these pests are now inside our home? We assume they are rats, although so far we haven’t found any droppings. We have now covered the pipe with a standard commercial cap and dismantled the toilet. We also set a rat trap. Is it true that once rats are present, they keep coming back? I am exhausted; we’ve gone through horrible years of renovation and now this…!!! Who can help me? With advice, comfort, or anything… what should we do now? Is the plumbing company at fault? They shouldn’t have left the pipe open!!!!
I am grateful for any help! Please.

I wouldn’t panic just yet. You’ve now sealed everything off and removed whatever was attracting them, and if the rats (if that’s what they are) can’t get back inside, they might move on to find another place. Acting quickly and decisively before the problem worsens is definitely the right approach. Make sure you close off every possible entry point and avoid leaving any food sources accessible to them.

Friends of mine had mice in their apartment a few years ago, but that issue was resolved quite quickly as well. They live in a very rural area and had too much food left out in the open while also keeping their patio door open.

Hello Winniefred! Thank you very much for your reply! I am really feeling bad; I am very afraid to go into the basement and find an unpleasant surprise there. But there is no way around it; we have to face the situation now. My husband is currently contacting a drain specialist company (they have been here before when they relined our drain pipe from the inside). I am completely exhausted. We NEVER flush food waste down the toilet; I am totally at my wit’s end.

We will now seal the pipes with concrete or have old blind-ending pipes milled off. The drain specialist said that the rats probably won’t come anymore once they realize the opening is now sealed. They would look for easier routes. We were rather advised against using rat funnels or one-way valves in the pipes.

If they are rats, they are unfortunately clever animals and tend to come back. Set up an IR camera and record. Then you will know for sure if they are actually rats.