How to Get Rid of Rats: Methods of Eradication and Prevention

Discovering evidence of rats is daunting, and direct contact with rats in a home or storage building sounds like something right out of a low-budget horror movie. Rats are known disease carriers, and they spread germs while foraging for food. They can contaminate the food supply, destroy property, and rats deposit their droppings wherever they go. They can also spread diseases carried by external parasites such as fleas and ticks.

If rats have invaded your home or storage buildings, don’t panic. There are effective pest control methods to get rid of rats and prevent additional uninvited guests from moving in. You can get rid of rats and get rid of them for good without the expense of hiring a pest control professional.

Identification

People sometimes assume they have a problem with mice when in fact they have a problem with rats. Baby rats often resemble mice, especially when they’re on the run, so it’s imperative to be certain of what you’re up against in order to implement the best plan and method of eradication.

Begin by looking for obvious signs to confirm the pests are rats. Search for droppings in areas naturally frequented by rodents. Inspect areas where food is stored as well as areas where vermin can hide. Look behind furniture, boxes, stored items, and other places where rats are likely to take cover. Adult rat droppings can be as large as ¾ of an inch in length, and adult mice droppings measure only about ¼ inch in length.

Even if you’ve discovered rodent droppings, they might not be recent. Old droppings will be grayish in color and dry. New droppings are dark in color, and they are pliable. If you determine droppings to be recent, eradication steps are necessary.

Traps

There are a few different types of traps that can be used, but they aren’t always the most effective or humane way to get rid of rats. They are however one of the most effective and safest methods when kept out of the reach of pets and kids.

So rats don’t become wary of spring-loaded traps, begin by baiting a number of traps without actually setting them. Place food on the triggers, and bait the traps for two or three night in a row. Once the vermin are comfortable coming in contact with the traps, add bait as directed, and carefully set them.

Wooden spring-loaded traps can be baited with foods such as peanut butter, bread soaked in bacon grease, or raisins. Sticky foods are the best choice since it takes effort to remove them, but harder morsels can be tied to triggers with small pieces of thread.

Rats are intelligent and have a keen sense of smell. They are naturally suspicious of the human scent, so wash and rinse your hands well, or consider wearing latex gloves before handling and baiting traps. It may be necessary to bait spring-loaded traps several times before achieving success.

Glue traps don’t require baiting, and they are easy to use. Protective backing is peeled away to expose strong-holding adhesive. Rats that become trapped in the glue usually die within two or three days.

Glue traps are considered a cruel method of eradication since death isn’t instant, but adhesive traps are by far the safest method in homes and buildings with pets and kids. Although they don’t require dangerous poisons or spring-loaded metal wires that can inadvertently snap shut and inflict injury to people and pets, consider using instantaneous methods of eradication or live methods rather than ways that cause prolonged suffering.

Live traps work very well for trapping rats in homes and storage buildings. They are baited with the same foods as spring-loaded traps, but live traps don’t inflict injury. Trapped rats can be relocated to areas where they won’t find their way back into homes and other locations occupied by people.

Place traps along walls in back of stored items, along ledges, and other places where rats have left their calling cards. Place them well out of reach of kids and pets, and check them often. Pest control requires persistence, and with a little ingenuity and perseverance, you can get rid of rats once and for all.

Poison

Just like glue traps, poisons are one of the least desirable methods of rat eradication and control. Poisons pose a danger to pets and children when improperly placed. Besides coming in direct contact with dangerous toxins, pets that ingest poisoned vermin also become poisoned. Poison kills rats and other rodents by causing internal bleeding over a period of time, and poisoned rats bleed to death while searching for water outside the nest.

Rat Prevention

The best method of controlling rats is preventing them in the first place. Examine the foundations of your home and storage buildings. Look for openings where rats could gain entry, and repair any cracks or gaps. Fill in areas around pipes and plumbing with steel wool and caulking.

Don’t provide rats with food and shelter by letting trash accumulate on your property. Store trash in covered containers, and remove it on a regular basis. Haul away old appliances, and keep grass and weeds mowed. Make your property and yard less accommodating to rats, and they won’t make themselves at home in your home.