Rats can be sneaky creatures. They can enter a house from small cracks and crevices. Some arts are big, and some rats are little. Rats can quickly turn into a mess once they enter into someone house.
Because of that, you should know a few ways to get rid of them.
So how to get rid of rats? Here is the list of the recommended ways to get rid of rats:
- Spring Mouse Trap
- Close Cracks And Crevices
- Throw Away Unnecessary Paper
- Use Poison Bait
- Use Sticky Trap
- Rat Attractant
- Keep Trash Covered
- Use Predator Urine
- Keep Cats
- Make Bucket Trap
- Trap A Rat By Yourself
- Use Peppermint
- Rat Cage Trap
- Call An Pest Control Company
Continue reading to know all these points in details.
Why Rats Are Dangerous
Rats can spread various kinds of diseases. They can destroy your goods, clothes etc.
Having them in the house can invite lots of problems. Rats like to explore, and they will reach almost any place. They are fast and challenging to catch.
Rats can consume foods that we eat. It can become problematic if you are not aware and end up consuming these foods. It’s not good to have an excess infestation inside your house.
People who are scared of rats can also have panic attacks. Rats can climb onto people when someone is not aware, and if that person is afraid of rats, then the person can have a panic attack.
So make sure to get rid of rats if someone is scared of rats.
Signs Of Infestation
Some specific signs will tell you that rats are present in that place.
Frequent Sightings
When there is moderate to heavy infestation, you’ll see rats moving around in your house. Running around the corner of your home.
They are fast, so sometimes they may look like shadows. Rats are smart creatures, so they know when you are sleeping and when you are awake.
They will try to come out when no one is seeing them, but there can be exceptions, and that’s when you’ll get their sighting.
If you see a rat or a group of rats, then know that the infestation has already begun.
Strange Sounds & Movements
By strange sound I mean you’ll hear dishes falling or squeaking sound.
This happens when groups of rats ventures out for food or in search of nest-building materials. Sometimes a single rat can also cause a lot of sound by making things fall from its place.
They are careful creatures, but if you didn’t keep something correctly, then that thing can fall. This can happen in the middle of the night, which is disturbing because it can disturb your sleep.
Bite Mark
You’ll see the paper, cardboard or clothes have bitten or cut into pieces. This is a visible sign that there is a rat infestation in your house.
Don’t keep your clothes or your valuable items outside of a cabinet if this happens because rats can destroy it. If the infestation is high, then the rat can damage your precious items overnight.
They also destroy wires which can become very problematic. Computer wires, TV wires can be severely damaged by rats which is something you want to happen.
If these are frequently happening then, the infestation is high, and you should take immediate steps to get rid of them.
Squeaking Sounds
You’ll hear squeaking sound in the middle of the night. This sound is quite sharp and can wake you up. If you hear it too frequently, then remember that rats are hiding somewhere.
You can also identify some of the rats if all of them start squeaking at the same time. Although rats are very cautious creatures, they sometimes make this mistake.
This one mistake can become dear to them. It can become challenging to identify the infestation if rats don’t break things or don’t make any sound.
But this squeaking sound confirms everything.
Fight With Each Other
If you hear squeaking sound repeatedly in the same night followed by falling of things or a sense that these rats are running around then know that those rats are fighting.
There can be numerous reasons why they are fighting.
Reasons like food, mating etc. can make them fight each other. Whatever the reason is, sometimes it becomes unbearable.
Sometimes the sound becomes difficult to tolerate. This fighting usually occurs during the night when you are sleeping.
You’ll See Rat Feces
If there are rats inside your house, then there are chances that you will see some rat feces. Rat poop looks black and is very sticky; they also stink a lot.
Because of the stink, you can easily find them. It is also possible that the rats can poop inside your wardrobe or sofa.
Those places are dark and untouched so rats can go there.
Rats also have an extraordinary sense of smell and can detect food from far away.
This sense also allows them to identify which place is used often and which area is untouched.
Few Things That You Should Not Do
These are a list of few things that I think you should not do if there are rats inside your house.
Don’t Catch The Rat By Hands
Rats can bite if they feel threatened. If you try to catch the rat by hand, then they can try to bite you.
If a rat somehow bites you or scratches you, then it can become a mess.
You need to visit a doctor and get yourself treated. Don’t keep it hidden as treatment is necessary if you are bitten or scratched by rats.
Rats usually will try to run away with all its force the moment you catch it, and chances are you will get some scratches.
Now if you’ve decided to catch the rat by your hand then make sure to wear thick gloves. These gloves will protect you from their bite as well as from the scratches.
This is absolutely necessary if you are going to catch them by your hand. These gloves will protect you from any harm, no matter how hard the rat tries.
Always Keep Clothes Inside A Cabinet
Keep clothes inside the cabinet if the infestation is high. If you have a high infestation, then you need to maintain this diligently unless the infestation is gone.
Every time you go out and come back, make sure to keep your dress inside a cabinet and close the doors of the cabinet immediately.
This will stop the rats from reaching your clothes and will also protect your clothes.
Make sure to check your cabinet frequently. If you hear anything moving inside the cabinet then immediately check it.
Rats will destroy your clothes if they somehow enter the cabinet, so make sure to check it frequently.
If the infestation is less, then the chances of a rat entering your cabinet are low, but if the infestation is high, then it can happen.
Here Is The List Of 14 Ways That Will Get Rid Of Rats
1. Spring Mouse Trap
The spring mousetrap is used for decades, and this thing still is used to capture rats. Just keep the trap in all those places where you see rats and you are done.
Add some bait to attract the rat when the rat takes the bait. It will get caught by the spring trap.
2. Close Cracks And Crevices
Cracks and tiny holes inside your house are the reasons why rats can enter your house.
Closing this gap can significantly reduce the infestation. So, without hesitation, use a caulking tool and caulk all those crack, crevices or tiny holes in your house.
3. Throw Away Unnecessary Paper
Paper is one of those things that attracts rats. Throw away papers that you are not using. Pregnant rats collect papers to build their nests.
They look around nearby places to find necessary things to complete their nests, and if your house has those essential things, then it will attract rats inside your home.
4. Use Poison Bait
Poison bait also works well in getting rid of rats. Poison bait looks like food. Rats get attracted towards that, and the moment they bite and swallows a little bit of it, the poison starts effecting.
You can place poison baits all around your house, where you see rats, and you’ll be surprised how effective it is.
5. Use Sticky Trap
A sticky trap has glue in it. Keep the sticky trap in places where you see rats, and whenever rats try to cross that, the rat will get trapped inside the sticky trap.
The glue in the glue trap is strong, so the rat will not be able to come out. Once trapped, you can throw the trap away along with the rat.
You can use a sticky trap both indoors and outdoors.
6. Rat Attractant
Rat attractant is beneficial in drawing rats out and trapping them. This is chemically produced attractant that attracts rats.
You can use this attractant to make them come towards the trap, and once the rat is trapped, you can throw the rat away.
This rat attractant can attract many rats, so keep that in mind and buy a big trap which will allow you to catch multiple rats.
Although rats will come out when you are using the rat attractant but remember rats are smart creatures so if your trap is very obvious, then rats can hesitate.
Just cover the trap with a cloth to make it less noticeable, and this will give you success rate.
7. Keep Trash Covered
Rats are attracted to trash because of food.
If you don’t keep your trash covered rats may come and get inside the trash can, and if that trash can is near your house or inside your home, then it can become problematic.
Covering the trash will stop the smell from going outside and will not attracts rats.
8. Use Predator Urine
Predator urine works well in keeping rats away. You can buy this online or from your local store.
Just spray this around rats, and that will keep them away. For example, rats are scared of cats, and so cat urine repels them.
It’s not expensive, but it is a very effective solution.
9. Keep Cats
Cats can keep rats away. If you have a cat as a pet, then you are lucky, but if you don’t have a cat, then you can feed a stray cat, and it can become your pet.
If you have a high infestation of rats in your house, then the cat will keep them away.
Once a rat knows that there is a cat inside your house, then the infestation will automatically decrease.
Not all animals can catch rats because they are small and fast, but a cat can. It has an excellent success rate.
10. Make Bucket Trap
Bucket trap is great in getting rid of rats. It’s a simple remedy and can be used by anyone. Just keep a bucket and put a stick through a soda can.
Keep that on the top of the bucket. This will add weight to the stick. Next, attach a string on the end of that stick which will allow the rats to climb.
Then put water in the bucket. After you have done this basic stuffs put a little cheese or peanut butter on the soda bottle.
The peanut butter or cheese will attract rats and the moment they step on the soda can it will rotate, and the rats will fall on the water.
You can then throw the water along with the rats. If you have a high infestation, then lot amount of rats will get trapped inside the bucket.
Keep this trap for 7-8 hours. You need to give rats some space so that they can inspect and enter the trap without any worries.
11. Trap A Rat By Yourself
If you don’t want to use any solution mentioned over here, then you can try to catch rats by yourself. If the infestation is low to moderate, then this technique will work.
First, you need to know the hideout of the rats then you need to put some food near the hideout and then immediately hide behind doors or a nearby place from where you can reach the rats quickly.
Once the rats start consuming the food, you can just catch them using a net.
Rats won’t be able to cut through that. After capturing the rat, carefully take the rat outside of your house and put it in a bag from where it cannot escape and then release the rat somewhere else.
Remember, rats are very cautious animals, and this can be challenging.
12. Use Peppermint
Peppermint spray works really well in keeping rats away, Just buy peppermint spray from your local stores or online and then spray it near the hideout of the rats.
Finding the exact hideout can be difficult, but you can guess where it can be. You can also directly spray it over rats if you see them and they will run away immediately.
13. Rat Cage Trap
Rat cage traps are very effective. You can buy this online, and these traps are great in capturing rats. It doesn’t kill them but catches them. Rat cage trap has a small door, and the entire product is made of plastic or metal.
A bait is placed inside the trap, and when the rat goes inside and tries to eat that bait, the door falls down and traps the rat.
Once the rat is trapped, you can throw the rat away and again reuse the trap. You can use it repeatedly, which is a good thing.
The cage trap is inexpensive and doesn’t need any poison. You can buy multiple of them and keep them in all places where you see rats.
Once you set the trap, you don’t have to do anything, because everything will happen automatically.
Just check the trap after 12-24 hours. If rats don’t get trapped within 24 hours, then don’t remove the trap rather keep the trap for a few days, and you’ll see rats inside those traps.
If the infestation is low, you’ll not need so many traps. Buy the trap depending upon the level of infestation.
14. Call A Pest Control Company
If the infestation is high and it’s difficult to control, and if you don’t want to deal with rats. Then call a pest control company. They use specialised equipment to get rid of rats.
They will spray chemicals all-around your house, inside the cracks and crevices of your home and that will get rid of the rats.
Now, a pest control company will charge money depending upon the amount of chemicals used and the difficulty of the tasks.
If your house is big, they can charge a good amount of money. However, sometimes it becomes necessary to call a pest control company to get rid of rats quickly and effectively.
Conclusion
Rats are smart creatures, and they can get from the cracks and crevices inside your home. They can also spread diseases.
They are fast and small, so they are challenging to catch. Rats can climb almost anywhere, and because of their size, they can enter places which has tiny holes.
I mentioned some of the best remedies in this post. Make sure to apply them as per the guidelines.
Welcome to my blog. I have been doing pest control for years since my house, garden and pets were always attacked by various kinds of pests and as a result I had to know proper pest control techniques that works. In this blog I share all the tips and tricks that I know and I hope you’ll find it helpful.