How to Get Rid of Rats

Seal Entry Points

Before you can make a plan to tackle your rat problem you need to identify exactly how these pests are getting into your property.

Rats can fit through gaps as small as 15mm so sealing all potential access points is a challenging task.

You should inspect the interior and exterior walls for any small holes and seal gaps with stainless steel wire wool, cement, metal kick plates, or caulking.

When inspecting your home’s exterior, carefully check for cracks in the foundation, drainpipes, or around vents as these are all potential entry points for rodents.

If you are seeing the tell tale signs of rats but are unable to find any possible entry points then you should contact Clark Pest Control today. It is almost impossible to work out how to get rid of rats if you do not know where they are coming from and a professional rat control expert will spot the less obvious signs of established routes being used by these rodents, such as grease marks and tail marks on walls.

Have a Spring Clean

A rat’s natural instinct is to seek shelter and an effective method to stop rats is by removing any potential hiding places.

By taking out any rubbish and clutter around the house, you can prevent rats from feeling at home as well as eliminating food sources by cleaning up waste such as cereal or fallen fruit.

Putting any fresh food away in sealed containers is another simple way to reduce the attractiveness of your home to rats.

You should also have a tidy up in any outdoor spaces as simple things such as closed bins and a lack of loose garden clippings can all help with rat control.

Unfortunately, bird food can also appeal to rats so you may wish to wait until you have got completely rid of the rats in your property before refilling your bird feeder basket.

Try Natural Methods First

Before you rush down to the hardware store to purchase a trolley full of rat poison and rat traps, there are a few natural deterrents you can try using these ingredients you probably have in your kitchen cupboard.

Peppermint Oil

The smell of peppermint oil is unappealing to rats but completely harmless and free of the dangerous chemicals found in many pesticides.

By mixing this oil with water and spraying the mixture into corners and exterior areas where you have identified rodent activity, you may be able to deter rats from entering the property.

You could also place peppermint oil laced cotton wool balls in affected areas.

Pepper

Another natural method you can try to get rid of rats is to sprinkle crushed pepper near rat entry points.

Cayenne pepper or similar, can irritate rats’ noses and put them off returning to the location.

You could also spray pepper spray where you think rats may be present which will have the same effect.

Aluminium Foil

Rats can chew through almost all materials in the home, however, one material they tend to avoid is aluminium foil.

For some reason, rodents think the foil is made from a sharp material, due in part to their poor eyesight, and therefore see it as a potential danger.

Putting foil in openings and cracks and openings around your home is a simple step you can take to deter rats from going through them

Bait Stations

Another popular way to tackle rat infestations is to use bait stations.

These are usually small plastic or metal boxes with a small entrance hole.

Inside these bait boxes are usually some form of rat poison which it is hoped the rat will consume before leaving.

Why use a Bait Station?

If you have pets or small children placing toxic rat poison down in your home is a scary idea. Bait stations keep the poison tucked away out of reach to anything bigger than the entrance hole.

Metal bait boxes are very robust and durable meaning they can be placed outside for long periods of time without degrading.

If you are lucky then the poisoned rat will return to its nest and spread the poison among its fellows.

Limitations

The bait station will not trap the rat like a live trap would, it will simply attract pests using rat bait before they hopefully consume some of the poison and leave the way they came.

Ideally, poisoned rats will die away from the property but this is unlikely and you may find dead rats around your home by using this method.

This is a disturbing thought but the biggest problem with this is if non target animals such as domestic pets come across a dead rat, decide to consume it and become poisoned as a result.

Young children may also pick up and play with dead rats, and given their tendency to carry disease this could have devastating consequences.

Live Traps

An alternative to a traditional rat trap which relies upon killing rats instantly, is using a humane live trap.

These traps rely upon the tendency of rats to burrow through any small holes they can find. Simply place dried fruits, chocolate, peanut butter, or any other food bait inside the trap and the rat should wriggle into the trap before finding itself unable to escape.

Why use a Live Trap?

There are several benefits to using these traps to get rid of rats instead of rat poison or snap traps.

Live traps are usually made of either mesh or clear plastic so it is simple to check if a rat has been caught.

Once a rat has entered the trap the mechanism in the entrance hole will snap shut making it impossible to escape. These mechanisms are much more effective than snap traps which often fail to kill rats instantly due to a malfunction.

Capturing a rat in a live trap does not harm the pest in any way and they can either be released unhurt in a location where it won’t return or humanely killed.

Limitations

These traps are ventilated so the rat will not suffocate quickly however, they must be regularly checked and inspected at least once a day.

Long periods in such traps can cause distress and hypothermia as the breath of the rat creates moisture on their fur when confined for too long.

Once you have captured a rat you will be responsible for their welfare under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

It is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to the animal as well as releasing them in the wrong manner.

A professional pest management company will have much more effective methods of humanely killing rats who cannot be released.

If you are concerned about how to get rid of rats in the most humane manner then contact Clark Pest Control on 0800 808 5615. We are BPCA certified and will use state of the art equipment to tackle your rat infestation whilst abiding by all pest welfare regulations.

Snap Traps

If you are looking for a way to instantly kill rats then a snap trap may be your solution.

These work by attracting the rodents to the trap with food or rat bait and triggering the trap with a trip plate which should kill the rat instantly.

Why use a Snap Trap?

Rat snap traps are the cheapest way to kill rats and are a great option if you do not want to work out how to get rid of rats caught in live traps or find dead rats lying around your home after being poisoned.

Snap traps are much more humane than traps such as bait stations which poison the rat and as such cause a long and painful death.

When you have poisoned rats running about your home they can cause all sorts fo health issues, spreading diseases and contaminating food sources. With these traps, this concern is removed.

Limitations

Whilst snap traps are very effective when they work properly, this is not always the case. Often the trap will not go off and rats will simply take the food and escape unharmed.

You also need to be careful to properly identify the pest you are looking to trap as if you buy a mouse sized trap and it is triggered by a larger rat, the rodent will likely be inhumanely injured.

If you have seen signs of rodent activity, such as what you think may be rat droppings, but are not 100% sure, then contact Clark Pest Solutions today and one of our expert rodent control technicians will be happy to help identify and resolve your pest problem.

Cons of DIY rat control

Using DIY methods such as natural deterrents or any of the multiple traps found in local hardware stores, can be effective and you may capture or kill some rats.

If you have a large infestation however, and need to get rid of rats in large numbers, you will need the assistance of a professional rat control expert.

If you wrongly identify the type of rat you are dealing with you may waste a lot of time and money placing traps which will be completely ineffective.

Likewise, there will not always be blatant giveaways, like fresh tracks and shredded paper, to indicate where the rats are coming from and you could end up with the right traps but in the wrong places.

Whilst you are doing this the population of rats will continue to grow and the issue will only get worse.

Hire Professional Pest Control

The only truly effective way to get rid of rats in your home is to use the services of a professional pest control company like Clark Pest Control.

Dealing with rodents requires a genuine understanding of their biology and behaviour as any changes to their environment will put them on alert and they may simply move to a different location.

Traps and other extermination measures need to be placed very carefully in specific locations to be effective.

At Clark Pest Control our professional rodent control technicians are fully trained in exactly how to get rid of rats and make sure they don’t come back.

Not only will they identify where to place traps and poison to be most effective but they will also find where the rats are accessing your property and help put preventative measures in place to prevent access.

To talk to one of our personnel about arranging a free survey, or to book in some pest control service, give us a call now on 0800 808 5615.

Alternatively, complete our contact form, and one of our sales representatives will be in touch as soon as possible.