How to Get Rid of Rats

Rats are no strangers to home owners but are these furry rodents welcomed with open arms by them? Well that’s definitely a Big NO! US home owners dread rat infestation. These rodents are a menace. They can:

• Get their grubby paws on every food source in the home and contaminate it.
• Start a fire by nibbling and chewing on electrical wires and cause million of dollars of structural damage.
• Transmit dangerous diseases like salmonella, Weil’s disease and cryptosporidiosis.

Unfortunately, these pesky rodents don’t need your permission to live in your home. They just invade your space and get comfy without you knowing it.

However, if you’ve recently spotted a rat in your attic or your basement, then that’s alarming! This calls for some serious action. If you slack now and don’t do something about it, then in a couple of months you’ll be up against a huge army of these pesky home invaders.  Remember they have an overwhelming high reproduction rate. A female rat can get pregnant 48 hours after giving birth and breed all year long. It can give birth to 4 to 7 litters a year with as many as 12 babies per litter.

So, before it turns into a nightmare, you have to take effective measures to drive them away from your premises.

Charge against Rat Infestation in Your Home

Here are some great tips to help prevent, control and get rid of rat infestation in your home:

Sanitation – Fundamental to Rat Control

If you maintain sanitation in and around your home, you can prevent rats from harboring in your home. Some good housekeeping tips would be:

• Clean the kitchen countertop, table and floor after you eat. Don’t leave the food crumbs behind for rats to feast on.
• Use a covered garbage bin so that rats can’t access it to find food. Also, make sure you take out the trash before you go to sleep.

Cut Dense Vegetation and Over-Hanging Trees Within 3 Feet of Your Roof

Dense vegetation serves as a great hiding place for rats. So, to get rid of rats, you need to get rid of that dense vegetation growing outside your home. If you have climbing hedges like star jasmine and honeysuckle, then you need to cut them short as they are also conducive to roof rats.

While you are at it, don’t forget to trim down the overhanging trees within 3 feet of your roof. By doing so, you can easily prevent the roof rats from sneaking into your attic.

Ensure There is no Access to Food

If they have access to food, they will never go away! So, you need to ensure that there is no access to food for these unwanted guests. The best way to do this is:

• Store all your food items in air tight containers and jars so that they cannot nibble through the packet and gnaw all your food.
• Leftovers should be kept in the fridge
• Remove pet food once your pet is done eating.

Seal All Entry Points

To avoid them from making your home their home, make sure you seal all entry points.

• Caulk small holes in the walls
• Cover ventilation openings with screens

These are great measures to prevent rat infestation. However, if you already have rats living in your home, then it’s best to kill them.

Use Rat Traps and Repellents

There is a large variety of rat traps that you can choose from however, the most commonly used ones are the live traps and electrocution traps.

• The electrocution trap is used to electrocute and kill rats. However, when using the electrocution traps, you need to check the traps frequently and dispose of dead rodents right away.
• An alternative to electrocution trap is the live trap. This works like a snap trap. You need to bait it to attract the rat. Once the rat is caught in the trap, you can take the trap somewhere really far from your home and release the rat.
• You can also use rodent repellents like Pest Repeller Ultimate AT to repel rats from invading your home.

Rodenticides

If you are looking for fast eradication of rats from your home, then try using rodenticides. These are strong toxic chemicals like mothballs that can kill rats in no time.

As these are extremely dangerous and toxic, it is advisable to keep children and pets away. Also, make sure you take cautionary measures when using these harmful chemicals in your home.