In the previous article, we have studied the lifespan of the rats and how it affects their whole life as rodents. I have tried to answer most of the queries and myths related to the topic. Now in this article, we are going to learn what are the effective ways that can be implied to get rid of rats in order to ensure hygiene in your house.

How to get rid of rats:

In Asian countries, rats are usually hated and are not kept as pets. While in the west some people like to pet them and others also don’t like them either in their houses as well as colonies. For centuries people are trying to find ways to get rid of rats from their house, particularly from the kitchen which is the main target of the rats. Rats cause viral as well as bacterial infections therefore most people try to get rid of them.

Is there a rat in your house?

Rats usually invade those places which provide them shelter, are warm and with excess food resources. Rodents are night-loving animals and they are very difficult to spot at day times. So how will you know that there is a rat in your house? You may see him in the daytime as well but they are hard to spot. Following are some tricks which can confirm rat infestation in your house:

Noise and scent:

When there are rats in your house ammonia scent will be confirmed there and if you smell ammonia-like scent often then there will probably be rats infesting in your home. Also, rats are social animals so they are genetically programmed to do a slot of screeching voices when they roam.

Excretory material:

Rats excrete a dark-colored product up to 40 time in a day which can be long enough of 14 mm. you can find these in your home by observing the locations and can point out their entry and exit points.

Stains:

Rats or generally all rodents have poor eyesight so they walk leaning with the walls remembering the path. You can see scratches as well as stains on the walls (brush-like) and can find out whether there are rats or not in your home.

Impressions:

In those areas of the home which remains dusty and low areas where there is sand, in those areas their tale marks or trail can be easily located if the torch is placed on the appropriate angle.

Harm:

Rodents are chewers and they may be chewing electrical wires and other things like paper, storage boxes and scratches can be commonly seen on the things and they are the obvious signs of rats. Chewing of electrical wires is among one of the most dangerous things because sparking can occur leading to a fire.

Best 10 ways to get rid of the rat

After following the above guideline you found that your house is infested with rats then you will have to take the following measures in order to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Identify loopholes and lock them:

Remember rats are very elastic animals and they can literally fit anywhere where you least think of it. If their mouth gets through a hole, then their whole body easily can. So never think they can’t get through this hole and you may leave it. So seal all the holes with wood, cement or some kind of metal like iron, etc. to block the passage completely.

Sanitation:

Try to move objects as much as you can, including your cutlery as well. Move objects away from the wall to see what’s hiding behind there. Also make sure that you recycle bin gets empty properly and daily, also the water pipes and keep gutter lines should be clean as much as you can.

Delete food resources:

Almost every rat infests a home due to food, as there is plenty of food in homes also they serve a good shelter as well. So if you eliminate the food resources form the home there will be no reason left to stay in the home. Food resources can be eliminated by storing them in airtight containers and also removing any spilled food immediately.

Asking pest control:

While above are mentioned the preventions you still have to contact someone that can permanently eliminate the problem and has the complete know-how and is up to date. So you should know who to contact for controlling and removing rat infestation.

How to get rid of the rats the right way?

While there are several techniques out there to control and remove rat infestation some of them are:

Rat traps:

Traps are quite an inexpensive option for capturing the rat and it is effective as well. Traps can be used either as baited ones or non-baited ones but they should be checked properly from time to time because dead rats can invite more bacterial infections. Traps should be placed on the places where there are obvious reasons for the rat to come like in basements and in closed dark areas or near the kitchen (food resource). There are several kinds of traps like snap traps, wooden traps, live traps and glue boards, etc.

Rodent baits:

Baits are used for traps as a bribe method to attract the rat. They are placed in the traps so that rat gets into the trap to eat it. Following are the baits rats like to have:

Trap baits:

Dry foods such as tortillas, nuts, and meat are among the most suitable baits for the rats. These baits are attached to the trap with a thread glue or to the built-in hook in the trap. For rats, liquid baits usually don’t work because they can take away the bait easily without even getting trapped.

Poison to get rid of rats:

Rodenticides are special kinds of drugs available in the market that are used to poison rats in order to kill them. If your house is highly infested with rats it’s better to contact a professional who knows how to use the rodenticides in bulk. While using these kinds of drugs make sure to read the instructions properly and keep them out of the reach of the children.

How to get rid of rats naturally?

Traps, baits, and rodenticides are okay but we always don’t need such dangerous and poisonous things to use especially in our homes in the presence of the children. There are also things present in the home which you can use to get rid of rats.

Oil of peppermint:

Rats have extremely well-developed smell organs and peppermint oil has a very strong smell. To us, its fragrance is quite refreshing and pleasant while for rats its very offensive. You will need some cotton balls and peppermint oil for this.

Mothballs:

Mothballs are as equally poisonous to both rats and humans.

Ammonia:

Besides being an excellent cleaning agent ammonia also acts as a wonderful rodent repellent as well.

Question and answers: