The Equipment You Need To Trap Rats

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The equipment you need to trap a rat may vary depending on where exactly the rat is on your property, which specific method you’re going to try in order to get rid of the rat, and the approximate number of rats you’re dealing with. The most common scenario for home rat invasion is rats living and breeding relentlessly in your attic, so I’ll base my suggestions on this particular situation.



For home inspection in order to discover all the rodent points of access to your attic, you’re going to have to verify the building in its entirety, from bottom to top. Here’s the equipment recommended for the inspection:

• A ladder in order to get on the roof;
• A harness in order to remain secure while on the roof;
• Safety helmet and steady legs for when on the roof;
• A flashlight for attic inspection, or for inspection under the house, if you live in an elevated structure;
• Good eyesight, and a bit of knowledge relative to rat biology and behavior so that you can know where to look.

Rat control is tough, but if you do it correctly, you can solve the problem permanently. So, in order to do it correctly, you now need to seal all the rodent access points. Assuming the rats are getting in through holes in the roof and not through some more unfortunate points of entry, here’s what you’ll need:

• Steel mash for vents;
• Metal flashing (preferably aluminum);
• Screws and a hammer drill for bolting;
• Keep the ladder used for inspecting the roof, because you’ll probably do most of the work standing on it.

Next step will be to trap and dispose of the rats that are living in your attic. In my educated opinion, the best way to eliminate this pest from your home is by killing them with classic wooden snap traps. This is what you’ll need:

• Protective gloves;
• HEPA filter mask;
• About 15 Victor wooden snap traps – I’m serious, it’s best to install lots of traps and check them frequently in order to dispose of the rats soon after they get trapped. This will ensure a quick, well-done job;
• Educating yourself about rat behavior in order to know where and how to place the traps;
• Bait;
• Close-lid disposable plastic bag or container for the rat carcasses.

The last step in removing attic rats forever is decontamination. Cleanup is essential, and must be done with caution and perseverance. Proper rat decontamination equipment would be as follows:

Full biohazard suit;

LED-powered headlamp;

Keep the HEPA filter mask on;

A vacuum cleaner which you will use everywhere in the attic;

Batt fiberglass insulation for replacing heavily soiled insulation;

An electric fogging machine (or its not so prolific cousin, the spray bottle/container);

A liquid cleaning product that will neutralize residual rat waste, stains, and eliminate all the smell left behind by the rats – I recommend the Bac-A-Zap Odor Eliminator.

Like I said in the beginning, the exact equipment that’s needed will depend on a few factors. In principle, however, you would use more or less the same gear and equipment to deal with rats anywhere on your property as you would use for eliminating rats from an attic.

The wildlife control pros available on my nationwide directory are not approachable strictly for hiring. They, like me, want to help. So, feel free to choose one that’s appointed to your area, and shoot them an email or give them a call for some solid advice on what you need in order to take care of your pest issue depending on the specific characteristics of your particular problem. For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does rat removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of rats - my main rat removal info guide.
Example rat trapping photographs - get do-it-yourself ideas.
Rat job blog - learn from great examples of rat jobs I've done.